Native American Literature: Wohpe and the Gift of the Pipe and How America Was Discovered - Coursework Example

Native American Literature Introduction Native American storytelling is one of the many traditions that make up their great history.  Mythology and the retelling of legends bring the members of tribes together and help shape who they are and what makes up their heritage. The myths “How America Was Discovered” and “The Women Who Fell From the Sky” are both great examples of Seneca Indian culture because they tie members of the tribe together through their re-telling. The Senecas tradition of oratory performance, passing down stories from generation to generation through verbal re-telling, litters their legends with language, perspective, and morality that is specific to their culture. While these two stories were initially told in an attempt to explain where humanity began and how the earth was formed, they are now treasured for their historical significance. It is stories like these that bring strength and character to the Seneca culture. The Seneca tradition of storytelling and oratory performance makes the use of vivid imagery an essential tool in the spiritual connection that the audience feels through the retelling. Woman who Fell from the Sky This spiritual connection gives the myths a deeper meaning, further than the obvious. This spiritual feeling is one of closeness and connectedness to culture and tradition. When the audience can almost see the images of the story being told, the imagery being used fully connects them to the spiritual aspects of the re-telling. In “The Woman who Fell From the Sky”, the Seneca traditions of honoring nature and recognizing the power that it holds is clearly expressed. Seneca refer to “Etinoah, Mother Earth, as a being who is nurturant, inspiring of beauty, and the wellhead of human prosperity and happiness” (Bahr 587).  Seneca believe humans are part of nature, as can be seen in the fall of the young woman to earth and her apparent oneness with nature. She is described as building “herself a shelter, in which she lived quite contently” (Parker). The Seneca tradition also believes that humans are also custodians of the living world about them. Traditional Seneca elders often teach that since plants support them, they must in turn acquire responsibilities toward plant life, such as living in balance with the natural world as a way of giving thanks.  This belief can be seen in the son’s attempts to better their earth and to “increase the size of their island, afterward separating to create forests and lakes and other things” (Parker). How America Was Discovered These beliefs are further enforced in the Seneca “How America was Discovered” myth. In this story, the awful fate that awaits those who do not respect the earth and its resources is shown. When the young minister adheres to those he believes to be the son of the creator, he unknowingly destroys the peaceful lives of the American Indians. The minister is encouraged to “Take these cards, this money, this fiddle, this whiskey and this blood corruption and give them all to the people across the water” (Parker). His blind faith allows him to believe that by doing these things he will be as wealthy as the son of the Creator. He unknowingly destroys the beautiful country of America as these items cause the indigenous people of this new country to destroy themselves, and in turn their peaceful existence. The cards will make them “gamble away their goods and idle away their time, the money will make them dishonest and covetous, the fiddle will make them dance with women and their lower natures will command them, the whiskey will excite their minds to evil doing and turn their minds, and the blood corruption will eat their strength and rot their bones” (Parker). By destroying the native Americans beautiful world, it is revealed that the man the young minster believed to be the son of the Creator, is in fact the devil himself. This revelation portrays the disdain that the Seneca Indians felt towards anyone who destroys the earth. Iroquois Indians, and their closeness to the earth, make vivid imagery an essential part of any oratory performance. Seeing the beauty of the earth described through stories allows them to feel closer in their oneness. “Iroquois see a benevolent natural world that provides human beings with everything necessary for a healthy and spiritually satisfying life. Generally speaking, the Seneca see the natural world, especially plants and animals, as allies” (Thompson 12). This statement expresses strong ties between nature and human happiness can also be seen through the vivid imagery in the two myths. In “The Woman Who Fell From the Sky” both animals and nature are depicted as having human like qualities and they work alongside the fallen woman to create a place for her on earth. It begins with the waterfowl that catches her as she is falling; then the sea turtle that carries her on his back; finally, it considers the toad builds the land for her to live on. The animals work hand in hand in order to help the woman, as a symbol to the listening audience that the creatures of the earth are there to help them in life. The imagery used to describe the turtles back creates a sense of security in the listener as they hear how the earth was formed. The animals “decided to prepare the earth, on which she would live in the future. To do this it was determined that soil from the bottom of the primal sea should be brought up and placed on the broad, firm carapace of the turtle, where it would increase in size to such an extent that it would