Oral Storytelling In Native American Culture

Although stories are a universal art form, they hold a more significant role in Native American culture, and literature. This occurs due to the millennia spent in isolation from the rest of the world, and having stories as the main source of entertainment. Thomas King’s statement, “stories can control our lives,” is an important notion, because it embarks on the idea of molding the diseased into more interesting versions of themselves. The statement is prevalent in many pieces of literature which fuse reality into the imagination, and cause people to lose themselves in the fictitious realm. Native literature is all closely related, and they all hold messages within their stories that show their great culture; both the good and the bad. Story

Trickster tales have been an important part of the Native American culture for hundreds of years. Trickster tales are an oral storytelling tradition and are continuously passed down from generation to generation of Native American Indians. American Indians enjoy listening and telling trickster tales because it is a fun and interesting way to tell a story with a valuable lesson. In many tales, the trickster has a name associated with an animal, and a majority of listeners assume they are animals; however, in some tales, characteristics may appear more human-like. Trickster tales allow Native American cultures to use their imagination and thoroughly understand the moral lessons presented in the tales, and therefore may help with one’s

Native Americans had their own way of passing down wisdom of their culture. They passed their stories orally, that today is read in history books. Even after the written word had spread across the globe, Native Americans still primarily used storytelling to pass down their spiritual, mythological, and historical beliefs. Many people have heard one of these passed down stories, also known as myths or folktales.

The impact of contemporary Native American authors is not diminished by the fact they fail to fully transcribe tales of the oral tradition into an equally successful literary story. The basic elements of the oral tradition are technically adhered to but the interaction between audience and the teller is absent. The lack of personal interaction with the histories and ethical tales changes the culture of Native Americans. Literary stories are generally published for public consumption. The public, not sensitive to Native culture, then controls the success and future publication of the stories. Societal accountability impacts the marketability and perhaps the integrity of the Native story. The conflict of interest between the working author

One of the most memorable campfire stories I can think of when I look back on being a kid. Is by a man named Rich the one that I will always remember is the one about the Native American shape shifters. I think that the main reason I remember it the most is that how it scared me, but at the same time intrigued me. The Native American shapeshifters can come in many different forms varying in beliefs from tribe to tribe.

There are billions of legends recorded from the heart and souls of the Native American people. Some are told as they have been for thousands of years while others are still being created, refitted and reshaped today. The myths and stories of many Native Americans arise from animals, plants, medicine, the elements, music and much more. One tribe, the Cherokee, a Native North American people who once lived in the southeastern United States, has an endless amount of lore. I believe one of the most significant tales in Cherokee myths is about “the corn women”; her story created a basis of purpose for the Cherokee women and indirectly taught the men their roles (Krupat 2005). Often called Selu, she is a part of many

Before there were dolphins the Indians had no form of transportation from ocean to ocean in order to communicate with people. They would have to swim in the smoggy, scary dark ocean, which no Indian ever dared. To begin, there were two twins that were part of the Indian tribe and everyone knew them by their names. The good twin and the bad one. John and Dave. John was the nicest one of the tribe, he wanted everything to be easy and comfortable for his whole family. In the other hand Dave hated every single thing and person, of the Indian tribe and would rather have them die attempting to cross the vast ocean than knowing that he helped them cross it.

In indigenous society, storytelling is used to pass information from generation to generation about “their mythological, spiritual and historical understanding of themselves and the worlds they have inhabited” (Storytelling Traditions of Native Americans). These stories allow Native Americans to coexist with nature and with one another in a harmonious and respectful way. In these stories, one will find many interesting characters, such as the trickster, who make the story not only informational, but also fun. The trickster is a character who tricks another with “clever and endlessly provocative behavior” (Storytelling Traditions of Native Americans).

Many objects have a story to tell. Those stories can be very historical and eventful. Some are not just objects, but structures and monuments. Some are even unexplainable and have been studied for years. Native Americans have many stories and objects to tell stories to other generations. The headdress had a very important part in the story of how the Native Americans survived the fight for this land. The fight between the Indians, Cougars, and Vikings was a great battle in Georgia history that is not well-known to many people except the remaining descendants.

The Native Americans played a huge role in American Literature. The foundation of American Literature is due to the oral tradition of Native Americans. Various tribes told stories to their youth about their cultural beliefs. The Onondaga thought ¨ The Earth On turtle's back¨ dealt with the creation of the world. The Modaco’s ¨When Grizzlies Walked Upright¨ explained how the their people evolved. In the story “the Navajo legend” describes the creation of men and women. “The Iroquois Constitution” documents how government was created. This paper will explore how the Native Americans oral traditions teach life's lessons with stories of their customs, supernatural and nature.

It’s surprising how indigenous cultures have survived through generations and against unthinkable odds, colonisation, assimilation, and intervention. This is all in view of the power of the stories, told by indigenous individuals orally and now through writing. Each indigenous story has an encoded message of law, land, place, knowledge, experience and survival. It fundamentally is a basic script for indigenous cultural identity. Stories that are told by indigenous hold a great deal more importance than just words. Writing indigenous stories takes us to a culturally risky space where writers can write and own stories to which they have no claim, no connection and no responsibility (Janke, 2009).

The targeted audience is for individuals who select to talk to individuals or groups from different cultures such as Native American. Although all cultures originate from a different backgrounds, customs, beliefs, and traditions. However, understanding these crucial areas can help communicate greatly with other cultures. In addition to being Native American I actually comprehend the importance of cultural communication. I personally experienced visitors coming into my community and judging my culture and traditions. I recall a time when researchers from Cal State Berkeley and an anthropologist, he was also a book author writing a book on the Cahuilla Indians, came to our reservation to study us. In conclusion, I felt as if they were setting

In order to fully understand the first unit of American Studies I am going to orchestrate a class in which we explore the major themes and perform exercises to enhance the understanding of everyone in the class. This class will be titled, “Stories: Their Influence and Power.” This class will focus on how stories have the abilities to change people’s lives, and will especially focus on the context of stories in the lives of Native Americans. This class is extremely important because it will give students insight into not only Native stories, but into their own stories and how their lives have been impacted by them. This class will focus around excerpts from the book by Thomas King, The Truth About Stories, and circulate around two main

The story starts off with the author talking about the area he grew up in. The people did not interact and it left him wanting more from his life. He wanted something to happen that would force his community to come together. This lead him to walk to California. He begins by speaking about how Native American Society worked where if you earned your place. Everyone had a role and was treated as family. When Americans were taken in by them through capture or adoption, they didn’t want to leave. This was a shock to the Americans in society where the indians were seen as savages and brutes. Life seemed a lot easier on the American side, but their people were still willing to give it all up for a life with the natives. When the U.S. army went to

Throughout the Colonial Period, literature has focused on making connections to oral traditions and sharing stories. With the rapid modernization of society and decrease in the verbal sharing of stories, many people have turned to writing down these anecdotes to conserve their significance. For example, some Native Americans have begun to share their enduring