The World On A Turtle's Back Summary

Native American literature is considered by many as the traditional written and oral literature of Native cultures around the world. Many of these literatures are transmitted over periods of time by storytellers. This particular literature has many features that includes a mixture of oral tradition techniques along with tribal mythology. The majority of these historic manuscripts of the Native Americans is deeply rooted in symbolic and mythic standards. This assignment will focus on how Native American literature is rooted in storytelling. The selected text of choice for the assignment is

Another important part of Native American culture is the concept of being the right person for something, not simply being the chief's son or being the most beautiful. The Invisible One is not an ordinary man, but he is not the chieftain or anyone who is incredibly special. He is not a prince, or a great warrior, but a man who has a special power. Likewise, Oochigeaskw is not incredibly special however she is the right person, because she is virtuous and honest. This is just another example of what the Native Americans hold dear. They do not focus on royalty, or how rich you are, but instead do a simple test to see if you are worthy of each

In Unit 1, we have read, discussed and thoroughly shared our thoughts on multiple texts and theories, even the derogatory John Smith. These texts have provided insight on many indigenous populations, their cultures and interactions with each other. “The World On The Turtle’s Back” also know as “Women who fell from the sky” is a tale of creation from the Iroquois nation, I chose this tale and the gender criticism view.

Although stories are a universal art form, they hold a more significant role in Native American culture, and literature. This occurs due to the millennia spent in isolation from the rest of the world, and having stories as the main source of entertainment. Thomas King’s statement, “stories can control our lives,” is an important notion, because it embarks on the idea of molding the diseased into more interesting versions of themselves. The statement is prevalent in many pieces of literature which fuse reality into the imagination, and cause people to lose themselves in the fictitious realm. Native literature is all closely related, and they all hold messages within their stories that show their great culture; both the good and the bad. Story

The  status of women in Algonquian and Iroquoian society. The Europeans viewed the structure of Native American society lacking the complexity of their own community.  Their drawings and accounts  of the Indian people reveal that the tribe's division of labor and gender roles were actually very advanced, especially where the status of women was concerned. Since  married women in Europe held few rights to their property, family wealth, or even children, women of the tribes had  greater independence and discretion over their produce, conditions of labor, and property.  Native women even served as representatives in the tribal councils, and held  rights over the land they worked.  This  demonstrates that although “women’s work” was belittled in European cultures, Native women’s daily contributions were recognized by Native men and the tribe as a whole as vital to the prosperity of the community and worthy of respect. Analyzing the condition of women in America, a  woman's status in their community was directly related to the social hierarchy, religious culture, and natural environment in which they lived, and that the combination of those ingredients varied vastly  across the continent.

Popular culture has shaped our understanding and perception of Native American culture. From Disney to literature has given the picture of the “blood thirsty savage” of the beginning colonialism in the new world to the “Noble Savage,” a trait painted by non-native the West (Landsman and Lewis 184) and this has influenced many non native perceptions. What many outsiders do not see is the struggle Native American have on day to day bases. Each generation of Native American is on a struggle to keep their traditions alive, but to function in school and ultimately graduate.

As humans we always ask ourselves some three questions about us. Who are we? Why are we here? And why should we continue to live in this place? We come to these origin tales and myths for answers to these questions. In the Native American myths “The Walam Olum” and “The World on Turtles Back” it clearly shows just how the Native American tribes started there, and should continue to live at the places they started at.

"I am sad that you had this dream. It is clearly a dream of great power and, as is our way, when one has such a powerful dream we must do all we can to make it true. The Great Tree must be uprooted." (Turtles Back) Native Americans did not have any way such of writing. So the elders taught the youth and eachother stories and life lessons by word of mouth. The Native Americans depended on nature to survive so much so that their way of life was depicted by nature. The sources When Grizzlies walked upright (source A), World on Turtles Back (Source B), and Navajo (Source C) all depict their way of life and nature in a common way. Source A was about the Sky Chief moving from the sky to the Earth which he creates yet at the same time, some of his creations like the Grizzle Bear symbolizes rules and culture. Source B represents determination and life. Source C represents life and strength. Although, Sources A, B, and C depict the Native Americans different views of life, they all show how nature has a part in them.

Martha Garcia and Paula Gunn Allen both write in their essays of the challenges that Native American women have historically faced and continue to confront to this day. Major contributors to these challenges are the stereotypes and misconceptions by white male anthropologists and missionaries who studied the Native American tribes and found the women subservient and passive. Both of these authors strongly disagree in this characterization of Native American women and instead portray them as important and honored members of their tribes who will struggle but will continue to have a tremendous impact on the future of their tribes.

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.

Cherokee Women, Gender and Culture Change 1700-1835, written by Theda Perdue, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln & London, 1998. First Bison Books printing: 1999.

When European settlers arrived, they had a pre-decided vision of what women ought to behave like based on the European women, which the indigenous women didn’t align with. Indigenous women were comprehended and characterized in ambiguous and conflicting terms. They could firstly be viewed as “noble savages” where they were seen as classic Indian Princesses, virginal, childlike, naturally pure, beautiful, helpful to European men, and open and willing to

Do Native American myths have any similarities to 21st-century writings? A myth is an original story that deals with early history. Some 21st-century writings are about the past, but mainly are fiction. Both types of writing styles create a special meaning for the background of their story. “The Navajo Origin Legend” and “White Buffalo Woman” are two types of Native American myths. These two myths show how the Native Americans saw the world. Even though the Native Americans lived in the wild, they believed that the world and the creatures on it were honorable. This allowed them to become one with the land. The Native Americans discovered a new writing style through the process of becoming one with the land. This process

Antelope Wife is a short story by Louise Erdrich. Antelope Wife is about a Native American man belonging to the Chippewa tribe in Minnesota who is a teacher. One day he laid his eyes on four women: three daughters and their mother. He was determined to have the mother and he ends up kidnapping her. He gets her (the antelope) to fall in love with her, but he was warned by Jimmy Badger that these women are generally curse the men who go after them. Towards the end of the story, she becomes overweight and ugly and the man did not expect this to happen to him. There is already a connection to native culture in the title of this short story, ‘Antelope’. Antelope is a spirit animal in the native heritage. Antelope symbolizes being on the movie and action oriented. “Deep in the fields of tall golden grasses in the desert the Antelope thrives, ever watchful and discerning ready to move in an instant. The Antelope perceives subtle body movements and signals from the other members of the herd. When danger is near they move as one, quickly and confidently with finesse and confidence, their maneuverability allows them to disappear into the vast expanse of wilderness with no more than a moments notice.” (Universe of Symbolism, Antelope). This symbolism is referred to towards the end of the poem by Jimmy Badger. “If you see one

Native American literatures embrace the memories of creation stories, the tragic wisdom of native ceremonies, trickster narratives, and the outcome of chance and other occurrences in the most diverse cultures in the world. These distinctive literatures, eminent in both oral performances and in the imagination of written narratives, cannot be discovered in reductive social science translations or altogether understood in the historical constructions of culture in one common name. (Vizenor 1)