...Humans tell stories for a multitude of reasons. Stories can warn us of impending dangers, such as the war stories of Vietnam. Stories can also be employed to help us understand our purpose in life, just as the Native American creation myths do. Relaying these stories can also instill a variety of emotions unto the listeners, as well as the storyteller. Some stories make the storyteller feel such strong, raw emotions that they are almost unable to tell them. First hand stories from Vietnam veterans are a prime example of such stories. In Tim O’Brien’s book The Things They Carried, Tim shares powerful war stories that he found to be difficult to talk about. In Tim’s book, one powerful experience he shares is the first time he killed someone...
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...QUILEUTE LEGEND According to the Quileute Native American Tribe, they were created from wolves. This Quileute Legend is known as their Creation Myth or story where a traveling transmuter named K’wa’iti changed the first wolf he came accross in his travels into a person, thus creating the first member of the Quileute tribe. The Quileute Legend inspired writer Stephenie Meyer in the authoring of her Twilight Saga. The conflict between “The Cold Ones” Vampire and the Shape-Shifting Wolves or Werewolves creates a classic theme of Good vs Evil which lends itself to an enjoyable story. K’wa’iti is one with many names Dokibatt, the Transformer or Changer. In Quileute Legend he is often referred to as the Trickster. Trickster tales are found throughout many Native American tribes. In these tales, the trickster can perform tricks often attributed to having supernatural powers. Perhaps, it is just illusion rather than some divine power he is able to come back from the dead, shape-shift at times, and perform tasks similar to the creator of all things. But, if it is just illusion then why does the beaver now have a paddle tail? The trickster is an similar to a performing magician, using his powers he is able to create and make permanent the illusion. K’wa’iti does not follow the rules of the nature, many times maliciously, however generally there is a positive outcome of his meddling. His rule breaking ways take the form of thievery and tricks. K’wa’iti can be smart at times...
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...believe what he says, for he may help you to see clearly. Who is this man? He is the TRICKSTER! He is present in nearly all Native American stories; however, the form to which he adapts is constantly changing. From dirty old men, to young good-looking heart breakers, the trickster provides an outlet for much humor, irony and truth. It is from the article “Ambigere: The Euro-American Picaro and the Native American” by Franchot Ballinger that most of the trickster qualities are described. “A roguish traveler(s)” (21-39), the Trickster is seen as a character who rebels against moral and civil code. Their tales, which exist mostly in myth, are notable for their lack of an adequate ending. The ending is nearly impossible to accomplish because the Trickster is a figure that never ends. Reappearing in nearly every Native American piece of fiction, the Trickster’s story continues, although the persona changes. “This young man (occasionally women) usually (by the standards of society) are of low birth or of obscure origins (perhaps orphaned…) and come from a disreputable background… surviving by his wits, which often means living by begging, theft, deception…” (21-39). Many of these traits, present is so many Trickster figures, have developed into genres of tricksters. Such would be the African Yoruba trickster – Tortoise; the Clackman’s Chinook Coyote or Winnebago Trickster...
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...both excellent pieces of Native American literature. The stories share similar characteristics such as looking up to a God-like figure also know as a Creating Power or Great Mystery Power. Remaking the World contains the story of how the world was created, but also what it took to create this world. The Creating Power had made a world, but he was not satisfied by how the people had behaved, so he decided to create a new one. Throughout the story, the Creating Power is shown as a powerful person who has the ability to teach and bring people and animals together. The Creating Power said to them: “Now if you have learned how to behave like human beings and how to live in peace with each other and other living beings- the two-legged, the four-legged, the many-legged, the fliers, the no-legs, the green plants of this universe- then all will be well. But if you make this world bad and ugly, then I will destroy this world too. It’s up to you”. Montezuma and The Great Flood have a similar character known as The Great Mystery Power. This character guides the leader, Montezuma on a journey of how to teach his people the necessities of life such as making baskets and cooking food. Montezuma’s power went to his head and eventually lost his empire due to his arrogance. Montezuma answered: “I don’t need your advice. Who are you to try to correct Great Montezuma? Am I not high above you? Am I not your master?”. The importance of this similarity is that in Native American literature, there is always...
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...The Cocopah Indian Tribe is one of the numerous Native American tribes of Arizona that is continuously active. Its strong sense of culture and participation in its surrounding civilization has helped it thrive as one of the most well known tribes still in existence. The Cocopah’s extensive history as an early Yuman community and its current cultural influence in Arizona make it acknowledged as both an intriguing tribe and major source of the state’s ethnic identity. The Cocopah Indian Tribe of Arizona, otherwise called “the River People,” originated in lands along the Colorado River and Lower Colorado River as one of the several descendant tribes of the Yuman-speaking people (“About Us”). The name “Cocopah” derives from the tribe’s name for...
