Unit: Native American Oral Traditions
I. Myth Unit Vocabulary
Study the following words and definitions:
1. encompassing: including
11. vault: arched structure forming a roof or ceiling
2. countless: very many
12. alight: to descend and come to rest
3. revitalized: awakened; given new life
13. authentic: real, unpretentious,
4. convey: tell; make known
14. hand-breadth: unit of measurement based on the width of a hand
5. interchangeable: able to be switched
15. oratory: speech; art of public speaking
6. metaphor: comparison between two unlike things 16. trickster: mischievous, cunning character in myth or folklore
7. tenacious: not ready to quit; persistent
17. conjurors:one that performs magic or supernatural power
8. dynamic: active; changing
18. oral tradition: stories passed down by word of mouth
9. cyclical: repeating in the same order;
19. Myth: anonymous, traditional story, religious in nature
occurring in a cycle
and explains a belief, ritual, or natural phenomenon
10. anecdote: a short, interesting story about an
20. Archetype: an old, imaginative pattern that appears
event
across cultures, repeated through the ages
Reading/Directions: Write the answers to the following questions in complete sentences by restating the question as
part of your answer. Use a capital letter to begin each sentence, and place a period at the end. Proofread to make sure
your sentences make sense.
Introduction to Native American Literature
II. Read “Native American Oral Traditions” p. 20 and “Before You Read” p. 21
1. Write a definition of archetype. What are some examples of archetypes? Name at least three.
2. Write a definition of trickster. Name some types of tricksters.
III. Read “The Sun Still Rises in the Same Sky” by Joseph Bruchac, p.23. Follow along in your text while listening to the
audio recording.
1. According to Bruchac, what is one important thing that Native American literature has in common with ancient
European classics? (middle of first paragraph)
2. When did Western scholars begin to recognize that Native Americans had a rich oral tradition?
3. What was a major problem for these scholars?
4. What, according to Bruchac, have the writers Momaday, Erdrick, Ortiz, and Silko done for Native American
literature?
5. Name four generalizations that can be made about Native American myths.
Origin Myths
IV. Read “The Sky Tree,” and “The Earth Only,” p. 24. Answer the questions on p. 26 in your Holt text.
V. Read “How the World Was Made” (handout)
1. Who or what took the first action that resulted in the creation of Earth?
2. In "How the World Was Made," what did the Great Buzzard contribute to the world?
3. According to "How the World Was Made," which of the following was created LAST?
4. According to "How the World Was Made," who created the animals and the plants?
5. Name three natural phenomena explained in this myth.
VI. Venn Diagram: Complete a Venn Diagram on the two origin myths, identifying common elements of the two myths in
the space where the two ovals overlap. In the parts of the ovals that do not overlap, write important elements that are
different in each myth.
Trickster Myths
VII. “Old Man Coyote and the Rock”
1. What moral do you think this myth is teaching about character?
2. What aspects of this story are archetypes?
VIII. Read “Coyote Finishes His Work,” p. 25. Follow along in your text while listening to the audio recording.
1. In the first paragraph, locate two or three things that Coyote does as he travels the earth. List these “wonderful
things.” How would you describe Coyote’s personality, from his actions?
2. List the things Coyote teaches his people to do. What do these teachings reveal about Nez Perce culture?
3. What traits of Coyote help him to be a trickster?
4. What aspects of life on earth does this myth explain?
5. What does this myth promise for the future?
IX. Venn Diagram: Complete a Venn Diagram, identifying common elements of the two trickster myths where the two
ovals overlap. In the parts of the ovals that do not overlap, write important elements tat re different in each myth.