Unified American Culture

Throughout the history of American culture, we as an entire nation have been blind to the contributing cultures’ literature, rituals, and traditions. Prior to America’s unification, hundreds of Native American Indian tribes occupied the nation’s province. Through speech and celebratory events, they spread their beliefs, traditions, tales, and legends, in hopes of preserving their way of life. Native Americans’ cultures contributed to the unified ‘American’ culture; although, adequate credit is not given to this part of the nation’s history. Like most other Native American tribes, the Miwok Indians, native to central California, included archetypal elements in their writings such as animals with human-like characteristics, the cycle of life, and showing respect to the elders of a tribe in their literature; consequently, these morals and ideas were passed down to younger generations by word of

Gifford writes, “Bear said, ‘We will leave these girls (Fawns) at home. They always follow you’… She placed the liver in the basket and put clover on top of it”. Not only are physical attributes in Bear and Deer similar to those of humans, notably speech, but behaviors and actions also reflect humanity: mischief. In the first portion of the excerpt, Bear speaks to Deer just as humans would converse with one another. Just as children cause all sorts of mayhem, Bear relays the same mischievous ambiance when she places her victim’s liver under a heap of clover. Although these two actions reflect human-like qualities, one of the characters in this classic Miwok tale shows the same resemblance through emotion. “As Bear saw them nearing their grandfather’s, she shouted again in her anger” (Gifford). While animals seem to be capable of showing emotions, the Miwoks used this folktale to take hold of those supposed capabilities and personified them in Bear through her