Origins and Encounters
When did Native Americans begin
cultivating maize?
• c. 2000-1000 B.C.
When was the Gutenberg Bible
printed?
• 1455
Who are the Americas named after?
• Amerigo Vespucci
• (From Florence, Italy)
When were the first enslaved
Africans taken to the Americas?
• 1502
When was the colony of
Jamestown established?
• 1607
When was the Mayflower Compact
signed?
• 1620
Who created the first American
literature?
• Native Americans
How many distinct groups of native
peoples lived in the Americas? How
many languages did they speak?
• more than 200 groups
• more than 500 languages
Is literature only what is written
down? If not, what else can be
literature?
• oral literature also counts
• passed down to each generation through
storytelling and performances
• connect with ancient Greek mythology,
The Odyssey
In what ways will your experience
of the reading selections in this
section be different from the way
they were originally experienced?
• reading instead of hearing/seeing
• not original language – translated into
English
Name three ideas emphasized in Native
American literature that make it unique
from other cultures’ literature.
• emphasizes importance of living in
harmony with natural world
– humans are part of nature, not dominant
• humans related to animals, plants, land,
stars/planets, elements
– which are alive and aware
• human and non-human make a sacred
whole together
What caused the change or loss of
some Native American cultures?
• Loss: European diseases and violence
• Change:
– forced religious conversion
– forced relocation
– forced education
How is Native American literature
being kept alive today?
• singing songs
• telling stories
• writing in English
Name four contemporary Native
American authors.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
N. Scott Momaday
Leslie Marmon Silko
Paula Gunn Allen
Simon Ortiz
Louise Erdrich
Michael Dorris
You might know another from English 9?
– Sherman Alexie