BEGINNINGS OF AMERICAN LITERATURE

Early AmericaBeginning-1800

FUNCTIONS OF NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE

Beliefs about nature of physical world Beliefs about social order and

appropriate behavior Beliefs about human nature and the

problem of good and evil Beings are animals spirits in more or

less human form

ELEMENTS OF MYTHOLOGY

Myths explain things. They may be told for entertainment, but they also teach cultural values. They often explain such important matters as how human beings came into existence, or trivial matters such as why rabbits have short tails.

Myths contain supernatural elements. They usually have gods or goddesses or figures associated with divinities as characters. These figures may be human, animals, or other living things, or even inanimate beings.

Myths have dreamlike qualities. Mythic stories typically take place in a timeless past, and they contain fantastic and symbolic elements often connected with dreams. Like dreams, myths can bring out human beings’ worst fears and dearest wishes.

Myths can be both serious and humorous. Though some myths, such as dramatic stories of the Greeks, are serious, others contain humorous elements as well.

IMPORTANT UNITED STATES EVENTS:

1492- Columbus makes first voyage to America

1607- Colony of Jamestown founded in Virginia

1619- first Africans arrive in Virginia 1692- Witchcraft trials begin in Salem,

MA 1736- Great Awakening religions revival

begins

IMPORTANT UNITED STATES EVENTS CONT. 1765- Stamp Act triggers protest

throughout colonies 1770- British troops fire on colonists in

Boston Massacre 1776- Declaration of Independence

is signed 1789- George Washington becomes

first President

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL FORCES

The Native Americans: Europeans arrived in Western hemisphere,

there were already hundreds of Native Americans

Had different cultures, language, and social values

Ancestors- from Asia thousands of years ago

Social organization determined by local environment

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL FORCES CONT.

European Contact 1400s- people urged to explore the rest of the

world Advances in navigation and shipbuilding European explorers brought many parts of the

world into meaningful contact with one another for the 1st time

European exploration = Native American tragedy

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL FORCES CONT.

Religious Belief Major factor in American colonial culture Protestants began founding settlements in

1620 Others wanted religious freedom 1730-1740- religious revival called the

Great Awakening spread through colonies Two results of this: Increased feelings of responsibility for Native

Americans and enslaved Africans More tolerant spirit toward other faiths

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL FORCES CONT.

Slave Trade American colonies suffered from

severe labor shortage South- large tobacco and rice

plantations required hundreds of workers

By 1750- 200,000 enslave Africans in North America

Colonies developed slave codes =

Sets of laws that formally regulated slavery and defined the relationship between enslaved Africans and free people

HISTORICAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL FORCES CONT.

The American Revolution Mid-1760s- unrest developed Long war between Britain and France left

Britain in debt British gov. passed laws- included taxes on

everyday items Mid-1770s- resentment over taxes led to

political violence and colonial self-rule April 1775- British colonial gov. started battle-

Revolutionary War between America and Britain Declaration of Independence- 1776- Britain

finally accepted it in 1783

THREE BIG IDEAS:

1. The Sacred Earth and the Power of Storytelling

2. Life in the New World

3. The Road to Independence

SACRED EARTH AND THE POWER OF STORYTELLING:

Native American culture- entire earth and all living things were sacred

Appreciation passed down orally from generation to generation

Speakers and storytellers were valued members of Native American communities

THE CYCLE OF LIFE:

N.A. saw plants, animals, and forces of nature as part of a great, sacred cycle of life that humans must treat with deep respect

Through dreams and visions- made contact with spirits

Spirits inhabit all living things Tales and songs- N.A. expressed their

view of sacredness of natural world

“Sell a country! Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well as the earth? Did not the Great Spirit make them all for the use of his children?”

Tecumseh, Shawnee leader

OWNING THE LAND

N.A. didn’t believe in land ownership No one person could own land, which

instead belonged in common to all people and living things

Common ownership- contrasted sharply with European interests

Violent conflicts often resulted when N.A. leaders signed treaties They usually didn’t understand them (written in

English) The treaties opened lands to white settlement

A LEGACY OF STORIES

N.A. oral tradition- began approx. 40,000 years ago

When first humans crossed from Asia to Alaska via land bridge- now the Bering Strait

Migrate south- new unique cultures and languages developed in response to different environments

Thousands of languages when settlers first arrived

Each culture developed own stories and mythology

A LEGACY OF STORIES CONT.

Likely that many stories dramatized the struggle of the 1st Americans to survive

Ex: Stone age hunters- tales of the hunt to groups sitting around then campfire

Sacred stories- heart of religious ceremonies Myth and reality merge- rituals linked spirits of

hunters and animals

Earlier versions have evolved through hundreds of generations and are still living legends

“I HAVE KILLED THE DEER” TAS PUEBLO SONG

I have killed the deer. I have crushed the

grasshopperAnd the plants he feeds upon. I have cut through the heartOf trees growing old and

straight.I have taken fish from waterAnd birds from the sky.In my life I have needed deathSo that my life can be.

When I die I must give lifeTo what has nourished me. The earth receives my bodyAnd gives it to the plantsAnd to the caterpillarsTo the birdsAnd to the coyotesEach in its own turn so that The circle of life is never

broken.

Question: Why is this considered a poem, or a song?