(1) Many questions came up in conversation last Thursday–questions about American Indian religion, about the degree to which biblical stories or African mythology fed into American Indian myths, about the problem of mediation and translation (we are reading oral literatures that have perhaps changes radically overtime). If you’ve found yourself asking these kinds of questions, do some research for your post and bring some outside knowledge into your post. Make sure you link when relevant.
(2) Anthologies that cover early American literature often begin with a few creation stories or trickster tales. What three myths or legends from our assigned book would choose and why? Make sure you base your decision not on whether you found the story entertaining or not (though that might be a reason), but on what you know about the American Indian world view and some of the key features of Native American mythology (emphasis on ritual, the figure 4, twins, tricksters, etc.) and what you think would be most important to convey to an audience whose time with American Indian myth and legend will be even briefer than ours. As you defend your choices, you will likely have to offer very brief overviews of each story. Think of it as though you’re composing a head note that would accompany your selections in an anthology.
(3) Our collection of Native American myths and legends covers many distinct native cultures. Though some of the myths we read might encode what seem to be universal messages, some speak to highly particular tribal histories, beliefs, and practices. Do some research online or in the library and fill in some of the tribal context behind a particular myth or legend. You might find that a certain tribe is heavily invested in agriculture, and therefore that a myth about fertility might hold a particular significance. In addition to what you might find online, the library has a Handbook of Native American Mythology as well as an expansive Handbook of North American Indians (15 volumes).
