Native Americans The Beginning Junior English The First

Native Americans: The Beginning Junior English

The First Migration: Ice Age Travelers § Ice Age hunters § Traveled with dogs, crossed Bering Land Bridge (now under Bering Strait) from Siberia to present day Alaska § 20 -40 K yrs ago § Others followed route throughout the years § By 1490—great European exploration—numerous groups of Native Americans scattered throughout continent

Native Americans: Eight Geographical Groups § 1. Northeast Coast: Coastal dwellers; fishers; developed complex culture § 2. Plateau: River valley dwellers; primarily fishers; relatively small population § 3. Great Plains: grassland dwellers; nomadic buffalo hunters after introduction to the horse § 4. Northeast: forest dwellers; primarily hunter-gatherers, also farmers and fishers

Native Americans: Eight Geographical Groups § 5. Great Basin: Desert basin dwellers; primarily gatherers because of barren surroundings; small population § 6. California: Desert, mountain, river, or coastal dwellers depending on location; primarily gatherers and fishers § 7. Southwest: Canyon, mountain, and desert dwellers; either farmers or nomadic hunters § 8. Southeast: River valley dwellers; primarily farmers, but also hunter-gatherers and fishers

Native American Literature § Did not use written language § Stories passed from generation to generation through story and song § Stories centered around a particular character, event, or element § Most common stories center around: § § § The trickster The gambler The creation Abduction Migration

The Oral Tradition § Stories were reliant upon repetition § § § Used in ceremonial situations Repetition aided in memorization Provided narrative cohesion Participatory Powerful and unifying

Creation Stories § Similar to the account in The Bible § Similar from tribe to tribe § Used to explain how world/universe was created § Explained the origin of man § Sometimes had animal characteristics § Sometimes non-gender, or only one gender (usually female— mother earth)

Creation Stories § Contained what the tribe generally believed the relationships between § People and nature § Contained origins of tribal customs and structures

Creation Stories § Creation occurs primarily in one of five ways: § From chaos or nothingness § From a cosmic egg or primal maternal mound § From world parents who are separated § From the process of earth diving § Land was created from mud pulled from bottom of ocean by animal spirit § From several stages of emergence from other worlds, or states of being § Every story, there is a sense of birth—both of the world and humans

Creation Stories Characteristics § Characteristics include: § A Creator (medium for creation) § Such as clay, fluids, and supernatural power § The trickster; can be § A negative force § A cultural hero (dives to the depths of nothingness to find form) § The first man and woman § Job is to continue to create both offspring, and plants and animals § The flood hero § Saves mankind from great waters and begins again

Trickster Tales § One form of creation story § Trickster is usually a coyote § Vary from tribe to tribe, but contain same basic qualities: § § § Tricksters are more than deceivers who make us laugh By crossing social boundaries, they both break rules and show important rules are Tricksters are creators in their own rights

Trickster Tales § Presence of traditional elements, such as: § Animals --buffalo, coyote, spider, salmon § Vegetables –usually corn § Minerals—clay, obsidian (type of rock) § Landscape—a holy mountain, a vast sea § Weather–storm § Supernatural—spirits, etc. § Also, colors, directions, time, and dances

Native American Religion Commonalities § At time of European contact, nearly all indigenous cultures in North America had developed coherent religious systems that included creation myths § Most natives worshiped an all-powerful, allknowing Creator or "Master Spirit" as well as numerous lesser supernatural entities, including an evil god § Members of most tribes believed in the immortality of the human soul and an afterlife

Religious Similarities with Europeans § Three beliefs common to Native American tribes: § All had developed a religion; creation myths, origin myths, etc. § Worshipped an all-powerful “Great Spirit” § Immortality of the human soul; an afterlife § Sought assistance of their deity with prayers and offerings § Called upon specially trained clergy, such as a Shaman, to assist them, particularly during times of crisis

Religious Differences: Native Americans & Europeans § Native Americans did not distinguish between the natural and supernatural as Europeans did § Native Americans perceived the “material” and “spiritual” worlds as one § Protestant and Catholic traditions were more inclined to separate the pure/spiritual beings in heaven from sinful men and women

Conclusion § Europeans arrived in the 15 th century § The Pequot War in 1636 § Friction between Puritans and Pequot Indians § Pequot defeated in 1637 massacre § Survivors were beheaded or sent into slavery

Works Cited • Lewis, S. “Native American Literature” • “Native Voices” unit, American Passages website – Unit Overview www. learner. org/amerpass/unit 01/instructor. html – Authors: Stories of the Beginning of the World www. learner. org/amerpass/unit 01/authors-8. html • Divining America: Religion and the National Culture – Native American Religion in Early America www. nhc. rtp. nc. us/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/natrel. htm