Coyote and Buffalo
In "Coyote and the Buffalo," why does Coyote initially treat the skull of Buffalo Bull with such disrespect?
He is seeking revenge for the many times Buffalo Bull scared him in the past.
What is a Trickster Tale?
deceptive, clever, or foolish animal-human hybrids. They teach important ethical boundaries and communal taboos by humorously modeling bad behavior.
According to this myth, what existed before the world?
The Sky World
Where was the Okanogan tribe located geographically?
Washington state and British Columbia, Canada
What culture gave us this story?
Modoc
What are the consequences of Coyote’s disregarding Buffalo Bull’s warning?
No buffalo live in his area and he no longer has buffalo to eat.
Give a story example of a Creation Myth
The World on The Turtle's Back and When the Grizzlies Walked Upright
How was the left-handed twin born?
Through his mother's armpit
What culture gave us "The World On the Turtle's Back?"
Iroquois
In the story, “When the Grizzlies Walked Upright,” what were the first birds made from?
Leaves that had fallen from the trees that the Main Sky Leader blew on.
According to the Okanogan myth, what is the primary reason there are no buffalo in the Swah-netk-qhu country today?
The coyote was greedy and exiled by the buffalo OR the coyote was not allowed to hunt anymore buffalo because of his greed and deception.
What are the limitations of Oral Tradition?
Words get lost in translation, things change, etc.
What happened to the Grandmother at the end of this story?
The right handed twin cut off her head and made it the moon.
What is the traditional role of women in the Okanogun Culture?
They were characterized as caretakers, house hold helpers, and sometimes deceptive.
According to the Modoc myth, who are the ancestors of all Indian tribes?
The Grizzly/God hybrids
How does the old woman in the story successfully trick Coyote
She flatters his vanity by calling him a great warrior and offering to do his "woman’s work."
Why do you think literature of an oral tradition might include repeated words or phrases?
They are important phrases to the culture, tradition, or beliefs.
They are repeated because of the lack of written consistency.
What happened after the twins' mother died?
What is significant about the Iroquois' view on women in society?
They value women as leaders. Women choose chiefs,
How did the Sky Chief find his daughter?
His grandson travelled up the mountain to tell him.
What did the Coyote make the buffalo's new horns with?
A flint knife and some pitch wood.
Why is Native American Literature important to American Literature?
Native storytelling laid the groundwork for central themes in American literature. Their focus on the sanctity of nature, stewardship, individual resilience, and communal harmony heavily influenced Transcendentalism, early Romanticism, and modern ecological writing.
Explain the balance between the left and right handed twin. Use examples
Prey and Predator
Night and day
Good and Bad
What mountain is important to the Modoc Tribe? What type of Mountain is it? Why is it important?
Mount Shasta, Volcano, It is the bridge between Earth and the Sky World.
According to this myth ("When Grizzlies Walked Upright"), does the Chief of the Sky Spirits discover or create the earth? Explain your answer.
Both
"
Before there were people on earth, the Chief of the Sky Spirits grew tired of his home in the Above World, because the air was always brittle with an icy cold. So he carved a hole in the sky with a stone and pushed all the snow and ice down below until he made a great mound that reached from the earth almost to the sky. Today it is known as Mount Shasta.
Then the Sky Spirit took his walking stick, stepped from a cloud to the peak, and walked down to the mountain. When he was about halfway to the valley below, he began to put his finger to the ground here and there, here and there. Wherever his finger touched, a tree grew. The snow melted in his footsteps, and the water ran down in rivers."