Character Archetypes
This archetype often blurs the line between ally and enemy, appears as a shape-shifter, and is used to reveal human flaws in a story. Name the archetype.
Tickster
A short definition: what is a "motif"?
Motif: recurring topic/element in a genre of literature
According to the Iroquois Constitution excerpt, who is the individual credited for writing the Iroquois Constituion
Dekanawida
Define a Legend
Legend: an infamous/widely known story without proof.
Name two beliefs about the natural world shared across Native American myths.
The Earth and all living things are sacred; Circle of Life—animals, plants, and nature are part of a cycle.
Identify the archetype described: a main character who may lack typical heroic traits, sometimes flawed, yet is the central figure who grows through the story.
Antihero
Define "allegory"
a story with a symbolic meaning about the world
The Iroquois Confederacy was a union of how many nations/tribes?
Five
A beaded belt made by Native Americans is a...
"wampum"
What determined the types of stories that were shared in Native American Culture
The seasons and changes of the seasons
Name the archetype and give one example where a maternal figure guides or represents the lineage or home
Mother Archetype; Mrs. Honey, Fairy Godmother (varied)
What literary device is related to the belief that nonhuman entities possess spiritual values
Anisism
What democratic principle described in the Iroquois Constitution was different compared to European political thinkers of the time?
Women had extensive political power (right to nominate and impeach chiefs); equal voice and checks and balances.
Define "metamorphosis" as used in the slides
Metamorphosis: transformation (spiritual or physical).
What is an "origin myth"?
Explains how natural phenomena began or was created
Describe the "mentor" archetype.
Mentor: a character who guides the hero with wisdom and training
An archetype in literature is best defined as...
universal model of character/situation/ Character or situation that is common and creates a strong associations in the reader
The excerpt describes burying weapons under a tree. Explain the symbolic purpose of that action
Burying weapons symbolizes ending war and establishing peace permanently; it physically and symbolically removes instruments of conflict.
Explain "indigenous" from the slides
Indigenous: living in the area where you were born/raised; often used for Native Americans.
The hero's Initiation in a myth is best described as
The central part of the journey, where the hero enters the unknown world and undergoes a series of trials and challenges that lead to a change
Explain how the "trickster" archetype functions in Native American myths (use examples or ideas from the documents to support your explanation).
Tricksters test norms, create disruption, teach lessons through mischief; in Native myths they can be shape-shifters who reveal human flaws.
Using the Iroquois Constitution excerpt, identify and analyze one symbolic image
Tree of Peace / five arrows: symbolize unity, checks/balances, shared protection — functions as a central organizing metaphor for the Confederacy.
They share core democratic principles like representative government, separation of powers, rights of the people, and establishing unified governance with distinct legislative roles, and rules for leadership.
Referring to things inherited from earlier generations, this adjective is often used to describe traits, traditions, or origins passed down through a family line.
ancestral
to connecting cultural teachings to physical settings and showcase the characters' relation to natural origins