AMERICAN LITERATURE

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AMERICAN LITERATURE

• BBL 3230

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WEEK 1

• Conceptual framework for American Literature
• - A brief history of the Native Americans
• - Myths
• - Legends
• - Archetype

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NATIVE AMERICANS

• THE FIRST AMERICANS

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The first Americans descended from Asia. These
were the first people to live in North America.
That is why we call them Native Americans. These
people have lived in North America for thousands
of years, and there are still Indian communities
today.
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In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed from Europe
to find an easier route to Asia. He sailed west
across the Atlantic Ocean hoping to find India.
However, there was land in his way that he and
other European explorers did not know existed.
He and his crew had landed in the Bahamas.
However, Columbus was convinced that he had
landed in India and referred to the people he met
as Indians. These people were not Indians.
They were Americans. They were the Native or
original Americans. Because Columbus had told
so many people about the Indians, the Native
Americans are often called Indians even to this
day.
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Many different Native American groups lived in
North America. Each group had its own language
and customs. A custom is the special way a group
of people does something.
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The Plains Tribes
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The Plains tribes lived in the area of our
country known as the Great Plains. The Plains
Natives included tribes such as the Sioux,
Cheyenne, Crow, Blackfeet, Comanche, and Pawnee.
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The Great Plains region was made up of
grasslands, valleys, streams, and hills. There
were very few trees found in the Great Plains
area.  The photo shown below is an example of the
land within the Great Plains region.
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PLAINS HOUSING
The Plains Natives were Nomads, people who wander
or migrate. The natives had to migrate to follow
the buffalo. Therefore these tribes needed
shelter that was easy to pack up and put
together. Plains Natives lived in teepees made of
buffalo hides held up by wooden poles.  These
teepees were warm in the winter and cool in the
summer. The door to the teepee was a round
opening which faced east toward the rising sun. 
In the middle of the teepee, a small fire was
built for cooking and warmth.  Plains Indians
usually slept on buffalo robes on the teepee's
floor.
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Clothing
Plains Natives made all of their own clothes. 
Most all of their clothes were made from animal
skins.  Antelope and deer were the most often
used.  The women were responsible for making
clothes for their entire tribe. Men typically
wore animal skin leggings, a loin cloth, and a
belt.  They rarely wore shirts, instead they
wrapped buffalo furs over their shoulders.  These
were known as buffalo robes. 
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A distinguished man, who was known for his
bravery, often wore a grizzly bear claw
necklace.  A man who was considered to be a
distinguished warrior often wore an eagle feather
war bonnet.  The number of feathers on the war
bonnet related to the number of brave acts
performed by each man.
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Food Plains Natives got their food by either
hunting it, growing it, or gathering it.  Some
tribes grew crops such as maize, beans, and
pumpkins.  Others gathered wild fruits and
vegetables.  Food was often traded between the
different tribes.
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PLAINS RELIGION
The Plains Natives believed in many gods. They
believed the gods showed themselves in the form
of the sun, moon, stars, and anything that was
strong or strange, such as an animal, person, or
even an odd-shaped stone.
The Plains tribes believed in underwater spirits
who controlled all animals and plants.  Above the
sky, they believed their was an upper world ruled
by the Thunderbirds.  The Thunderbirds were the
most powerful of the spirits.
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Plains Natives believed that particular men were
chosen to see the power of the gods through
visions. To receive a vision the man had to go to
a lonely place. He would stay there for several
days without food or water. During this time the
vision was "seen" by the man. Men who became
known for receiving many visions became known as
medicine men. These men were said to be able to
see the future and cure diseases.
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Powwows were one of the Plains ceremonies. A
powwow was a celebration or prayer to the Great
Spirit. An important Plains ceremony was called
the Sun Dance. The Sun Dance took place in the
summer months. It was a ceremony of celebration.
The Sun Dance lasted around four days. During
this time dancers performed the same exact
movements and had nothing to eat or drink. They
lifted their eyes to the sun for as long as they
could endure it.
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Another important dance was the Ghost Dance. This