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...The Native Americans told many stories of the way the Earth was created and how the animals, humans, and geographical features came to be on the Earth. Many of the stories the Native Americans told about the creation of the Earth had similarities and differences in them. Four such stories about creation that were similar and yet different were, “How the World was Made”, “The Creation of the World”, “The Story of Creation”, and “The Story of the Emergence”. All of these stories have unique similarities and differences in them that should be explored, as well as a short summary of the stories. The first story was “How the World was Made” and it says that the world was first a large island that floats in a large sea of water. This story fortels...
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...Flores 1 Antonio Flores English 2333 Final Essay May 10th, 2010 Topic #1: Describe some characteristics of literature in the 20th century and illustrate these characteristics using the texts studied in class. Okay let’s start with William Butler Yeats, who was not only the main figure in the Irish literary renaissance but also the twentieth century’s greatest poet in the English language. Yeats constantly uses allusive imagery and large symbolic structures. Yeats adopted a cyclical model of history which he created a private mythology that allowed him to come to terms with both cultural and personal pain. This model also helped explain the symptoms of the Western civilization’s declining spiral; the plight of contemporary Irish society and the chaos of European culture around World War 1. Yeats shares with writers like Rilke and T. S. Eliot the quest for larger meaning in a time of trouble and the use of symbolic language to give verbal form to that quest. For many years it is Yeats’s mastery of images that defines his work. From his early use of symbols as private keys, or dramatic metaphors for complex personal emotions, to the immense cosmology of his last work, he continued to create a highly visual poetry whose power derives from the dramatic interweaving of specific images. One of his poems called When You Are Old pleads his love for the beautiful actress and Irish nationalist Maud Gonne, whom he met in 1889 and who repeatedly refused to...
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...It’s all about the Literature Heather Henegar Grand Canyon University: RDG-514 July 2, 2015 It’s All About the Literature As with any area in curriculum and instruction, teachers should not be fully dependent on one source, but rather use a variety of resources to help students understand content. The same can be said with the use of textbooks. Teachers should supplement core curriculum with quality trade books (GCU, 2012). Trade books can offer a wealth of information such as a means to expand vocabulary, clarify concepts, explore real-world situations, and entertain (GCU, 2012). Furthermore, Johnson & Small, (2008) stated, “In contrast to textbooks, nonfiction trade books can support instruction in nearly every subject…which allows a teacher to front-load experiences with a concept” (p. 132). The following table lists trade books that can be used to enhance and supplement instruction in Math, Science, Social Studies, and Reading within a fourth-grade classroom. Book Title | Content Area | Summary | Appropriateness | Standards | Millions, Billions & Trillions by David A. Adler & Edward Miller (2013) | Math | In this book, Adler helps students to connect large numbers to other things they already know. There are also hands-on activities that can be done, such as using one-fourth cup of sugar to illustrate what a million might look like. This book also tells students how long it would take to count to a million, billion, and trillion (Adler & Miller...
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...Apache Indians The Apache Indian tribes have gone thru many changes thru the years. Most every area of their lives have been affected and changed. How, when, and where they live has changed a lot over the years. In the past, their ways were the very set, and the same for many years. Now like most Americans, their ways have changed, they are not as structured, and they have changes frequently. Many Apache Indians now live in the Midwest. They live in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, but they did not always live there. Some of the Apache Indians have had to move across the border into New Mexico. The Plains Apache Indians live in what is now Oklahoma, but their traditions are different from the other tribes. Many Plains Apaches got captured by the other Apache Indians tribes. The Apache Indian population today is about 30,000 Indians. Currently, there are 13 different Apache tribes in the U.S, in 5 different states. The Apache Indians must obey American law enforcement because they do not live on Indian reservations, which means they are legal American...
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...This article was downloaded by: [University of Texas El Paso] On: 09 August 2011, At: 13:50 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Bilingual Research Journal Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ubrj20 Language Learning in the American Southwestern Borderlands: Navajo Speakers and Their Transition to Academic English Literacy Gloria Dyc a a University of New Mexico-Gallup Available online: 22 Nov 2010 To cite this article: Gloria Dyc (2002): Language Learning in the American Southwestern Borderlands: Navajo Speakers and Their Transition to Academic English Literacy, Bilingual Research Journal, 26:3, 611-630 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2002.10162581 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/termsand-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently...
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...Bugs Bunny has and continues to be a standing favorite all, his popularity spans generations crossing over form one millennia to the next, he is iconically global and can be viewed in many languages in thousands of homes. True to form the creation of this character has spawned within our culture a love for such a character that he has become not only a welcomed spokes person but an undying legend whose roots can possibly be traced back hundreds of years he is everybody’s hero we laugh and cheer when he is victorious and are shocked and somewhat upset when he “loses.” Warner Bros., released his first cartoon over sixty years ago. Since “There have been over 150 Bugs Bunny cartoons, and all but about twelve are still shown rather frequently on television today. Bugs has had a more diverse and accomplished career than many Hollywood actors ever have, and some of the zaniest and funniest performances ever in film history. This did not happen overnight, by any means. Bugs Bunny's cartoons were directed over the years by such creative geniuses as Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Bob Clampett, Robert McKimson, Frank Tashlin, and others, all of whom left their mark in film history with these animated films, and Bugs was only one of the dozens of classic creations these men worked with and created. Also not to be forgotten are the creators of the Warner cartoon soundtrack, Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs) and musicians Carl Stalling, Milt Franklyn and William Lava” (Hunter). ...
