Week 10 Essay: Native American Humanization

I am a big fan of stories that explain real word phenomena in a fun and spiritual way. Native Americans are big on the belief of gods, spirits, and many other supernatural beings. The stories that they conjure up are both clever and really interesting.

This week I read the Tejas Legends unit, it consisted mostly of stories explaining why plants looked the way they did, why certain animals acted the way they did, or why there isn't a cold wind in the south. These stories have a supernatural presence in them, as well as humanizing items from nature around them. The relationship that Tejas tribe has with nature is definitely shown throughout the stories that are included in the unit. That relationship isn't shown in just this unit though. The unit I read last week, The Great Plains unit, they humanized many different animals such as the eagle or the elk in order to accomplish they goal of the story.

In The Cloud That Was Lost, the story humanizes a cloud that ends up losing its siblings and getting lost. After the cloud gets "lost," it travels a great distance searching. When the the day is almost done, the cloud begins to get tired and ends up sleeping in a flat land because it was so tired. Without actually saying it, I understood that part to be describing the reason that you see fog during dusk and the beginning of the day.

There are occasional times in which I take some time to appreciate nature around me. After reading these units I have begun to realize that nature does have a personality of its own. It really isn't so far fetched that the reason for fog in the mornings is that there is a certain cloud that isn't a morning cloud (just like myself) and it takes it a little bit longer in order for it to get back up into the sky.

(Fog: Wikipedia)

I have really enjoyed these last two units that I have read. They have given me a different outlook on nature and how everything really does come to be.

Storytelling Week 10: Where the Woodpeckers Come From

Long ago, there was a Native tribe that lived off of the land. They were a peaceful people who disliked the violence that came with war. They tried to stay as far away from the other tribes that were quick to pick up their axes and bows when any dispute came about.

This tribe was so peaceful that there wasn't much to do during the day besides the normal chores (i.e. hunting, gathering, playing). The children who did their daily duties often found themselves riddled with boredom. They tried dancing, playing hide and seek, and everything else they could think of in order to keep themselves busy. One day, a small boy overheard his parents talk about a certain plant that would make them see visions of the gods. The adults had said that it was called a mescal plant and was located just outside the village. The small boy quickly ran off to tell his friends what he had learned. Unfortunately the small boy did not hear the warning that came from the medicine about the trouble that eating this plant would cause.

(Mescal Plant: Agave Americana)

The boy ran to his friends as quickly as he could. As soon as he reached them he explained that he had a great idea for something to do that night. When everyone was fast asleep they would sneak without anyone hearing and find one of the mescal plants that they had just learned about.

As soon as they were out of the village, the group of five panned out in search for this plant with strange powers. Soon one of them shouted "I found it!" The five of them gathered around the plant in wonder. After staring at the plant for five minutes, one of them finally plucked one of the knobs of a leaf and put it in his mouth. All of them turned to him, eyes wide open wondering if he felt anything different. eventually the rest of them ate one as well. After some time had passed the group of kids began to see swirls of colors around them as well as the gods off in the distance. One of them tried to stand up and walk towards the gods and ended up falling down. The five of them fell asleep to the myriad of colors that they were enthralled with.

The next morning the group of five went to their respective homes and told their families about what happened the night before. Soon word had spread throughout the village of the wonders of the mescal plant. Curious from the tales that people heard all of the villagers began eating the knobs from the plant. Eventually all the villagers were incapacitated due to the effects they experienced.

While all of the villagers were occupied the younger children began to get hungry. Since there parents were nowhere to be found, they roamed around the village looking for food. Eventually, the villagers came to and realized that all of the young children were nowhere to be found. As they started looking outside the village, the Manitou, one of the gods of the sky, came to them. He told them that he had hidden their children away in a tree to save them from the heat and the wolves.

The Manitou swiftly waved his hand over the village and said "I am turning you into birds so you can find your children in hollow trees. When you have found your children I will turn you back into people." Immediately afterward they flock of villagers flew away in search of their children.

The villagers have yet to find their children. That is why, to this day, you can still find woodpeckers pecking away at hollow trees.

Author's Note: I really liked they way that Why the Woodpecker Pecks describes the reason that woodpeckers consistently peck trees. I didn't change much from the original story. I added a bit to the beginning with the inclusion of the five boys experience. I really like how the Native American cultures explain things through stories.

Bibliography:

Story Name: Why the Woodpecker Pecks

Story Book: When the Storm God Rides: Tejas and Other Indian Legends

Story Author: Florence Stratton

Year: 1936

Week 10 Reading Diary: Tejas Legends Units

This week I read the Tejas Legends Units.

I enjoyed the Old Woolly Bird's Sacrifice story. i liked how the tribe would not let the old man disappear because he was to proud to be a burden on his fellow villagers. It is a good look into how the Native American culture reveres its elder.

I thought the story, The Tribe That Left Its Shoes was a clever one. It gives an interesting insight as to why the certain orchids that the story refers to have colors like the moccasins the tribe dropped. The different ways that cultures come up with reasons that things are a certain way.

The Cloud That Was Lost was a cute little story. I felt sorry for the cloud that ended up losing all of his brothers and sisters. The clouds being why you see fog early in the day and around dusk made me chuckle. I really do like the creativity that these tribes have.