Background for Native American Myths and Origin Stories: Native American Oral Tradition
N. Scott Momaday Biography Kiowa author & historian House Made of Dawn (Pulitzer 1969) was one of first Native American works to interest mainstream readers & scholars interested in the culture of Native Americans and in what their stories mean for us today has revived interest in Native Americans and shown that their art deserves as much appreciation as Greek or Scandinavian works
N. Scott Momaday s Ideas We have no being beyond our stories. 1) In what ways are we, as people, products of the stories we tell? 2) What function do stories serve in our society (ranging from those we tell each other to blockbuster movies) 3) How has storytelling changed? How has it remained the same?
N. Scott Momaday s Ideas Our stories explain us, justify us, sustain us, humble us, and forgive us. And sometimes they injure and destroy us. 1)Find an example of a story that does one of these things. 2)Discuss why we create stories that injure and destroy.
N. Scott Momaday s Ideas Perhaps the greatest stories are those which disturb us, which shake us from our complacency, which threaten our well-being. 1) Make a list of stories that have had an impact on your life. Do any of them support Momaday s assertion? 2) Why do stories that shake us from our complacency impact us so greatly? Is this a positive or negative effect?
Native American Perspective: The Oral Tradition Words are powerful & magical. Words can bring about physical change in the world. Words are sacred & rare, and must be spoken with great care The speaker must be careful in choosing what is said, for it will be taken as a reflection upon him or herself. There is a connection between the sacred & the verbal. Careless use of language is a poor reflection on character and breaks the ethical both between the sacred & the verbal.
The Power of Words The belief that words in themselves have the power to make things happen especially words in extraordinary combinations is one of the distinguishing features of Native American thought; and it may be said that for the people who share this belief a connection exists between the sacred and the verbal, or to put it in more familiar terms, a connection between religion and poetry. - John Bierhorst, The Sacred Path 1) How does our modern world still hold to this idea of the power of words? 2) Do you believe that words possess this power? If not, why do we feel the need to speak them?
Content Knowledge: Archetype The original or ideal, upon which later versions are based. e.g. The tree in Sky Tree is the archetypal world center, the point from which life originated. Many ancient religions have a tree that is central to their creation story There are many different archetypes, including: the hero (Neo, Odysseus) the mentor (Morpheus, Gandalf) the seducer (the One Ring, the Ice Queen) the trickster (Hermes, Coyote, Aladdin)
Content Knowledge: Myth A story should have the following qualities in order to be categorized as a myth: emerges from a particular cultural group (without a specific author) explains the unexplained workings of the universe or passes along guidelines, morals, advice, wisdom, etc. for dealing with life must focus on the exploits of a god or on the interaction of a mortal with a god (see epics for the opposite focus) originate in oral traditions, then are written down after many retellings (during which numerous changes occur to the story)
The Arrowmaker Once there was a man and his wife. They were alone at night in their tipi. By the light of the fire the man was making arrows. There was a small opening in the tipi where two hides were sewn together. Someone was there on the outside, looking in. The man went on with his work, but he said to his wife: Someone is standing outside. Do not be afraid. Let us talk easily, as of ordinary things. He took up an arrow and straightened it in his teeth; then, as it was right for him to do, he drew it to the bow and took aim, first in this direction and then in that. And all the while he was talking, as if to his wife. But this is how he spoke: I know that you are there on the outside. If you are a Kiowa, you will understand what I am saying, and you will speak your name.
The Arrowmaker (cont) But there was no answer, and the man went on in the same way, pointing the arrow all around. At last his aim fell upon the place where his enemy stood, and he let go of the string. The arrow went straight to the enemy s heart. 1) What is your interpretation of this story? What does it tell us about language? 2) Why is the Arrowmaker successful in defeating his enemy? 3) What point does this story make about strength vs. wit?
Kiowa Origin Myth You know, everything had to begin, and this is how it was: the Kiowas came one by one into the world through a hollow log. There were many more than now, but not all of them got out. There was a woman whose body was swollen up with child, and she got stuck in the log. After that, no one could get through, and that is why the Kiowas are a small tribe in number. It made them glad to see so many things in the world. They called themselves Kwuda, coming out. From The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday
Kiowa Origin Myth Questions 1) Many societies have creation myths that are centered around a body of water. Why? What can you infer about the Kiowa s location based on their myth? 2) There is a very important difference between the Kiowa origin story and that found in most other cultures. What is it? 3) What does this difference indicate about the Kiowa world view?