accommodate all the creatures that should be produced thereafter” (Parker). There are many Seneca uses of plants and amimals. Plants and animals provide the materials for tools, for games, for clothing, for works of art, and for ceremonial objects. Plants provide food and the fuel to cook it. Attention is paid to the spiritual bonds between nature and humans. It is as if the storytellers hoped that their listeners would understand that the connection between themselves and animals is essential to survival and that animals should always be respected. Comparison When comparing and contrasting the use of imagery in “How America was Discovered” and the “Woman who Fell from the Sky” one has a window into the underlining Native American philosophy. Imagery is used in “How America was Discovered” as a warning in order, teaching listeners to never interfere with the natural harmony of life. By corrupting America with the items that the devil asked him to bring, the young minister succeeds in destroying the Native Americans peaceful existence. The images in the story are replete with references to European culture, “As he continued to look he saw a castle built of gold in the midst of the island and he marveled that he had not seen the castle before.” Here the narrator is referring to the European imagery of castles and gold. By situating the European Creator in such a setting, the Native American storyteller is using imagery to indicate that the very home of the creator is tainted with gold, and intrusions into nature, as evidenced in the castle. The strong imagery of the “castle built of gold in the midst of the island” (Parker) sounds familiar to the Christian ideas of heaven. The story also refers to the image of the minister finding the “wonderful” (Parker) book at the bottom of the old chest and how it told the story of “the white man who had killed the son of the creator” (Parker) which also hints at the European world. Before the European colonies, Native Americans “were only partially familiar with the conventions of historical narrative and with the stark distinctions colonists drew between biblical truths and demonic confabulations. Yet they sought common ground on which to negotiate political differences by borrowing freely from the historical and biblical imagery of their European antagonists and blending them with their own beliefs” (White 19). One can contrast the Euro-centric imagery in “How America was Discovered” with the naturalistic imagery in the “Woman who Fell from the Sky”. The use of imagery in the “Woman who Fell from the Sky” makes consistent reference to nature and animals. For instance, consider the image of corn in the description of the tree next to the chief’s home, “Near the lodge of this chief stood a great tree, which every year bore corn used for food” (Parker). Indeed, it’s later said of the tree, “it is not all right to destroy this tree. Its fruit is all that we have to live on.” One can also consider the god imagery in both stories. In “How America was Discovered” there are European references to the ‘Lord’, with the capitalization reminiscent of Christian formulations. In the “Woman who Fell to Earth” the creators are designated partly in the form of animals. For instance consider the metaphysical image of the turtle, “This was carefully spread over the carapace of the Turtle, and at once both began to grow in size and depth” (Parker). When comparing the imagery in the two stories it would be easy to attribute an environmentalist morality to the “Woman who Fell to Earth”; however, at the conclusion of the story, the narrator refers to the image of human intervention in nature, “lastly he caused the water of the rivers to flow in only one direction, because the original plan would bake it too easy for the human beings who were about to come to navigate the streams” (Parker). This complicates the argument that the imagery in the two stories can be understand under the simple nature vs. development construct. Conclusion Overall, the myths are similar in the way that that use vivid imagery to capture the attention of their audience and give spiritual meaning to the story. They are different in their intention and perspective, with “How America was Discovered” focusing more on European imagery than “The Woman Who Fell from the Sky” which focuses on the environmental beliefs of the untouched Seneca. The Seneca culture is rich in its heritage and spiritual beliefs and both of these myths capture the passion and honor of their people. While the myths may be different, they perfectly capture the changes in Seneca culture from before and after the discovery of America. The way in which they saw and understood the world changed, as settlers brought with them new ideas. While the awe of nature is strong in both stories, it is easy to see that nature plays a much more powerful role in “The Woman Who Fell From the Sky”. It is awe inspiring to imagine all the years that this myth has been passed down through generations through only memory and storytelling. Keeping their history alive is important to the Iroquois, as can be proved through the continued existence of their mythology. References Bahr, Donald. “Bad News: The Predicament of Native American Mythology.” Ethonohistory. Fall2001, Vol. 48 Issue 4, p587. Parker, Arthur C. Seneca Myths and Folktales. University of Nebraska Press. Jan. 1989. Thompson, Justine. “Native Beginnings.” Scholastic Scope. 1/10/2003, Vol. 52 Issue 7, p12. White, Marian E. “Ethnic Identification and Iroquois Groups in Western New York and Ontario”. Ethnohistory. Winter71, Vol. 18 Issue 1, p19, 20. Read More