Folklore: Preserving the Culture

When people think of myths they usually think of the Greek or the roman but there are many more cultures with myths but they usually all relate to the same things. Myths are the traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a culture (NA“ Myths”). One of the most popular myths is the Greek story of Hercules the strongest mortal alive. Did you know that the native American tribe Blackfoot used myths too? Yes, they did many native American tribes used myths too ,but they are more likely to be called a fable or a folktale. There is a tale of a Crow Brings the Daylight which is related to the Greeks story when Apollo son of Zeus rides a gold chariot over the sky and carries the sun. Then there is the Chinese which is called

Myths are of great importance in the Navajo community because it is believed that it was a way to connect to the Holy People. The myth helps recognize symbolized supernatural in chants, translates the meaning of songs, and explains the importance of the ritual objects (Lamphere 1969). For example, there is myth of the two heroes who had gone through some misfortunes but thanks to the supernatural’s aid, the two heroes created a

The diversity of culture is an incredible notion. It is unfathomable how the anatomy of the human race is so similar, yet so different in the behaviors and ideas that take place. The two primary cultures I am focusing on throughout this essay are the differentiation between popular culture, and indigenous culture. I will also make the point of folk culture, and how it has slowly transformed itself from its self sufficiency, to relying more on the ways of popular culture.

Once upon a time, there was a literary genre commonly know as fairy tales. They were mystical and wonderful and a child’s fantasy. These fairy tales were drastically misunderstood throughout many centuries, however. They endured a hard life of constant changing and editing to fit what the people of that time wanted. People of our own time are responsible for some of the radical changes endured by this undeserved genre. Now, these fairy tales had a young friend named Belle. Belle thought she knew fairy tales very well, but one day she found out just how wrong she was.

In Pueblo culture stories are more than memories and ways to escape from a hard day. Stories are

Myths and folktales are still very important today. These passed down stories were a part of many people's heritage, and family history. Even religions were formed through the use of myths, such as reincarnation and some elements of christianity. Today there is even college courses focused just on Native American mythology, and the Natives way of life. Many people still pass on myths and folktales to children and friends, because not only do they teach moral lessons, they are extremely entertaining too. In 200 years from now, myths and folktales will still be an important literature aspect.

With our modern day technology and ever changing society, it is important to keep folk cultures alive and not allow them to slip away. “Piecing it all Together” by bell hooks describes how she remembers her grandmother patiently and skillfully telling the story of her life through the art of sewing a tedious quilt. Chris Rose in his article “Let the Good Times Roll” depicts the tragedy, perseverance of a community, and the total comment from all to rise up and move on and celebrate their heritage and traditions. Folk cultures are the backbones that shape and mold every individual during their lifetime blending together traditions and skills, foods, beliefs, heritage and shared values that are taught and/or passed down from generation to generation, providing a common identity or direction for people within a family or community.

As a student engaged in the American Education System the only time I was exposed to Native American folklore was when I was fortunate enough to take an American History course or read their stories in English class as examples to analyze. What we often times did not read, however, were the roles these folktales played as crucial to the customs of Native American society. Although, as I have begun to read more Native folktales within my undergraduate English course I can analyze the impact of folklore on the Native American Culture.

The difference between legends, myths, and folktales have become lost over the years. Legends originate from stories passed down person to person and contain small fractions of truth, myths come from beliefs shared in a culture rather than hard facts, and folktales originate from different tales or legends that have evolved into different variations. Although each of these have their own aspects, they all share in common the characteristic of lacking

Telling our stories is composed of nine chapters where he shares some of his stories from his vast collection. This book is the result of decades of research and collecting of traditional narratives. The author, Louis bird seems to have felt responsible for preserving the traditional oral stories of his culture. These stories may have otherwise been lost as the elders who told them passed away. “It is my wish and hope to save the stories that have been passed on to us by our grandfather’s and their grandfather’s” (louis bird; www.ourvoices.ca). Each of the nine chapters contains a useful introduction by an editor.

1. How do you describe the “secular” in relation to the secular folktales that we have read in our anthology (our book that collects multiple works)? First, answer this first question in no more than two sentences; use this description to introduce the next part of the question. Next, use evidence from two tales in our secular readings to demonstrate your description of how these tales are representative of the secular. In doing so, use one quotation from each of the two tales to help you demonstrate how these tales are secular, according to your description at the beginning.

What is lost is the art of the storyteller who, in the telling of the stories of a culture, passed on the tradition from one generation to the next and with it the wisdom of experience. This wisdom is nothing less than the knowledge and skill necessary to integrate the experiences contained in tradition into the real lives of the listeners, to make them conscious of history.

Legends, Myths, and fairy tales are all categories of folklore, but they all have different meanings. Legends are based on history, people embellishing the stories, and people telling them and retelling them differently. Myths are based on religion, supernatural beings, gods and demigods, and also explains natural phenomenon. Fairy Tales are based on magic, good vs. evil, fantastic elements, magical or imaginary creatures, and teaches a lesson or universal truth. The Hawaiians tend to favor legends more because the stories have been passed through many different Hawaiian islands through the years.

The significance of oral tradition and folklore in history is the history behind every folklore they didn 't just wake up one day with the idea they were made throughout time

Folklore is a term used to describe the traditional beliefs and customs that every community had which were passed down the generations through word of mouth. Each community had their own folklores whereby they used oral traditions such us proverbs, tales and poems to ensure that everyone in the community, especially the children, knew and was aware of the customs. This helped develop a sense of pride and respect for the people’s culture since they understood why some of the cultural practices were done and the consequences of going against these practices and customs. Folklores may lack substantial evidences but people still keep faith in their beliefs due to the respect and trust they have for their ancestors who were actually believed to