Characteristics & Themes
This word means "origin."
What is genesis?
The archetype present in this origin story.
What is "the Tree of Life?"
The archetype present in this story.
Who is coyote?
The name of the Native American tribe this origin story comes from.
Who are the Blackfeet?
The grave of who Momaday is going to visit.
Who is his grandmother Aho?
Among one of the things that Native American cultures revere and hold with utmost respect.
What is Nature?
In this legend, the earth was form on the back of what animal?
turtle
Coyote is not a god but rather he is a ______________.
messenger
Which animal makes an appearance in the Blackfeet Genesis, and is therefore valuable to the people?
buffalo
Which literary device does this quote use?
houses are like sentinels
Simile
What is oral tradition?
the passing down of stories by way of mouth; story-telling aloud.
why does the Woman want to chop down the Sky Tree?
to get the medicine that her sick husband needs (which he saw in a dream)
What does the archetype of this story represent?
all of the mistakes, or tricks, that he pulled give reasoning for how our natural world is and exists to be
Who dies at the conclusion of the story?
The Woman's child.
Briefly recap the Legend of Devil's Tower
7 little girls were playing when their brother turned into a bear and began to chase them. They ran to a tree stump and implored its help. The tree stump grew high up into the air. The girls were saved from the bear, as he clawed the stump of the tree around. They reached so high into the sky that the little girls became one with the night sky (the constellation)
What is an archetype?
what quality of the animals in this story places them on an equal playing field with humans?
the animals can talk, just like humans do
The term "Earth Mother," not only refers to our planet but what other archetypal character?
Mother Nature
Briefly describe the order of how Old Man created the world?
what is the last memory that Momaday has of his grandmother?
her praying (in a depressed and somber way)
Name the 4 characteristics found in Native American literature?
1. creation stories
2. morality stories
3. nature over humanity / equality among animals, plants, and people
4.oratory/oral tradition
why was a tree used to create the World?
The tree brings life to all things and is symbolic of life; we need it to survive
At the end of Coyote Finishes His Work, there is the inclusion of what type of final message?
Premonition of the end of times; apocalyptic omen
The act of speaking animals and people into existence is an example of what literary form?
What 3 things does one need to perform the Sun Dance?
-buffalo skull
-sundance doll
-medicine tree