was a dance performed nightly in which the
Indians believed that they could speak to the
gods and their ancestors. They also believed that
this dance would help get their land back.
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Sitting Bull was one of the most famous Chiefs of
the Plains Culture. He was a Sioux leader in the
area that is now known as South Dakota. He lived
from l83l-l890. During this time gold was
discovered on the land that Sitting Bull's tribe
lived on. The government tried to force the Sioux
Indians to move off their land. Sitting Bull and
his tribe would not peacefully move. In June,
l876, a major battle occurred between Sitting
Bull and U.S. soldiers led by George Custer. This
became known as the Battle of Little Bighorn.
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Eastern Woodland Natives
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The Eastern Woodland tribes lived in the area
that is green. This is East of the Great Plains.
The tribes included the Chickasaw, Cherokee,
Wampanoag, and Iroquois.
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The woodlands of the northeast part of the United
States is a land of rivers, streams, lakes, and,
most of all, trees and plants. The weather isn't
too harsh. The summers are hot and humid, and
winters are cold and snowy. There is a lot of
rain so plants grow well. Where there are many
plants, there are many animals. The Woodland
Indians did not have any trouble finding and
growing food.
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The Woodland people depended upon the forest and
land around them as the natural resources to use
for shelter, clothing, and food.
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Woodland Housing The Woodland tribes lived in
villages of wigwams and longhouses near a lake or
stream. Wigwams were made by bending young trees
to form the round shape of the home. Over this
shape pieces of tree bark were overlapped to
protect the Indians from bad weather. Over the
bark a layer of thatch, or dried grass, was
added. A small hole from the top allowed smoke
from the fires to escape. Beds were matting
covered with animal skin.
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Food
Living in the woods meant there were plenty of
resources, including food. Woodland tribes were
hunters and gatherers. They hunted bear, moose
and bison, and were effective fishermen. They
also ate beavers, raccoons, rabbits, corn, beans
and berries. Woodland Indians grew squash,
pumpkins and melons. The Iroquois used a bow and
arrow to hunt. They would sometimes wear the skin
of a deer over their body to sneak up to the
deer. The Iroquois also used traps for small
animals. A canoe made from a hallowed out tree
was used to fish in the lakes and streams nearby.
Nets and traps were also used to catch fish.
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Woodland Indians
Woodland Religion
When someone in a Woodland tribe died, the tribe
would hold a cry ceremony. The chief sang and
danced around the fire. This ceremony lasted for
five days. The day before it started, five knots
were tied in a piece of milkweed. Every day of
the ceremony, they would untie a knot.
a knot.
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Face paint was a big deal to Woodland Indians.
They wore it to express feelings each color meant
something red life, black death or eternal
grief and purple royalty) and for special
occasions. Before going to war, they painted
themselves, performed magical rites and took
special medicines. Several of the tribes
performed many songs and rites. They used special
equipment that they thought helped them talk to
their gods. They also wore masks to cure
diseases. The scary masks were supposed to scare
the evil spirit out of the sick person.
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The Cherokee were considered one of the most
"civilized" Indian tribes of North America. They
had their own government, laws, courts, and
schools. A Cherokee Indian named Sequoyah
invented a written language called "Talking
Leaves". It had 86 characters. Within a few years
all of the Cherokees could read and write it.
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Between 1790 and 1830 the white man began to push
westward into the Cherokee territory. The
Cherokee fought hard to keep their land. They
even took their fight against being removed from
their land to court. At first it seemed like they
might win. But they were forced to leave the land
they loved.
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IN ONE of the saddest stories in our history,
thousands of men, women, and children were forced
off of the land they loved and moved into crowded
forts with very little food. They were then
forced to walk over a thousand miles to what is
now Arkansas. It was an unusually cold winter.
Many of the Indians were barefoot with little
clothing. They were forced to walk through snow
and ice. They ate only what they could find along
the way. Many Indians died along the way,
especially older Indians and children. Their
bloody footprints left trails of blood in the
snow. They cried as they went because they were
leaving the land they loved, the land they had
called home for so many years. This horribly
long, sad journey of the Cherokee has become
known in history as "The Trail of Tears".
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• Native American Myths and
  Tales

