native american culture in early american history
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Native American Culture in Early American History](https://reader036.vdocuments.mx/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649f135503460f94c26af7/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Native American Culture in Early American History
![Page 2: Native American Culture in Early American History](https://reader036.vdocuments.mx/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649f135503460f94c26af7/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
OverviewO When the first settlers came to America,
they did not at first realize that Native Americans had cultural values and a literary tradition of their own.
O The literature was entirely oral due to a lack of any written system.
O This oral tradition forms the basis of the first American literary heritage.
![Page 3: Native American Culture in Early American History](https://reader036.vdocuments.mx/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649f135503460f94c26af7/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Historical BackgroundO The Americas were already populated by several hundred
Native American tribes when Columbus “discovered” America in 1492.
O The tribes differed greatly from each other in language, government, social organization, customs, housing, and methods of survival.
O The Native Americans usually greeted the earliest European settlers as friends, including introducing the settlers to woodwork and agriculture.
O Manifest destiny changed the nature of the relationship between settlers and Native Americans.
![Page 4: Native American Culture in Early American History](https://reader036.vdocuments.mx/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649f135503460f94c26af7/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Native American Literary Tradition
O For a long time the literature was viewed as folklore without any literary merit.
O The oral literature included (among others) song lyrics, hero tales, migration legends, and creation accounts which changed over time.
O Oratory skills were much prized among Native Americans.
![Page 5: Native American Culture in Early American History](https://reader036.vdocuments.mx/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649f135503460f94c26af7/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Characteristics of Oral Literature
O Oral stories were chanted, spoken, sung, and repeated over and over until embedded into the memories of the next generations.
O Celebrate the wonders of the natural world
O Celebrate the interconnectedness of the natural and spiritual world
O Sought to explain natural occurrences
![Page 6: Native American Culture in Early American History](https://reader036.vdocuments.mx/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649f135503460f94c26af7/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Characteristics of Oral Literature cont.
O Consists of four parts forming a cycle: begins with a harmonious situation (everything is okay); something disrupts the harmony (problem); attempt to fix the disharmony (fixing the
problem);harmony is restored
O Designed to teach a lesson
O Animals and humans were often interchangeable in many stories
![Page 7: Native American Culture in Early American History](https://reader036.vdocuments.mx/reader036/viewer/2022062309/56649f135503460f94c26af7/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Characteristics of Oral Literature cont.
O Contained the idea that life is not a progressive straight line, but an endless circle
O This cycle is reflected strongly in nature (changing seasons, cycles of birth, death and rebirth) and in ceremonies performed year
after year.