Native American Oral Tradition

Have you ever wonder how the world was created from another culture’s perspective? Native Americans used creation myths to explained to their people how the world was developed overtime. Creation myths are a big part of the Native American culture. they have been passed down from generation to generation. In the creation myths, harmony with nature, rituals, and strong social values are shown in each myths. The purpose of having strong social value in these myths is to teach younger Native Americans valuable lesson if they ever do something bad. These myths reveals how the rituals were created and their intentions for doing it. Creation myths has harmony with nature in it to show a very close kinship between them

In American Indian Stories, University of Nebraska Press Lincoln and London edition, the author, Zitkala-Sa, tries to tell stories that depicted life growing up on a reservation. Her stories showed how Native Americans reacted to the white man’s ways of running the land and changing the life of Indians. “Zitkala-Sa was one of the early Indian writers to record tribal legends and tales from oral tradition” (back cover) is a great way to show that the author’s stories were based upon actual events in her life as a Dakota Sioux Indian. This essay will describe and analyze Native American life as described by Zitkala-Sa’s American Indian Stories, it will relate to Native Americans and their interactions with American societies, it will

Native American storytelling has very many important reasons behind it, like teaching lessons that can help the children later on in life. The elders tell the children stories that teach them moral lessons they can

The lifestyle was fairly lax yet at the same time they knew when they needed to prepare for war or a new move. Some of the customs the Cheyenne had included the smoking of a peace pipe and the prayer made before each smoke. Another tradition was their story telling. Skilled story-telling Indians performed all stories told and these stories were about true-life situations. The Cheyenne tribe actually passed on these stories as well as their customs, religious ceremonies, and traditions orally from generation to generation. This could be the reason on why the Cheyenne were not actually discovered until the 1600s. One of the largest beliefs of the Cheyenne had to do with religion, though. They believed in two deities: the Wise One Above and a God who lived beneath the ground. Also, there were four spirits that lived at the points of the compass that they followed everywhere (Lewis). Because the culture of many Indian tribes differed greatly from the United States, there were conflicts between whites and Indians.

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.

One of the rituals was the Death Ceremony. “Native Americans celebrated death, knowing that it was an end to life on Earth, but, believing it to be the start of life in the Spirit World” (“Native…”). This ceremony was preformed to make sure that their soul would not star and roam the earth. The different tribes did different things in these rituals, some gave the dead food or herbs. Others may give gifts to make sure the trip to the afterlife was safe. They would also dress them in traditional clothes and wash them with yucca suds and putting prayer feathers that were tied around the forehead and then they were buried with some of their favorite things. Another ritual was the healing ritual which were often held to bring people to harmony within themselves. There are some differences from tribe to tribe in what they do in the ritual but some would sing and dance and it could last for days and others would use the medicine wheel and a hoop that was sacred to

Resembling many of the other cultures that we have been learning about and discussing during the course of the semester, the Cherokee have stories explaining the formation of the universe, have a creator, a trickster, and a collection of various other interesting myths. The mythology of a culture results in oneness within the community and a sense of homogeneity that is difficult to achieve by any other means. The agriculture of the Cherokee requires cooperation between the members of the community and rejects being selfish and only looking out for the wellbeing of oneself or one family member.

Native American culture is, in my opinion, the most discrete culture I’ve ever known about. They are the gods of folk tales. Their folk tales date back to the B.C. era. This is unlike the Hispanic culture, where you don’t hear about many. This culture also is very conservative about food. They only hunt buffalo and only kill what they need. The Native American culture is also religiously heavy into spirits. One well-known spirit is called ‘Great Spirit’. This is unlike Hispanic

After I had read all the short stories. I founded that Native American people they lived in harmony of the sky and earth. Because they believe in each individual living things and their spirit will grant them power which give them faith to prolong in their live. For the Native America, each story is always tight with trust of the some sort spiritual power and those power comes from tiger, hawk or bear in some kinds... Those figures can grants The Natives American power and good fortunes. By offering your Faith into the one of the many figures above. One can reach the spiritual Enlightments and can become one with the natures.

Like a coin dropped between the cushions of a couch, traditional oral storytelling is a custom fading away in current American culture. For Native Americans, however, the practice of oral storytelling is still a tradition that carries culture and rich history over the course of generations. Three examples of traditional oral stories, “How Men and Women Got Together”, “Coyote’s Rabbit Chase”, and “Corn Mother”, demonstrate key differences in perspectives and values among diverse native tribes in America.

The Iroquois feelings toward nature was believed to be great and they were very thankful for what the earth provided them. The Iroquois have a “sacred tree that stood at the center of the universe.” The Iroquois also have fruits and flowers and fish to eat from. Iroquois grew many different kinds of things for their people to eat from. The Gods made the birds in the sky, the bids caught the woman and brought he down to safety so that way she would not be hurt and that way she could have her baby.

Myths play a large role in Native American totem poles, this is not really a surprise because Native people believed in more superstitious things. They believed that many living beings in nature had either spirits or gods. With these outlooks on nature and life, those beliefs came back to their carvings on totem poles. Respecting spirits and gods of the land was huge for Native Americans, such as showing

It is easy to see that current events and issues of the world around them have had an impact on authors and what they have written from the stories in this time period. The Native American authors wrote stories describing life during and after white man came to America. We read Oratory’s by two Native American’s COCHISE and CHARLOT. They gave heart-wrenching speeches, giving great details into the history of the tribes and the devastating effect the white man had on them. Author Zitkala Sa gave us a powerful interpretation of her life as a Indian and how the white’s coming to America affected her life.

Today we often read a book or Youtube a video to learn something new or to entertain ourselves but during the fifteenth century, technology did not exist and paper was considered a luxury. The Native Americans used to entertain themselves by passing around stories orally, called Indian folktales. The Native American folktales have different themes that portray different life lessons. The life lessons that will be covered in this essay will be having self discipline, knowing that every good thing comes to an end, and with every mistake there is a consequence.

Native Americans have a complex relationship to American culture because they are the only indigenous people of the United States and modern Native Americans are still members of tribes and nations that have their own sovereignty and rights. Since the first ship landed on American soil, European took control of Native Americans’ visual sovereignty and how Native American could express their culture. The only way to best represent a culture is having someone from their own culture being able to express themselves. Historically, Native Americans have faced changelings in controlling their own visually sovereignty in film and other media with stereotypical portrayals that benefited the white middle-class Americans. As Native Americans began to fight back against these portrayals and gaining their own political sovereignty, films began to be produced by Native Americans, such as Imagining Indians and Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, for them to best represent their culture and way of life.