Theme Of Nature In Native American Literature

Nature is important to Native American Literature because they believe in the Great Spirit and the idea land is sacred. We see the importance of nature in the “Iroquois Constitution”, a speech by Chief Dekanawidah. The constitution is about preserving and honoring nature. “Firefly Song” also deals with the theme of nature. This poem describes living with light, no matter what happens in life. It is relevant to nature because the Ojibwa tribe chose to use a firefly as a representation of light. The Ojibwa choosing to use a firefly tells us, even the smallest creature in nature is important to them. Another piece of Native American Literature that displays the theme of nature is “Brother Eagle Sister Sky”. In this message given by Chief

Seattle he tells us that every part of the Earth is important and that animals and nature are all apart of our family. He exhibits his fear of not preserving Earth and loving the land. He describes it as a web we are all apart of. This is significant because this is their belief system. Without believing nature is holy the Native American culture would cease to exist.
Animals are crucial to Native American Literature because the Natives believed animals have souls and they thought of the animals as friends. Natives believed the animals were sacred and albino animals even more so. We see this in the poem “The War God’s Horse Song” written by the Navajos. In this poem a man is getting his horse ready for war and saying he will die for his horse. He describe the horse as having legs as quick as lightning, eyes made of stars, a mane made of rainbows, and teeth made of white shell. The Navajos are almost describing the horse as a supernatural being. This is significant because horses in the Native American culture were a part of living and fighting. They were a part of their owner.
All these themes: ancestors, nature, and animals are important to Native American literature because it defines their culture and beliefs. From essentially stating a horse is a supernatural being, believing “Earth does not belong to us, we belong to it”, to the water in the stream being the blood of our ancestors. All of these are examples of Native American’s ideology. They have a fondness for everything that is made naturally and are grateful they can utilize everything the Great Spirit gives to them.