Native Americans and their descendants were the inhabitants of North and South America long before the arrival of Christopher Columbus to the continent. The term ‘native’ is a bit modern. Previously, they were called ‘first people’, ‘Indians’, and ‘Redskin’ among other names. The people could have migrated to this area from Eurasia in approximately 13,000 years ago. Over the years, they had branched into various nations and tribes. They have stories, myths, and legends, in which at one point, one can find similar stories and tales. Therefore, one can deduce that they might have a commonplace of origin. They pride themselves on having the tradition that has enabled the passage of the culture and history of the community from one generation to another. The oral tradition was put forth in the form of folktales, myths, legends and so on. The audience involved consisted of the people younger than the narrator since it included the passage of prior knowledge, in which only the elderly could articulate it in the best way possible. The Native American oral tradition employed the use of a simple and easily memorable plot and the religious aspect, in which they acknowledged a supreme being as well as ensured its continuity through a captivating but also easily memorable narration to the audience. This discussion examines the various aspects of the Native American oral tradition.
Role of Oral Tradition
Oral tradition is vital to all societies despite the dependence on the written records as witnessed in some cultures. It helps to put facts into perspective in a way that educates the young minds on the lesson experienced in the past, makes them understand how things are in the present and giving them a sense of awareness on how they are expected to behave and act in the future. The culture of Native Americans is diverse and its representatives may experience some contradictions due to the environmental conditions, such as climate and social interaction, while they may also manifest stories that relate to a commonplace to indicate that they have a common origin.
The audience of Oral Traditions
The primary objective of the oral tradition among Native Americans was to pass knowledge, morals, culture, and social responsibilities to the next generations. It was common to find the children being the audience while the elderly took the role of being the disseminators of the information since only the elders had the required experience and knowledge. It was also common to find the elderly using the same platform to learn about an event that they had not grasped while young. Others came to harness the narration skills so that they could perfect the art of storytelling; therefore, they appeared as the best orators in the community. In most cases, the description happened in the evening when they gathered around the fire during the cooking time. Boys were mostly engaged by the male members of the family, including the fathers and the grandfathers, while the girls received the information from the females who included the mothers and the grandmothers. The preferred form of oral tradition intended to convey the knowledge was cautiously selected to ensure that it was age-appropriate. The younger children could receive information from folktales since they were amusing and straightforward to comprehend, while the older boys, for example, could be taught through legends and myths, as they were considered old enough to relate the story to their situation or environment.
Forms of Oral Tradition
The various forms of oral tradition included myths, legends, folktales, tricksters, memorate, and so on. A memorate is an individual encounter with the supernatural, which is the spirit in nature, for example, a ghost story. This instance was the point where the person would find his/her creativity out of the eyes of the world and thus form a scene that was unrealistic in real life. Legends were commonly associated with some locations and they refer to heroes, ghosts, witches, and other phenomena related to that particular place. They were considered the greatest in the community and these stories could survive for years and years. Most of these legends were responsible for the discovery of a particular thing, for example, teaching people how to hunt, or others helped to protect the community from external invasion through witchcraft. It is important to note that they could involve past or present occurrences but all the same, they acted to connect the people and the land. Myths, on the other hand, gave the possible time of the existence of a particular event, for example, the creation. Other legends went ahead to explore the world and social organizations, for example, why men and women are different and why there are such differences. Folktales were the stories about things that never happened but that was crucial since they offered moral or social lessons to the audience. Folktales were also amusing and they could serve the purpose of creating amusement to the listeners. A heroin native America was the person whose deeds, adventures, and life brought positive things and inspired people. On the other hand, a trickster was an individual who showed people how foolish they were.
Elements of Oral Tradition
Different cultures have various elements associated with their oral tradition. In this case, the culture of Native Americans has its distinct aspects that preserve its originality and quality. The notable characteristics of the Native American oral history included the dependence on memorizing it since there was neither reading nor writing, and therefore, its continuity depended on the memorization of the story. For easy remembrance, a story ought to have a simple plot, less involvement of the characters, and it had to use a simple vocabulary that could be easily recalled by anyone regardless of the age. Religious aspects were also components of oral tradition, especially in matters about the spirits and massive phenomena, for example, in the creation story. This unique connection to religion served to show that supernatural beings were a part of their lives. It meant that even though people could do many things, there was a far much superior being that controlled the unexplained occurrences. Names identified the characters in all narrations. However, the names given to them depicted their role in the narrative. The dissemination of the story was crucial as one was expected to narrate the story in such a way that it would be easy to remember and be described by another person so that the history of society could be preserved.
In conclusion, Native American oral tradition dated back to the pre-Columbus times and it was highly diversified among many cultures. Oral history acted as the primary mode of information dissemination over the generations in a way that the youths were enlightened on the history of their society and they were expected to carry on this information to other generations of their time. Various forms of oral tradition had been used, including folktales, legends, and myths that served to educate or entertain people. Its characteristics, such as simplicity and religious inclination, have been noted to be more crucial in enhancing the continuity of the cultural values and way of life of Native Americans for generation and generations to come.
