Origin Myths and the Oral Tradition
Overview
The assigned readings for this third study session are derived from the culture and experience of early Native Americans. Here, you will encounter origin myths in which Native Americans tried to make sense of and explain the world around them.
Often resembling what you may already know as legends, origin myths are essentially stories that try to explain the origin of life. In this telling, origin myths often describe tribal customs and religious rites, elements of nature, and phenomena and events beyond rational human understanding and control.
Since early Native Americans typically had no developed written language, origin myths were relayed from generation to generation by word of mouth through stories, songs, and poems—referred to as the oral tradition. Sung, recited, or chanted, origin myths in the oral tradition preserved and passed along to new generations the history, beliefs, fears, and cultural values of both recent and ancient ancestors.
In your reading of origin myths and the oral tradition, pay particular attention to Native American cultural details that vividly bring legend to life: animals, objects, natural phenomena, and tribal practices and traditions.
