The Role Of The Trickster In Native American Culture

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1) What kind of character is the Trickster?

Both in the oral traditions of the Native Americans, and in its literature, the trickster is known as a mythological, anthropomorphic being that uses its knowledge to trick and confuse both humans and animals. The trickster is a liar, a story teller, a hero, a glutton, an oversexualized being. One of the main characteristics of the trickster is how ambiguous it is. These supernatural creatures played jokes, laughed, made fun of people, and scandalized society by their erratic and sometimes even aberrant behavior. Nonetheless, tricksters can also be silly and foolish, their plans failing due to their own naïveté. Sometimes tricksters are portrayed and acclaimed as heroes, especially when accomplishing feats or fighting monsters or other creatures. However, this behavior is not intentional, and it may be the result of the trickster’s failure to accomplish something disreputable …show more content…

Not only it’s the source of many gifts to mankind, such as fire, tobacco, food, plants, animals, tools and the like, but is also said to control the weather, the seasons, and mortality. The trickster figure serves as a cultural expression of ethnic identity, representing an idolized figure in the struggle against foreign intervention and influence. The trickster helps the Native American in maintaining its individuality while breaking the boundaries that exist. This rebellion against the new social norms imposed by the white man, traces its source to the freedom of expression of the trickster, and its love for liberty and self-determination. Survival and resistance to the oppressor are traits inherited from the hero trickster, its figure and actions being an example to follow with regard to traditions, the importance of morality, and the necessity to assert the individuality of the

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