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...Josh Smith Dr. Tom Jones English 101 December 5, 2006 The Big Bad Wolf • Three little pigs dance in a circle singing "Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?" • Little Red Riding Hood barely escapes the cunning advances of the ravenous wolf disguised as her grandmother. • Movie audiences shriek as a gentle young man is transformed before their eyes into a blood-thirsty werewolf, a symbol for centuries of the essence of evil. Such myths and legends have portrayed the wolf as a threat to human existence. Feared as cold-blooded killers, they were hated and persecuted. Wolves were not merely shot and killed; they were tortured as well. In what was believed to be a battle between good and evil, wolves were poisoned, drawn and quartered, doused with gasoline and set on fire, and, in some cases, left with their mouths wired shut to starve (Begley 53). Convinced that they were a problem to be solved, U.S. citizens gradually eradicated gray wolves from the lower 48 states over a period of 25 years. Today many people are convinced that the elimination of the gray wolf was not only an error, but also a detriment to the quality of life in this country. There has been a public outcry to rectify the situation created by the ignorance of our ancestors. However, in seeking to address a situation created by the human compulsion to control nature, it is crucial to discern how much human interference is necessary. Human control must be tempered by respect and restraint...
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...Three little pigs dance in a circle singing "Who's afraid of the big, bad wolf?" Little Red Riding Hood barely escapes the cunning advances of the ravenous wolf disguised as her grandmother. Movie audiences shriek as a gentle young man is transformed before their eyes into a blood-thirsty werewolf, a symbol for centuries of the essence of evil. Such myths and legends have portrayed the wolf as a threat to human existence. Feared as cold-blooded killers, they were hated and persecuted. Wolves were not merely shot and killed; they were tortured as well. In what was believed to be a battle between good and evil, wolves were poisoned, drawn and quartered, doused with gasoline and set on fire, and, in some cases, left with their mouths wired shut to starve (Begley 53). Convinced that they were a problem to be solved, U.S. citizens gradually eradicated gray wolves from the lower 48 states over a period of 25 years. Today many people are convinced that the elimination of the gray wolf was not only an error, but also a detriment to the quality of life in this country. There has been a public outcry to rectify the situation created by the ignorance of our ancestors. However, in seeking to address a situation created by the human compulsion to control nature, it is crucial to discern how much human interference is necessary. Human control must be tempered by respect and restraint. Programs designed for the protection and restoration of wildlife must reflect deference for the...
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...BIGFOOT: LEGEND OR FACT? 2 There are many different legends and stories that have passed down from generation to generation. It is likely that everyone will have heard some type of legend told to him or her at some point in his or her life. Some legends are told and then fade into history. Some legends are kept alive as time passes and become so widespread that it touches everyone's life at some point. One legend that has caused decades of speculation is the legend of Bigfoot. The legend of Bigfoot has become widely popular in North America. It has even spawned similar legends told in other parts of the world. While most legends are told and brushed off as simply crazy stories, the legend of Bigfoot has caused much debate and investigation into the truth behind the stories of the giant ape-like animal. Many scientists have studied the supposed evidence of Bigfoot and the stories that have been told about the creature. For years, the research into the existence of Bigfoot has gone on with no conclusive evidence being found to prove the existence or non-existence of such an animal. As the questions remain, the legend of Bigfoot lives on and continues to grow from year to year. The stories and evidence provided in this paper are all from David Jenkins’ personal collection and experiences. David Jenkins was my zoology teacher in tenth grade, my biology teacher in eleventh grade, and finally my marine biology teacher my senior year. Mr. Jenkins has gone to church with my...
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...The Trouble with Wilderness; or, Getting Back to the Wrong Nature William Cronon This will seem a heretical claim to many environmentalists, since the idea of wilderness has for decades been a fundamental tenet-indeed, a passionof the environmental movement, especially in the United States. For many Americans wilderness stands as the last remaining place where civilization, that all too human disease, has not fully infected the earth. It is an island in the polluted sea of urban-industrial modernity, the one place we can turn for escape from our own too-muchness. Seen in this way, wilderness presents itself as the best antidote to our human selves, a refuge we must somehow recover if we hope to save the planet. As Henry David Thoreau once famously declared, “In Wildness is the preservation of the World.“’ But is it? The more one knows of its peculiar history, the more one realizes that wilderness is not quite what it seems. Far from being the one place on earth that stands apart from humanity, it is quite profoundly a human creation-indeed, the creation of very particular human cultures at very particular moments in human history. It is not a pristine sanctuary where the last remnant of an untouched, endangered, but still transcendent nature can for at least a little while longer be encountered without the contaminating taint of civilization. Instead, it is a product of that civilization, and could hardly be contaminated by the very stuff of which it is made...
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