Plot Pyramid
The "point" of the story; the big action scene
Climax
The attribution of human characteristics to something that is not human
Personification
In "The World on Turtle's Back," how do the animals help the woman who fell from the sky?
The birds break her fall, the turtle carries her, and the other animals dive in an attempt to find soil
How does Coyote convince Buffalo Bull to spare his life?
Coyote offers to make Buffalo Bull new horns to defeat his enemy.
What do origin stories explain?
How the earth came to be
How people came to be
How a people's way of life came about
The ending of the story; the "happily ever after"
Resolution/Denouement
An object in a story that represents something greater than itself
What roles do the grandmother and her daughter play in the earth's creation? Hint: they do two different things
The grandmother grows the earth and plants the roots, which create vegetation. The daughter gives birth to twins, who create the rest of the world. Crops grow from her grave.
According to the story "Coyote and the Buffalo," why don't buffalo live in the Swah-netk'-qhu country?
Because Coyote disobeyed Buffalo Bull and killed the cow he was given
Why do we only have fragments of Native American Literature left?
Native Americans were pushed off of their land, killed by Europeans, gathered on to reservations, and forced to attend boarding schools designed to destroy Native American culture. It is hard for literature to survive under those circumstances.
Events that build in intensity as the story progresses
Rising Action
A very typical example of a certain person or thing; a recurrent symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology
Archetype
Why do the Iroquois honor both twins in "The World on Turtle's Back?"
The twins represent both sides of human nature-- there is good and bad in all of us.
According to "Coyote Finishes His Work," why do Indians speak different languages?
Coyote spread them out and taught them different languages.
This animal typically shows up in Native American stories as a trickster
Coyote
The even that sets the story in motion
Inciting Incident
Information passed down through generations by word of mouth; not written down
What do the right- and left-handed twin create in the world? Hint: This is a one word answer.
Balance
What archetype is Cheif of the Earth, or Great Spirit?
What is one characteristic of Native American Oral Tradition?
Provide explanations about the world and its origins
Teaches moral lessons and conveys practical information
Reflects the belief that the natural world includes both human beings and animals
Respects speech as a powerful literary form
Events that tie up loose ends, wind down the story, etc.
Falling Action
Exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge, and uses it to play tricks or otherwise disobey normal rules
Trickster Character
How does "The World on Turtle's Back" explain why the moon is mainly only visible at night?
The moon is the grandmother, after the right handed twin killed her. She is visible mainly at night, because she "keeps watch over the realm of her favorite grandson."
List 2 traits that Coyote has in both stories. Be prepared to explain if asked.
Answers will vary.
According to the article "Native American Oral Traditions," what is one reason that Native American Literature was not initially recognized by Western scholars?
It was an oral tradition, so much of it was not written down.
It needed to be translated from hundreds of different languages
Westerners did not initially think that Native Americans had literature, because they did not think highly of Native Americans.