Native American Literature Analysis

The long history between Native American and Europeans are a strained and bloody one. For the time of Columbus’s subsequent visits to the new world, native culture has

Throughout the course of history there have been numerous accounts regarding Native American and European interaction. From first contact to Indian removal, the interaction was somewhat of a roller coaster ride, leading from times of peace to mini wars and rebellions staged by the Native American tribes. The first part of this essay will briefly discuss the pre-Columbian Indian civilizations in North America and provide simple awareness of their cultures, while the second part of this essay will explore all major Native American contact leading up to, and through, the American Revolution while emphasizing the impact of Spanish, French, and English explorers and colonies on Native American culture and vice versa. The third, and final, part of this essay will explore Native American interaction after the American Revolution with emphasis on westward expansion and the Jacksonian Era leading into Indian removal. Furthermore, this essay will attempt to provide insight into aspects of Native American/European interaction that are often ignored such as: gender relations between European men and Native American women, slavery and captivity of native peoples, trade between Native Americans and European colonists, and the effects of religion on Native American tribes.

A myth is a symbolic way of expressing truths and beliefs that are accepted by society. Myths, which are reading literature that is imaginative, teach truths that may not always have a basis for historical fact. Myths, which communicate ideas in story form, are creative stories that explain and teach religious truths of sin and consequence.

When the first colonists landed in the territories of the new world, they encountered a people and a culture that no European before them had ever seen. As the first of the settlers attempted to survive in a truly foreign part of the world, their written accounts would soon become popular with those curious of this “new” world, and those who already lived and survived in this seemingly inhospitable environment, Native American Indian. Through these personal accounts, the Native Indian soon became cemented in the American narrative, playing an important role in much of the literature of the era. As one would expect though, the representation of the Native Americans and their relationship with European Americans varies in the written works of the people of the time, with the defining difference in these works being the motives behind the writing. These differences and similarities can be seen in two similar works from two rather different authors, John Smith, and Mary Rowlandson.

The colonisation of North America by the Europeans became one of the most crucial points for the native North Americans. The differing experiences of contact between both cultures had overwhelmingly disastrous impacts on the normal way of life. From such contact arose the issue of land disputes, in turn resulting in massacres and frontier wars which could have otherwise been unnecessary. The factors stated above provide a suitable stimulus for a discussion in regards to the varying encounters of the Indigenous North Americans.

When Christopher Columbus first encountered in the Caribbean, he mistook it to be India, which is why he started referring to the people as Native American as “Indians”. He was very intrigued by the way the Native Americans looked, dressed, and lived, so he went back to Europe and told everyone about the Americas which was referred to as “The New World”.

Native American literature from the Southeastern United States is deeply rooted in the oral traditions of the various tribes that have historically called that region home. While the tribes most integrally associated with the Southeastern U.S. in the American popular mind--the FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole)--were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) from their ancestral territories in the American South, descendents of those tribes have created compelling literary works that have kept alive their tribal identities and histories by incorporating traditional themes and narrative elements. While reflecting profound awareness of

Just as the Greeks, the Romans and any other great civilization, Native Americans had their own gods with certain values. These values are a sharp contrast to the current european expansionist mindset and give great insight into understanding Native American’s actions and behavior. These documents are about Native American culture and are written around the arrival of European settlers. These documents show the conflicts that many Native Americans had were due to many miscommunications and conflicts in values. The two Native American values that the Europeans most tread on were their very philosophy and honor, which leads to some of the most brutal acts of war and massacres.

There were many places throughout the parts of the book I read, where I felt extremely grateful. Two of them were when I was reading from page 11 through page 13, and I stumbled against two things Junior said that struck me. The first part was when Junior said “They (his parents) never got the chance to be anything because nobody paid attention to their dreams”, on page 11. While the second part was when he said, “But we reservation Indians don't get to realise our dreams. We don’t get those chances. Or choices. We’re poor. Thats all we are,” on page 13. While and after reading this I felt extremely fortunate, yet apologetic. I felt extremely fortunate, due to the fact that I was born into family that isn’t a victim of poverty and also because

A simple definition of a myth is a story handed down through history, often through oral tradition, that explains or gives value to the unknown. Myths are composed of stories or explanations. Myths are not always false sometimes they have some truth to them. They come to being by people making an assumption about a person based on their race.

Throughout much of the history of Native Americans we can see a pattern of times of intense hardship and adversity in many different forms. Likewise we can see hardship in the various Native American stories of Zitkala sa, Momaday, Alexie, and Silko. However adversity and hardship are not necessarily crippling or damning, in fact in this paper we will see how the various problems faced by these native americans, be it the fictional characters in the stories themselves or the authors of the story 's actually empowered them and often times made them stronger people as a whole be it as leaders of their community or simply people to look up too. In this paper we will attempt to answer the question. Is it possible that a good can come from

In early 16th century, European countries send out sailors to explore the world to obtain more resources, such as gold, territories, and food. Christopher Columbus is probably the most famous person when the discovery of America is being brought out. He and Cabeza de Vaca both sail to America ─called Cathay or Indies in the documents because they think they were sailing to Asia─ and meet the local people, Indian, in person. According to their diary and letters, they have some different perspectives and some similar thoughts about Native American. These literatures hold drastic impact in learning about Native American for future generations. (specifics)

The first article is called Digging Out a Lost City’s Secret. It’s basically about Teotihuacan remains found by archaeologists. Many possessions resembling boxes filled with shells, jaguar remains, and rubber balls. The second article is called Skeleton Dating Back to the Ice Age Sheds Light on Native American Origins. Briefly, the previously mentioned article is about a young girl who died 12,000 to 13,000 years ago in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula by divers diving in the area. The last article is called Guatemala’s Finest Clothing Shops. It is pretty much about Guatemalan trends working ways into design studios to make shoes, night gowns, and purses. The one that states more informational facts, in my opinion, would be the second article, Skeleton Dating Back to the Ice Age Sheds Light on Native American Origins.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a myth as “a fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology” (Griffin). Though the dictionary has that definition, the meaning of myth and mythology has lost its meaning over time with the progression of modern cultures. Another dictionary describes a myth as “a story presented as historical, dealing with traditions specific to a culture or a group of people” (Griffin). As time passed, the original myths that cultures had were lost and reformed, to fit the modernizing age. Thus, making a mythology class in American high schools vidal to learning about the past, but also about the heritage of certain

Gregory Maguire once said, “the tale itself is a trickster and doesn’t hesitate to lie. It is anachronistic with a vengeance. It emerges always and everywhere, overt or disguised, pureblood or hybrid, and healthy as sin.” In a folktale, the trickster fools the reader’s mind by disguising itself as something we would never suspect. The trickster’s aspiration is to lie and trick us from its true form. Tricksters around the world resemble each other with contradictory characteristics, different roles, and polar motives.