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• Native Americans
• were on this
• continent centuries
• before Europeans
• arrived

• There were 100s of thriving unique nations
• Each had/has its own tradition of literature
  that was passed down orally
• Families kept the tradition going ceremonies
  were another place where oral stories were retold
• The stories often called myths can be an
  important part of
• Native American spiritual beliefs

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An Important Part of the Oral Tradition is the
Myth

• Myth an anonymous oral story
• The myth relies on the supernatural to explain a
  natural phenomenon, human behavior, or mystery
• Myths explain why the world is the way it is/they
  help make sense of the world
• Making sense of the world

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The purposes of the creation myth

• To explain the workings of the natural world
• To support and validate social customs
• To guide people through the trials of living
• To instill a sense of the mystery of the
• universe and attempts to explain that mystery

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More about myths

• Creation myths how human lives came
• to exist
• Origin myths why phenomena like the stars,
  moon, and sky came to be.
• Native American myths often emphasize
• a strong spiritual bond between the creator,
  humanity and the natural world.
• Its the duty of humanity to maintain a
• balance between these entities.

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Rhythm and Native American Myths

• Native Americans often used rhythm to help them
  remember their very long stories
• Drums and cymbals were used as aids
• Also believed that the drum repetition could
  enable the singer to communicate with the world
  of animals, nature, and spirits

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The Oral Tradition

• The stories well read were passed on by word of
  mouth
• It is unknown where the stories originated.
• Written down in the last 100 years
• These stories tell us how the world came to be.
• Many rely heavily on a reverence of the
• natural world

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Recurring ideas among (even unconnected)
native American groups

• Humans have a connection with nature
• Conflict between ancient customs and
• modern life, past and present
• Storytelling is important (The toryteller)
• Life as a circle
• Fire as a symbol

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The world on the turtles back

• What does this story reveal about
• The roles of women in their society
• The role of nature (the earth, animals) in
  society
• The origins of certain culture/customs
• The roles and beliefs about the gods/higher
  power

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The significance of myths

• Myths and rituals play a central role in
• traditional Native American cultures
• They were important in giving people a sense of
  order and identity. They gave people a way to
  ensure food, explain the unexplainable heal the
  sick, and teach lessons.

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• Totems, Tricksters, Clans

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Totem
In many cultures, each group, clan or family
would be said to descend from an animal or
natural object called the totem Example the
Bear Clan would honor the bear, and it in turn
would be their guardian spirit That group
would be largely responsible for maintaining the
myth of the bear The Mohawks had three clans
the wolf, bear, and turtle People frequently
attributed the characteristics of animals to
people Example bear is strong, dangerous
turtle is reserved methodical
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Trickster Tales

• Are part of Native American mythology
• -The Trickster is an animal with two sides
  to its personality
• -They create trouble and chaos and reveal
  wisdom
• -Often is a coyote, a raven or a mink
• -Main difference between tales and myths
  myths were regarded as truth, tales as fiction.
• Characteristics
• Magic
• Trickery
• Violence
• Purpose
• To explain the origins of some aspect of the
  natural world and/or teach a lesson

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Trickster Tales Key Terms

• Animal People the first inhabitants of the
• world spirit beings that could take the shape
  of human or animal (ie coyote)
• Anthropomorphism giving human behavior,
  characteristics, or motivations to inanimate
  objects, animals, or natural phenomena

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Archetypes

• What is an archetype
• An archetype is the way we describe characters
  think of them as general categories of
  characters.
• Which archetypes are seen in Native American
  Literature?
• Trickster a god, goddess, spirit, human, or
  animal who plays pranks or disobeys normal rules
  and behaviors.
• Earth Mother the bountiful spirit of the earth
• Faithful Companion supports the hero along the
  way