Native American Literature

1. Native American Literature "Every part of this country is sacred to my people...The very dust responds more lovingly to our footsteps than to yours, because it is the ashes of our ancestors…” (Chief Seattle, Nez Perce 1855)

2. The Iroquois Confederation

3. Iroquois Background • They were known during the colonial years to the French as the "Iroquois League" and later as the "Iroquois Confederacy", and to the English as the "Five Nations" (before 1722) and later as the "Six Nations", comprising the Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora nations.

4. Iroquois… • Northeastern United States • Very powerful tribe – five tribes united by Dekaniwidah, an Iroquois prophet. The Iroquois Constitution was written by him, and was the basis for our own U.S. Constitution.

5. The Five Nations of Iroquois • Mohawk • Oneida • Onandaga • Cayuga • Seneca • Later, became Six Nations… • Tuscarora

6. The Iroquois Confederation • Crucial in the struggle between England and France. • They were expert politicians and diplomats. • They played both England and France, and finally sided with England in the French and Indian War.

7. English Allies • In 1710, four chiefs traveled to London to meet with Queen Anne in an effort to seal an alliance with the British. She commissioned their portraits by court painter John Verelst. The portraits are believed to be the earliest surviving oil portraits of Aboriginal peoples taken from life.

8. 1914 • The Iroquois in Buffalo, NY 1914

9. Today… • In 2010, more than 45,000 enrolled Six Nations people lived in Canada, and about 80,000 in the United States. Traditional Iroquois Longhouse

10. The Oral Tradition The process of passing down sayings, songs, tales, and myths from one generation to the next by word of mouth.

11. No written language…. • Most tribes had no written language, though occasionally myths and occurrences were recorded in the form of pictographs.

12. Pictograph on rock facing…

13. Remembering history… • All tribal history and literature was memorized and some tribes had a designated “keeper” of memories.

14. The World on the Turtle’s Back • Creation Myth – explains how the universe, earth, and life began. • Myth - traditional story passed on through generations that explains why the world is the way it is.

15. Functions of Myths – Joseph Campbell • To instill a sense of awe toward the mystery of the universe • To explain the workings of the natural world • To support and validate social customs • To guide people through the trials of living

16. Creation Myths • Creation myths often share a number of features. • They often are considered sacred accounts and can be found in nearly all known religious traditions. • They are all stories with a plot and characters who are either deities, human-like figures, or animals, who often speak and transform easily. • They are often set in a dim and nonspecific past.

17. Theme • This selection shows the Native American ideal of man living in harmony with nature.