After reading a selection of Cherokee oral narratives, my understanding of how Cherokee look at land and animals changed. I was able to see how they personify the land and animals to make it feel as though everything is living as breathing with minds like humans. It is easy when reading the narratives to feel as though we are only piece of the life going on around us. My favorite legend was “Why The Possum's Tail Is Bare”. This story was very enjoyable to read as the different animals were given dialog and personalities. I love how they use stories to explain natural things such as why possum doesn’t have fur on his tail. The story titled “The Great Leech Of Tlanusi'yï” also seemed to be told to try to explain a natural phenomenon that they …show more content…
did not understand. It would be very interesting to go to the area where they talk about in “The Great Leech Of Tlanusi'yï”. I would like to see what actually happens and here a scientist’s reasoning of the event. After seeing the actual area the imagery in the story would likely also be much more vivid and exciting. Three of the local narratives that I enjoyed were “NANTAHALA”, “SOCO GAP”, and “TUSQUITTEE BALD”. I found “NANTAHALA”, interesting when the steep cliffs were noted with the idea that the hunter Tsasta'wï could throw down the liver from his freshly killed deer for his wife to have prepared by the time he arrived home (409). The image the story creates is something that would have never thought of, but, at the same time, this seems like a very smart and efficient way for the family to have warm fresh meat for dinner. The practicality of the story makes it believe to me. “SOCO GAP”, was another narrative that I found interesting. I liked the fact that the Shawano, based on a common custom, let one on of the Cherokee live to report the news back to his people (409-410). This shows that while the tribes fought and battled there was common respect. “TUSQUITTEE BALD” was fun to read since there was animals in this narrative. I love when animals are personified and given voices. I also found it interesting how the water-dogs seemed at ease even when their usual water was not available (411). This leads me to believe the story was created to let people know that there is nothing to worry about during a dry spell because there is always more water to be found. It seems to have such a worriless feel when people would likely be very worried. The Cherokee selections are known as "oral" narratives since the writings are based off of stories passed down through the years from people orally telling them.
The stories stayed alive by ancestors reciting the stories only from their memory. The elements showing the oral nature of the narratives can be seen in the “Local Legends Of North Carolina” passage. “NANTAHALA: A river and ridge of very steep mountains in Macon county, the name being a corruption of Nûñ'däye'`lï” shows how the name of the river was actually changed based on the fact that the spelling and pronunciation became something that translates better into the English language (409). If the story had been written the name could have not been impacted by how the story teller spoke but rather only by a change in the spelling which would have not happened in a written copy. A second example of how we know the stories are oral is from key phrases in the stories. In the narrative “The Uktena And The Ulûñsû'tï” part of the story actually says “those who know say that the Uktena is a great snake” (298). This shows that while the Cherokee believe in the narratives the know it all comes from what other have said. Another example is how some of the meanings of the names where lost such as AKWË`TI'YÏ. The meanings of worlds would not be lost if there was a written record holding the information. When a story is being passed orally though there is room for variation such as leaving meanings of words out. The fact that the stories are just for entrainment and everyone had stories memorized also points out that there was likely no need for the stories to be written down
either.
When a Choctaw tribal member became terminally ill, it was common practice for the medicine man to inform the family of impending death (Swanton 1931:170). Upon death, the Choctaws believed that the spirit of the dead continued on a voyage to either the good hunting ground or the bad hunting ground. This journey would take many days, which would require the proper provisions. A dog would sometimes be slain in order to accompany his master on the long journey. After the introduction of horses, they, too, were killed so that the spirit had means of t...
Storytelling is as much part of the tradition of the Native community as it is their identity. Storytellers and their prophecies are used to navigate the modern world by aiding in the constant obstacles that continue to make Native people question themselves and their belief systems. The best way to explain this concept is by starting at the end.
In the introduction, Hämäläinen introduces how Plains Indians horse culture is so often romanticized in the image of the “mounted warrior,” and how this romanticized image is frequently juxtaposed with the hardships of disease, death, and destruction brought on by the Europeans. It is also mentioned that many historians depict Plains Indians equestrianism as a typical success story, usually because such a depiction is an appealing story to use in textbooks. However, Plains Indians equestrianism is far from a basic story of success. Plains equestrianism was a double-edged sword: it both helped tribes complete their quotidian tasks more efficiently, but also gave rise to social issues, weakened the customary political system, created problems between other tribes, and was detrimental to the environment.
Many oral traditional stories have been told and passed down from person to person and family to family for thousands of years. Almost every story that has been told has either been altered or told in a different way so after 100 years of one story being told someone will decide to create their own version of it.
“It is my absolute belief that Indians have unlimited talent. I have no doubt about our capabilities.” --Narendra Modi. Native Americans love life and nature, they often celebrate it. In the stories “The Coyote”, “The Buffalo and the Corn”, and “The First False Face” each of these stories has many similarities, all include nature, and have many differences.
“Quantie’s weak body shuddered from a blast of cold wind. Still, the proud wife of the Cherokee chief John Ross wrapped a woolen blanket around her shoulders and grabbed the reins.” Leading the final group of Cherokee Indians from their home lands, Chief John Ross thought of an old story that was told by the chiefs before him, of a place where the earth and sky met in the west, this was the place where death awaits. He could not help but fear that this place of death was where his beloved people were being taken after years of persecution and injustice at the hands of white Americans, the proud Indian people were being forced to vacate their lands, leaving behind their homes, businesses and almost everything they owned while traveling to an unknown place and an uncertain future. The Cherokee Indians suffered terrible indignities, sickness and death while being removed to the Indian territories west of the Mississippi, even though they maintained their culture and traditions, rebuilt their numbers and improved their living conditions by developing their own government, economy and social structure, they were never able to return to their previous greatness or escape the injustices of the American people.
