Folklore In Native American Culture Analysis

Folklore is a body of expressive culture shared by a group of people and therefore encompasses the morals and ideals of that group. The main objective in folklore is not to express the narrow interests of any one person, but to aid in the understanding of an entity of life all the while entertaining the masses. Since these stories are often impossible to attribute to a sole individual, the tales told tend to deviate on a regional basis in terms of the characters and, to some extent, the plot. However, despite generations of interpretations and alterations, the message often remains the same. Separating and analyzing the components of the word folklore help better understand its meaning. The term, folk, was coined by Englishman William Thomas,

who used it to replace phrases such as “popular antiquities” or “literature”. “Lore” is simply known as the knowledge and traditions of people of a particular group, typically passed down orally. Folklore can be best described as the passing of traditional beliefs, customs, and/or stories of a community through generations, often by word of the mouth. Unlike literature, folklore must be present in a well-defined community in order to ensure its transference onto the next generation.
The most important component of folklore is transmission. The idea is to inform in a way memorable enough to ensure that it is passed on the the next generation. As voiced by well-versed English writer and philogist J.R.R. Tolkien, “Pay heed to the tales of old wives. It may well be that they alone keep in memory what it was once needful for the wise to know.” Essentially, he is conveying the notion that it is imperative to look at one’s past as we progress to the future. Folklore is a device that serves to instill the beliefs and values of culture or nation that have been passed down for generations. These values should be applicable to all the individuals of a civilization. This is unlike literature, because folklore could not afford to reflect only the interests of one person due to the risk of alienating a certain group of people. It wouldn’t take long for a tale with the aforementioned traits to fade into total obscurity. This is why orators have the freedom to modify a story in anyway they see fit. Folktales must be all inclusive and able to connect people with their past.
Prominent examples of folklore are those found in Native American culture.

Native American tales are rich in music, spiritual ideals, emotional legends, and memorable characters, attributes that allow them to persist during times when transcription was not a viable option. Song and dance was a major staple in Native American civilization as the speaker would often have patrons in the background providing either visual interpretation or acapella accompaniment during oration. These folktales would provide stories of origin, explain certain beliefs or ways to life, give warnings, provide a moral compass or guidance, or a combination of the three. An example would be The Coyote and the Columbia. This tale sees the notorious coyote lament at the brutal heat of the sun and beseeches for a cloud to provide shade, which is instantly conjured. The coyote quickly over indulges, asking for more clouds, rain, and a creek to dip his feet in. As the coyote incessantly demands for more, the creek turns into the present day Columbia river and nearly drowns the intemperate beast, who learns the danger of literally being inundated in one’s greed. Performers would pantomime the waves of the aforementioned river to further express the coyotes’s folly. Alterations could be expected. For example, Cherokee Indians may tell the same story but have a raccoon instead of a coyote, and in lieu of the Columbia, the Mississippi could have been

conjured.
Literature is described as a body of written works.

Literature typically has two forms, poetry and prose. Poetry places more emphasis on the expression of emotions and ideas (of the author) by strategic use of rhythm and style. Prose is written in ordinary form, without metrical structure. Literature has three main purposes, and this is where it differs from folklore. Although literature may also aim to entertain and captivate such as folklores, the primary goals are to persuade and inform. Literature often attempts to push a certain opinion or ask for a call to action, while informs, or enlightening, the reader. The main difference between folklore and literature is that literature pushes the ideas of the singular author where folklore looks to encapsulate an entire group or culture. Literature is not as inclusive as folklore. Even if literature and folklore share the same entertainment aspect, literature seeks to do this by implementing the spirit of the scribe, the latter operates on the essence of the folk or nation. Among the first appearance of literature was as hieroglyphics, a formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt. These hieroglyphics were initially used to record and communicate information. For example, literature transcribed in temples were done with the purpose of instructing priests on how to perform sacred rituals in order to properly appease gods and goddesses. Another cause of hieroglyphics was to communicate the battles of Egyptian armies against

their enemies. The main deviation between literature and folklore is that literate is created with a specific agenda in mind, with works reflecting the author’s ideas, beliefs, and experiences.
The Epic of Sundiata is an example of oral tradition in that the story was passed down generation after generation by griots, dating all the way back to the 14th century. Griots were seen as indispensable members of society because the stories they orated connected the people of the present to those of the past. They were seen as performers and would often use instruments such as the kora, xalam (stringed instruments), or the balafon (percussion based instrument) as accompaniment. The significance of griots is summated by the old African proverb, “when an old man dies, a library burns.” The Ramayana serves as an ancient form of literature with manuscripts dating all the way back to the 6th century. This piece of literature was transcribed with the intent of portraying a battle between good and evil as the protagonists see themselves at odds with those who do not follow dharma (the moral order of the universe). Those who read the Ramayana are supposed to come away with several of the values which were considered pillars of society, such as the triumph of truth over evil, unity, sacrifice, and faith in God. The Indian folktales read, such as Serpent Lover and Tell it to the Walls, are examples of folklore that express the spirits and sentiments of the nation. The Mahabharata is a prominent example of ancient literature with morals such as the virtues of kindness and duty as well as the folly of excess pride as well as the danger of “half knowledge.” However, unlike folklore, the lessons and morals aren’t always so cut and dry and often are left up to the interpretation of the reader. The main idea of literature is that whatever theme, message, or overall substance you are receiving is from the point of view of the scriptor (or in some cases, scriptors).
Most folktales were passed down orally, as is common with folklore, and the morals typically reflect the society. For example, The Woman Who Marries Her Son is a lesson on the inescapability of fate and the idea of dharma. This isn’t the ideal of any one person being deiced here, but rather the belief of fan entire nation. Another example is The Flowering Tree which portrays the significant idea that good always triumphs and wrongdoings will always beget comeuppance, which is seen when the wronged daughter is repaired and the evil daughter is thrown into the pit. The lasting impression is, “Every wrong has its punishment.” Yet another example, Tell it to the Walls, literally advocates the telling of stories or grievances in order to lighten ones spiritual load.
Present day examples of folklore continue to persist today. That bedtime tale that your mother orated to you when you were a child was probably passed to her in the same manner. The word of mouth is as effective as any pen, especially when the content is memorable. Personally, I have a few folktales passed down to me that I intend to dispense to my future children for their amusement. In some ways, I prefer folktales to literature because I find the performance aspect to be more enticing. Some of best memories as a child would be sitting with my cousins and having an adult akin to us recount one of their “tall tales” to us. As mentioned before, the inclusive nature and the togetherness factor of folklore is responsible for its longevity in multiple parts of the world.