Native American Literature Research Paper

Native American Literature is the first American literature to be told. It began in the 1600s and was told orally before it was written down by anthropologists and bilingual tribe members. These stories would be told with gestures, songs, and often adapted a particular tale to suit a certain culture. Its origin began with myths explaining how the universe is, about the earth, and how life began. Also told trickster tales about an animal or person who engaged in deceit, violence, and magic.

The origin to Native American Literature began with myths with spirituality, explaining how the universe is, about the earth, and how life began. It was important that they told the story with specific vocal techniques and gestures to get more of a response

In all tribes, there is a sense that behind every single spirit there is a creative life-force which expresses itself. They express themselves within the universe, every human, every animal, and any tree and grain of sand. That is where many of their stories with myths come from on spirituality and life. One of the myths is that all animals had souls or spirits that gave them supernatural powers and could speak to humans.

Many stories would be told orally with gestures, songs, and often adapted a particular tale to suit a certain culture. One adaption that was told often by a storyteller was repetition of things that had happened. The effect of stories depended on the narrator that there were many versions of the good tale. The stories varied with limits of traditions for plot and cultural background of the one telling the story and the listeners. There is still so much to be discovered because of the telling of the sane story by the same

They would tell these stories with dances, songs, and oral performances. The storytellers’ version of the traditional stories had to be accepted by the entire community of the Native Americans. Their performances had to be appropriate to the situation with the desired result of the performance accomplished. Many of traditions suggested to be only one version of a story with allusions to their recent events added on.

The Native Americans narrated many stories, created their own stories, told cultural hero stories, autobiographical stories, they would also do ritual dramas and songs. They would keep a few of their stories in journal entries or a diary. They all had their own language and culture but the one thing they shared in common was the rich oral tradition. The stories that were passed down generation through generation were passed down through the oral tradition. Passing down stories through the oral tradition were their way of recording history, culture, and beliefs of each of their