Native American Literature Class American Literature Historical Cultural

Native American Literature Class: American Literature

Historical & Cultural Context • The American identity is a product of the past. • The study of literature helps reveal how our society became what it is today. • The historical and literary influence of Native Americans is too often overlooked, despite the complexity and endurance of the culture.

Values and Traditions • Native American cultures had a completely different set of values and traditions than Europeans: – They considered the land their lifeline and held it in high regard; They often referred to the earth as a motherly figure. – They focused on an efficient lifestyle, rarely using more than they needed to avoid wasting resources. – Their religious beliefs were tied to nature, and greatly differed from the religious ideas Europe brought.

European Settlement (Genocide? ) • The European desire for settlement and resources ultimately led to disaster for the Native American way of life. • Land conflicts, war, disagreement, and unknown disease devastated the Native American culture. • Apart from the physical loss, Native Americans were forced to assimilate into the emerging European-American culture at the expense of their own.

Manifest Destiny • Manifest Destiny was the belief that America was destined/ordained by God to move across the North American continent, from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean. • This ultimately led to what would later be known as the trail of tears – The mass forced Exodus of thousands of Native Americans from their sacred lands to government reservations. • From there, efforts to “civilize” them so that they could be mainstreamed into society continued.

Efforts to “civilize” • Native American children were sent to boarding schools far from the reservations they lived on. • Language and cultural identity was confiscated. Children were harshly punished for using their own language and were separated from their own tribes. Why? • Although great strides have been made in recent years for Indian Sovereignty, Native Americans continue to struggle because of the events of the past.

The Literature - Storytelling & Oral Tradition • Native Americans had a rich literary tradition of their own, though not by the standard definition of many Europeans at the time. • Their stories, histories, and legends were shared and preserved through oral tradition. • The position of storyteller is indispensable to the people and the history of the culture.

The Effects of the Oral Tradition • The Native Americans spoke hundreds of languages and lived in incredibly diverse societies with varied mythological beliefs. • Some common elements of Native American Literature • Lack of a written language. • They believed in the power of words and relied on memory, rather than writing to preserve their texts. • These stories are not defined by the boundaries of written language; there are no ending pages and they are not contained within a limited, concrete, physical source.

“Civilization” efforts • These stories belong to the collective people/the tribe • The oral tradition was a dramatic performance. • The storyteller was one of the most honored and respected members of the tribe/society. • The relationship between the storyteller and the audience is established through: Voice emphasis, gestures, use of space, and eye contact. • The audience can be representative of characters in the story. • There is no known original author. • The stories are open to personal interpretation

Story Types The stories generally include the following types of texts: • Cultural information: Beliefs about social order and appropriate behavior • Historical accounts (migrations): How people got to where they are now. • Moral Lessons: Descriptions of how and why things are the way they are • Creation/Origin - Beliefs about the nature of the physical world • Heroic Legends: The exploits of Native American heroes. • Trickster Tales: The exploits of a trickster who broke rules or acted foolishly.

Significance of the Oral Tradition These oral stories were chanted, spoken, sung and repeated over and over until embedded into the memories of the next generations. The Native American oral tradition was the only way to pass on tribal history, heritage, and cultural practices. In order to continue hundreds of years of a tribe’s history the young must listen and remember the stories the elders tell and then pass them on.

Dominant Themes & Motifs: • Relationships between humans and animals • Respect and reverence for mother earth and nature • Land as the strength of the people • Village/community/tribe as sovereign • Cyclical patterns: renewal and continuance • Importance of tribal traditions and history

Native American Thought • “All things are connected…Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth…This we know. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web he does to himself. ” --Chief Seattle

Native American Thought Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. Our tepees were round like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the Nation’s hoop, a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to hatch our children. ” —Black Elk, Oglala Sioux Holy Man, 1863 -1950

• “Plants are thought to be alive, their juice is their blood, and they grow. The same is true of trees. All things die, therefore all things have life. Because all things have life, gifts have to be given to all things. ” • --William Ralganal Benson Pomo • “This rock did not come here by itself. This tree did not come here by itself. There is one who made all this, Who shows us everything. ” • --Yuki

• “The American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of the forests, plains, pueblos, or mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the land that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man for his surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers; he belongs just as the buffalo belongs. ” • --Luther Standing Bear, Oglala Sioux Chief