Week 9: Reading Diary- Native American Hero Tales

Native American Hero Tales...

The Jealous Uncle:

So this story is from the Kodiak people. I wonder what lesson is to be learned here. It definitely doesn't seem like a story about how to become a man, because the boy was raised as a girl. Maybe they think that girls are the craftier and more ingenious gender?

The Jealous Uncle (Cont.):

What is it about this boy that makes him so confident that Unnatural Uncle will not be able to kill him? Regardless, he is very good at escaping those dangerous situations he's left to die in. He also continues going back to his Uncle's, even though he knows that he might be killed. So he's pretty brave.

The Jealous Uncle (End):

The young boy heroically avenges his brothers by drowning his evil Uncle. However, he did this by magically turning into an eagle. So, it seems the Kodiak, as you would expect, have a reverence for the natural world. The boy heroically rescues his town and his parents from his evil Uncle.

Bluejay and his Companions:

Bluejay kind of set up himself and his friends for failure. He selfishly never gave Grouse any of the good seal meat, so Grouse played a trick on them. However, maybe Bluejay will learn his lesson by the time that they get back to the hills of Quinault.

Bluejay and his Companions (Cont.):

The group goes through some intense trials on there way to return home. They use their smarts and craftiness to win the contests set before them. It seems that the Quinault people valued ingenuity very highly. Also, they learn their lesson and begin giving Grouse the best pieces of meat.

Dug-From-Ground:

It seems like a lot of civilizations have a virgin birth story. In this one, the boy is born after a girl digs up a root. He becomes super strong, but she doesn't claim him until he accomplishes some crazy tasks. He almost seems like some sort of demi-god.

Dug-From-Ground (Cont.):

This demi-god or whatever he is ends up proving himself to his brothers by playing games and completing other tasks. We never learn who his father was though. I wonder what lessons are supposed to be learned from this story. Or maybe it is just for entertainment?

The Attack on Giant Elk:

This is an Apache story about massive animals that terrorized humans before the gods intervened. The gods sent a man to kill the Giant Elk and the Giant Eagle. He grows into a man in only four days. Then he uses other animals' help to slay the Elk. This would be a good story for Storytelling.

The Attack on Giant Elk (Cont.):

This is kind of an origin story. We learn why bats don't have feathers and why other birds have feathers that look like an eagle's. It is clear from all these stories that all tribes of Native Americans have an incredible respect and reverence for nature and all its animals. I expect this theme of mankind's place in nature to continue.

Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away:

Native Americans really seem to enjoy stories involving children and miraculous circumstances. The kids are always the ones that seem to the heroic things, not the adults. What does this say about Crow culture? Are children especially revered? And is there a reason?

Lodge-Boy and Thrown-Away (Cont.):

This father is a horrible parent. He keeps scolding his kids, but they just keep doing whatever he tells them not to do. I guess everything works out though, because they end up getting asked by the Thunder-Bird to kill some evil otter. Then they get to live in peace.

The Son-In-Law Tests:

There is also a theme of sons having to obey their fathers and uncles, even if it means putting themselves in mortal peril. This is one of those stories. This is also another example of an origin story. Wemicus is eventually turned into a pike after his son-in-law outsmarts him in all of his tests.

The Jealous Father:

Again, we have a story about a father attempting to kill one of his sons. I wonder why these stories had so much appeal with the Native America tribes? In this one though, the mother is trying to directly intervene and save her sons life.

The Jealous Father (Cont.):

Ingenuity looks like one of the most desirable or heroic traits that a man could possess. Almost all of these stories are about out-smarting someone, not overcoming them with brute force. I guess this makes sense, because a lot of what the Native Americans hunted would be physically superior to them.

Dirt-Boy:

I wonder if contests like this were commonplace among the Native Americans. It would make sense that the chief would marry off his daughters to the strongest and most skilled men. However, it definitely sucks for the daughters, because they have no choice in the matter.

Dirty Boy (Cont.):

It was kind of like a beauty and the beast story. Sun and Star regain their true forms when the youngest daughter had proven herself worthy. There are definitely some lessons to be learned from this story. Telling this story from the perspective of the youngest daughter might make a good story.