1. Native American Traditions
In Harmony with Nature

2. The first American literature was created by the first people to live in North America, the Native Americans
Inhabited the land thousands of years before the first Europeans
Didn’t consider the land to be a single nation
Belonged to more than 300 distinct groups
Spoke more than 200 languages
Lived a life connected with nature
Had complex religious beliefs, sophisticated political systems, and strong social values

3. Native American literature was oral
Passed down from generation to generation in the form of storytelling and performances
Pictographs, knotted strings, and coded wampum belts aided in memorization
All stories and songs were attributed to the Great Mystery
The Great Mystery gave the words to the singer or storyteller
Words possessed magic and power
Could help the hunter capture game, influence the crops to grow, etc.
Native Americans also believed the living could communicate with inanimate objects
Example: People could assume the form of animals and vice versa

4. There is an emphasis in Native American lit
There is an emphasis in Native American lit. on the importance of living in harmony with nature
They believed humans had a kinship with animals, plants, the land, the heavenly bodies, and the elements
They believed human beings did not have control over nature and was actually a part of nature that needed to maintain a proper relationship with the surroundings

5. Types of Native American Lit
Myth
A traditional story, religious in nature, that explains a belief, ritual, or natural phenomenon
Most myths contain archetypes
Archetype – a pattern that appears in literature across cultures and is repeated throughout the ages
Can be a character, a plot, an image, a theme, or setting
Creation myths
Explain the beginning of the world

6. Types of Native American Lit
Ritual Songs and Chants
Performed as part of ceremonies
Hunting songs, love songs, spiritual songs, etc.
Helped N.A. communicate with the Great Mystery

7. Types of Native American Lit
Tales of Heroes and Tricksters – tell of people who transformed the world into its present state
Animals act like humans
Include magical transformations
Explain natural phenomena
The hero of a trickster tale can play several roles
Cultural hero
Clever deceiver
Numbskull

8. The stories/works in our text are different from their original form
They have been translated into English
They would have been performed, not read
They still, however, expose the reader to the beauty, wisdom, and humor of the literature

9. Native Americans and their traditions have not disappeared from this country
Some cultures were lost due to disease and violence or European invasions
Others did survive and change
Forced religious conversions
Forced relocation
Forced education
They still keep oral traditions alive by singing songs and telling stories
Most of the new generation of writers deal with the problems of harmonizing the old and the new
Reconciling old traditions w/ the new practices
Mixing together mythology, oral history, & personal reflections