Native American Mythology
(SCROLL DOWN FOR PURITAN LITERATURE)
A myth is a sacred story from the past, usually spread from person to person, from generation to generation, orally. It may explain the origin of the universe and of life, or it may express its culture's moral values in human terms. Myths concern the powers said to control the human world, as well as the relationship between those powers and human beings. Although myths are religious in their origin and function, they may also be the earliest form of history, science, or philosophy. They were certainly one of the earliest sources of collective cultural awareness and entertainment.
Archetypes
In literature, an archetype is a character, action, or situation that seems to represent universal patterns of human nature. These patterns are recognizable because they repeat over and over again in literature and popular culture. An archetype, also known as a “universal symbol,” may be a character, a theme, a symbol, or even a setting.
In literature, an archetype is a character, action, or situation that seems to represent universal patterns of human nature. These patterns are recognizable because they repeat over and over again in literature and popular culture. An archetype, also known as a “universal symbol,” may be a character, a theme, a symbol, or even a setting.
Character Archetypes
The Hero
The Companion The Mentor The Interfering God or Goddess The Trickster The Sacred Mother/The Mother-Figure The Damsel-in-Distress |
Situational Archetypes
The Fall From Grace
The Task The Journey Good vs Evil |
Symbolic Archetypes
The Tree
Colors Directions Food |
The World on the Turtle's Back |
Coyote and the Buffalo |
This Iroquois creation myth describes how the earth is formed. Before the earth's creation, a vast ocean lay beneath the Sky-World of the gods. When a woman fell through the floor of the Sky-World, birds set her down upon a great sea turtle. A muskrat brought her soil from the ocean bottom, which the woman used to make the land. She gave birth to a daughter who, in turn, bore twin boys. The boys - one honest, the other devious - struggled against each other, each playing a part in creating and ruling the world.
Link to online text here |
" 'Coyote and the Buffalo' is one of many traditional stories featuring the Animal People, a race of supernatural beings believed by the Okanogan to have been the first inhabitants of the world. The Animal People had magical powers and could alter their shapes. When human beings appeared on the earth, the Animal People were changed into different animal species. Coyote, one of the most important Animal People, is thought to have made the world habitable for humans by killing monsters and bringing fire and salmon."
Link to online text here |
Study/Class Materials
1. Native American Myths and Archetypes handout
2. Native American Mythology Powerpoint (with assignment for "The World on the Turtle's Back")
1. Native American Myths and Archetypes handout
2. Native American Mythology Powerpoint (with assignment for "The World on the Turtle's Back")
PURITAN Literature
Who Were The Puritans?
Puritanism was a religious reform movement in the late 16th and 17th centuries that sought to “purify” the Church of England of remnants of the Roman Catholic “popery” that the Puritans claimed had been retained after the religious settlement reached early in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Puritans became noted in the 17th century for a spirit of moral and religious earnestness that informed their whole way of life, and they sought through church reform to make their lifestyle the pattern for the whole nation. Their efforts to transform the nation contributed both to civil war in England and to the founding of colonies in America as working models of the Puritan way of life. ~Britannica |
Class Materials
Puritan Powerpoint
John Smith's "A Description of New England" excerpt William Bradford's "Of Plymouth Plantation" Study packet for Smith and Bradford "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" Study packet for "Sinners..." Anne Bradstreet: "To My Dear and Loving Husband" Anne Bradstreet: "Upon the Burning of Our House" Bradstreet study packet |
Study Materials