Native American Literature By: Vista Townsend
Creation Myths Many cultures around the world have stories about creation. Three Native American creation myths we will study are: The Earth on Turtle s Back ~ Onondaga When Grizzlies Walked Upright ~ Modoc Navajo Origin Legend ~ Navajo
Oral language The languages of Native American tribes were never written down before the English arrived from Europe. Their stories were passed verbally from generation to generation.
Language of North America
Forgotten Languages The population of the native civilizations of the current territory of the United States fell from about 20 million to the present level of less than 2 million. Beyond the shrinking size of the ethnic populations, the languages have also suffered due to the prevalence of English among those of Native American ancestry. Most Native American languages have ceased to exist, or are spoken only by older speakers, with whom the language will die in the coming decades.
Remaining Speakers Only 8 indigenous languages of the area of the continental United States currently have a population of speakers in the U.S. and Canada large enough to populate a medium-sized town. Only Navajo still has a population of greater than 25,000 within the U.S. Language Family Locations Speakers Navajo Athabaskan AZ, NM, UT 148,530 Cree Algic MT, Canada 60,000 Ojibwa Algic MN, ND, MT, MI, Canada 51,000 Cherokee Iroquoian OK, NC 22,500 Dakota Siouan NE, ND, SD, MN, MT, Canada 20,000 Apache Athabaskan NM, AZ, OK 15,000 Blackfoot Algic MT, Canada 10,000 Choctaw Muskogean OK, MS, LA 9,211
Code Talkers in WW II During World War II, bilingual Native Americans, mainly Navajo, transmitted messages through codes for the United States Army. The codes were never broken by the enemy. The Navajos could encode, transmit, and decode a three line message in 20 seconds. Machines used at that time to perform the same operation took 30 minutes.
Time Period and Literary Style This story is a legend that was written by the Onondaga Tribe. It displays the emphases they placed on dreams It was most likely written before the Europeans came to America in the late 1400 s. There is no exact time period in which it was written. This legend was passed down from generation to generation.
Author s Purpose Origin myth - which describes the creation of the earth. Shows that weaker and smaller animals can accomplish things that larger and stronger animals have failed to complete Teaches that you have determination nothing will stand in your way.
Imagery & Repetition Imagery images formed in reader s mind relating to story example: tree, water world, turtle Repetition repeating something over and over example, when the Muskrat was swimming, the author repeated the idea of swimming deeper to show how much determination the Muskrat had
Modoc Captain Jack
Time Period and Literary Style Time period Before the Europeans came to American in the late 1400 s by the Modoc tribe Origin myth explaining The Sky Spirit creates the earth, and the creation of the Native Americans.
Author s Purpose Explains the creation of Mount Shasta and the land and animals nearby. Tells how the daughter of the Sky Spirit marries a bear and their children become the first Native Americans. The Native Americans living around the mountain would never kill a grizzly bear because of this story.
Conflict The Sky Spirit had cursed the grizzlies by saying, Get down on your hands and knees. You have wronged me, and from this moment all of you will walk on four feet and never talk again. The Sky Spirit Chief behaved like a human when he used anger to punish the grizzlies.
Time Period The time period - Native Americans before the English came to America. The Navajo told the myths verbally, passing them from generation to generation. Navajo woman with her children
Author's Purpose The purpose of the story is to examine how the Navajo people believed the human race was created The Navajo people believed these stories were true. It is a origin myth telling how marriage began.
Literary Techniques & Author s Purpose The author used symbolism in the literature. The corn was placed facing east and west, relating to the passage of the sun The man and woman were created from the corn and the buckskin. The corn & deer are basic foods which provide life for the Navajo. The four gods represent the four directions of the wind which gave life to the humans.
Time Period "The Iroquois Constitution" was first thought to have been written in the 1500's, but a newer theory believes it to be between 1090 and 1150 A.D. Five Nations that formed the Iroquois Confederation included the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca tribes.
Government The Iroquois Constitution set forth a series of laws, forming a government that any could join if they wished to obey the laws. At the beginning of counsel meetings, the Iroquois gave thanks to the Creator for the natural world.
Imagery & Symbolism The author uses imagery to help the reader picture what the author is describing. Tree of the Great Peace can be imagined in your head. The author also uses symbolism. The tree symbolizes the Iroquois Confederacy The roots of that tree symbolize peace and strength.
Assignment Go to ELA Dashboard to open your textbook and read The World on Turtle s Back p.20