Warm-up: Answer the following
questions on your own paper.
• 1. Native American literature shows a
strong respect for what?
• 2. What is the term that means that
stories are told and not written down?
• 3. True or False: All Native American
myths, legends, and folk tales do not vary.
Native American Literature
ELAALRL3: The student deepens
understanding of literary works by
relating them to their contemporary
context or historical background, as well
as to works from other time periods.
a. The student relates a literary work to
the seminal ideas of the time in which it is
set or the time of its composition.
General Facts
The dates for this period are very
unclear because we have absolutely no
idea when they started. Much of the
literature of that period were myths,
and, of course, the Native Americans
still write today. Most of what our
text calls Native American myths
were written long before Europeans
settled in North America.
The foundation of American literature
begins with the orally transmitted
myths, legends, tales, and lyrics (always
songs) of Indian cultures. Native
American oral tradition is quite diverse.
Indian stories glow with reverence for
nature as a spiritual, as well as physical,
mother. Nature is alive and endowed
with spiritual forces; main characters
may be animals or plants, often totems
associated with a tribe, group, or
individual. There was a belief in the
after-life.
• For a long time, Native
American literature was
viewed mainly as folklore, so
it was only studied for content
rather than for its literary
qualities.
• There were stories told that
were never written down (called
oral tradition). This meant that
the stories changed a lot from
speaker to speaker as they were
retold. No fixed versions of
these tales exist.
• Even though the myths, legends, and
folk tales vary greatly, there is one
common characteristic that runs
through all of it.
There is a deep respect for nature.
• Tales and chants celebrate the
wonders of the natural world and its
connection to the world of the spirit.
• Because Native Americans
usually told stories instead
of writing them down,
being a good storyteller (or
orator) was very valued.
• Logan and Red Jacket were
two widely known Native
American orators.
Logan the Orator
(c. 1725?–1780)
was a Native
American orator
and war leader
born in the
Iroquois
Confederacy.
Red Jacket
(c. 1750–January 20, 1830)
was a Native
American
Seneca orator
and chief of
the Wolf clan.
(He is wearing a peace
medal given to him by
George Washington.)
A woman asked him once if he had any
children. His answer demonstrates how
well he could tell a story. He is telling why
(in his thoughts) all his children had died.
“Red Jacket was once a great man, and
in favor with the Great Spirit. He
was a lofty pine among the smaller
trees of the forest. But, after years
of glory, he degraded himself by
drinking the firewater of the white
man. The Great Spirit has looked upon
him in anger, and his lightning has
stripped the pine of its branches.”
• There are cases where words of
Native American lyrics or
narratives were written down, and
the language is often poetic and
moving.
• Since there were many Native
American cultures, the literature
that was produced varied greatly.
Example of Native American Diary - Click on picture to start video clip (2:30).
See if you know the answer.
Question:
Answer Choices:
A text containing
references to spirits
who embody both
animate and inanimate
objects in nature would
MOST likely be seen in
______________ .
A. Native American
mythology
B. Colonialism
C. Naturalism
D. Realism
Answer:
A – Native American
mythology
Something to Do…
• Your teacher will pass out a Native
American story.
• You will take turns reading the story
aloud.
• See if you can pick out which
characteristic of Native American
literature is found in this text.
See if you know the answer.
Question:
Which characteristic of
Native American
literature is found in
this text?
Answer Choices:
A. The appearance of the
archetypal Trickster
hero
B. The belief that nature
is all-knowing
C. The lack of a supreme
being
D. The belief in an
afterlife
Answer:
D – the belief in an afterlife
Warm-up: Answer the following
questions on your own paper.
• 1. Native American literature shows a
strong respect for what?
• 2. What is the term that means that
stories are told and not written down?
• 3. True or False: All Native American
myths, legends, and folk tales do not vary.
Answers
• 1. Native American literature shows a
strong respect for what? (nature)
• 2. What is the term that means that
stories are told and not written down? (oral
tradition)
• 3. True or False: All Native American
myths, legends, and folk tales do not vary.
(False)