As Silko says, "Where I come from, the words most highly valued are those spoken from the heart, unpremeditated and unrehearsed. Among Pueblo people, written speech or statement is highly suspect because the true feelings of speaker remain hidden as she read the words that are detached from the occasion and audience. " (pg 1 ) Now days, whenever you turn on TV or Radio, and there is somebody giving speech, it is read off the paper that has been written by a professional and proof read by a lawyer or two. Silko is absolutely and right, and I agree with her that the speaker does not express what she or he had in the heart and wanted others to hear. For pueblo people, storytelling is very important. "Pueblo expression resembles something like a spider web - with many little threads radiating from the center, crisscrossing each other. As with the web, the structure emerges as it is made and you must simply listen and trust, as Pueblo people do, that meaning will be made." (pg 1 ) From reading this essay, I noticed that one of the distinctive ways stories are told at Laguna Pueblo, many individual words have their own stories, and there are few dimensions of story telling, which always includes the listeners, and story identity. No matter what kind of story is being told, it always has the origins. And since everything and everybody have different origins an...
The book “Lakota Woman,” is an autobiography that depicts Mary Crow Dog and Indians’ Lives. Because I only had a limited knowledge on Indians, the book was full of surprising incidents. Moreover, she starts out her story by describing how her Indian friends died in miserable and unjustifiable ways. After reading first few pages, I was able to tell that Indians were mistreated in the same manners as African-Americans by whites. The only facts that make it look worse are, Indians got their land stolen and prejudice and inequality for them still exists.
This provides powerful insight into the role Bigfoot like creatures played in Native American cultures. Some tribes were not afraid of the creatures, considering them kind and helpful, while peacefully coexisting with them. Other tribes found them to be more violent and dangerous creatures. The fact that these tribes called the animals Stick Indians or Brush Indians seems to suggest that the creatures were simply other tribes they did not get along with opposed to a village of mythical creatures. Some examples of Bigfoot like creatures in Native American tribes include the Chiye – Tanka, the Lofa, the Maxemista, and the popular Sasquatch. The Chiye – Tanka was the Bigfoot like creature of the Sioux Indians (“Native American,” n.d.). This animal
Perdue, Theda, and Michael Green. The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears. New York: Penguin Books, 2007. Print.
In old, but not so ancient times, native americans populated our land widely with different tribes diverged. One of the most widely known and popular tribes was named the Cherokee tribe and was formed as early as 1657. Their history is vast and deep, and today we will zone into four major points of their culture: their social organizations and political hierarchy, the tribe’s communication and language, a second form of communication in their arts and literature, and the Cherokee’s religion.
The ancient ritual of storytelling is a form of communication that dates back as far as civilization and human language can go. Timeless works of literature such as Beowulf and The Iliad were originally told orally and passed down for generations. Storytelling has played an important role in the development of society due to the emphasis on language, the preservation of history, and the acknowledgment of morals.
Storytelling has a special importance in culture throughout the African continent; Anansi the spider in Ghana, is one great example of an African fable that teaches children important lessons including respect for elders, the importance of wisdom, and the importance of culture. These stories have been retained and perpetuated by oral tradition, despite the western emphasis on written records; African tribes have preserved history and culture well thorough oral historians. The translator, D.T. Niane, explains the validity of oral history well by stating that written text can contain inaccuracies as well (xv). The importance of the oral aspect of djelis method relays the information in a personal manner, as Djeli Mamoudou Kouyate states, “writing lacks the warmth of the human voice,” therefore by creating a written text of an oral story it “does violence” to it (xvi). I was raised in an African community, here in DC and was lucky enough to attend Djeli performances by family friend, Djimo Kouyate, and later his son Amadou. Although I do not speak Manding, Djeli Djimo Koyate, performed the music in such a way that I was able to relate and...
Native American literature from the Southeastern United States is deeply rooted in the oral traditions of the various tribes that have historically called that region home. While the tribes most integrally associated with the Southeastern U.S. in the American popular mind--the FIVE CIVILIZED TRIBES (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole)--were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) from their ancestral territories in the American South, descendents of those tribes have created compelling literary works that have kept alive their tribal identities and histories by incorporating traditional themes and narrative elements. While reflecting profound awareness of the value of the Native American past, these literary works have also revealed knowing perspectives on the meaning of the modern world in the lives of contemporary Native Americans.
In the excerpts from Fluffs and Feathers, Doxtator discusses the ideas of indianness and he talks about how people perceive First Nations people. The dominant fantasy of a First Nations person is someone that is spiritual, environmental, primitive, and in need of support. In the text by Doxtator it states “every culture creates images of how it sees itself and the rest of the world” (13). But how did the idea of indianness come about? The power of storytelling is a powerful tool because stories are rooted in people’s culture and it affects the way they see the mimetic world. Stories help people form dominant fantasies about things that they may not actually experience themselves. It would be impossible for all of Europe to travel to America and experience the new world. Therefore when the European travellers came to the Americas they would tell stories of their travels and their experiences so that other people could understand what they had experienced.