Primitivism-Native American- Age of Fath

8/20/2019 Primitivism-Native American- Age of Fath

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Primitivism, Oral Tradition, andNative American Myths

A belief in the value of what issimple and unsophisticated,expressed as a philosophy oflife or through art or literature

A belief in the superiority of asimple way of life close tonature

A belief in the superiority ofnonindustrial society to that of

the presentThe style of art of primitivepeoples or primitive artists


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Oral Tradition: Myths & Legends

Literary Devices

• Repetition• n!meration

• "ncrementaldevelopment

• Rit!al #eginningsand endings

• $se o% archaiclang!age

• peci%icstr!ct!re

• Terse style

Functions of Myth

Myths convey …

•Beliefs about nature of

physical world

•Beliefs about socialorder and appropriate

behavior

•Beliefs about humannature and the problem

of good and evil


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'haracteristics o% Myths

• Myths describe and relate to theprimal world

• Beings are animal spirits in more orless human form

• Mythic age flows into age oftransformation (legends

'haracteristics o% Legends

• !ulture hero or transformerorders the world

• !ulture hero or transformer

turns animal people intoanimals

• "ther beings becomelandmar#s

• $lows into historical time (real

heroes


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$unctions of %ative American

&iterature• Beliefs about nature of physical world

• Beliefs about social order and appropriatebehavior

• Beliefs about human nature and theproblem of good and evil

• Beings are animals spirits in more or less

human form


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'lements of Mythology

• Myths explain things They may be told for entertainment, butthey also teach cultural values They often explain such importantmatters as how human beings came into existence, or trivial

matters such as why rabbits have short tails• Myths contain supernatural elements They usually have gods orgoddesses or figures associated with divinities as charactersThese figures may be human, animals, or other living things, oreven inanimate beings

• Myths have dreamli#e )ualities Mythic stories typically ta#e place

in a timeless past, and they contain fantastic and symbolicelements often connected with dreams &i#e dreams, myths canbring out human beings* worst fears and dearest wishes

• Myths can be both serious and humorous Though some myths,such as dramatic stories of the +ree#s, are serious, otherscontain humorous elements as well


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Mythical & '!lt!ral (eroes

• ramati-e prototypical events and behaviors

• .how how to do what is right and how we become the

people we are

• "ften of divine birth

• .hape the world and gives it its character by theft of sun,

fire, or water

• Myths are not concerned with original owners, only with

culture hero/s ac)uisition of sacred ob0ects

)ey *ig!res


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Tric+ster (eroes• 1se cunning and tric#ery to achieve their

goals

• Are often motivated by physical desires(hunger, greed, sex

• "ften give 2gifts3 to man#ind

• !an fre)uently transform in their physical

shape

According to .' .chlosser of Tricksters: Native American

Trickster Tales and other Trickster Folklore4

2A Tric#ster is a mischievous or roguish figure in myth or fol#lorewho typically ma#es up for physical wea#ness with cunning and

subversive humor The Tric#ster alternates between cleverness and

stupidity, #indness and cruelty, deceiver and deceived, brea#er of taboos

and creator of culture3


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Raven & 'oyote

)o+opelli & randmother pider


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'ommon Themes

• *ormation o% the -orld thro!gh str!ggle and ro##ery.Paci%ic coast/

• Movement %rom a s+y -orld to a -ater -orld #y means o% a%all

• arth0diver mytha1 %lood that occ!rred a%ter creation o% the !niverse#1 recreation o% the present -orld o!t o% m!d #ro!ght!p %rom !nder the -ater #y the earth0 diver .m!s+rator -ater#ird/

• The%t o% %ire

• mergence myths:a1 ascent o% #eings %rom !nder the s!r%ace o% the earth toits s!r%ace#1 ascent %rom a series o% !nder-orlds

• Migration myths: accompany emergence myths


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The No#le avage

• Main Definition: a primitive h!man ascharacteri2ed in literat!re, representing nat!ralgoodness and simplicity -hen not enc!m#ered #ycivili2ation

• Cultural Definition: omeone -ho #elongs to an3!ncivili2ed4 gro!p or tri#e and is considered to #e,

conse5!ently, more -orthy than people -ho live-ithin civili2ation1 Many -riters and thin+ersthro!gh the cent!ries o% 6estern civili2ation have#elieved in the no#le savage1


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"mages o% 3The No#le avage4


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Wintu Woman, 19th Century

76hen -e "ndians +ill meat, -eeat it all !p1 6hen -e dig roots,-e ma+e little holes1 6hen -e#!ild ho!ses, -e ma+e littleholes1 6hen -e #!rn grass %orgrasshoppers, -e don8t r!inthings1 6e sha+e do-n acornsand pine n!ts1 6e don8t chopdo-n the trees1 6e only !sedead -ood1 9!t the -hite peopleplo- !p the gro!nd, p!ll do-nthe trees, +ill everything1 111 the

6hite people pay noattention1 111(o- can the spirito% the earth li+e the 6hiteman 111 every-here the 6hiteman has to!ched it, it is sore17


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Mourning Dove Salish1888-193

3 111111 everythingon the earth has ap!rpose, everydisease an her# toc!re it, and everyperson a mission1

This is the "ndiantheory o%e;istence14


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Pocahontas

(istorians agree that'aptain


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The Age of $aith


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The %orth4 5uritans

• 6n 789:, a hundred or so 'nglish men and

women settled in 5lymouth, Massachusetts,

fleeing from religious persecution

• An example of such persecution4 ; "ne 'nglishman who had written a pamphlet to

reform the !hurch of 'ngland was put in 0ail, fined,

whipped, had the top of his ears cut off, his forehead

burned with a hot iron, and his nose slit


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6


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Three 5uritan 5rinciples

• They wished to have their feelings

changed through +od*s grace They

wanted to be cleansed of envy, vanity, and

lust

• They valued plainnessCsimplicity,

especially in church

• They saw their bringing !hristianity to

America as a divine mission


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5uritan >riting

?istories?istories >illiam Bradford>illiam Bradford

5oetry5oetry Anne Bradstreet Anne Bradstreet'dward Taylor 'dward Taylor

.ermons.ermons =onathan 'dwards=onathan 'dwards

'dward Taylor 'dward Taylor

The 5urpose of &iterature is

To 'dify (instruct or improve


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5uritan Boo#s

• The Bay 5salm Boo# (78D: ; Translations of the Bible*s 5salms@ first boo#

published in America

• The %ew 'ngland 5rimer (78E: ; .pelling and reading boo#

• The ay of oom (7889

; By Michael >igglesworth@ .imple poemabout =udgment day $irst Best .eller


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.tyles

• "rnate (decorated

; 5salm 9F (Ging =ames


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.tyles

• 5lain ; 5salm 9F (Bay 5salm Boo#

The lord to me a shepherd is

want therefore shall not 6

?e in the folds of tender grass,doth cause me down to lie

To waters calm me gently leads,

restore my path does he

Hea though in valley of death*s shade

6 wal#, none ill 6*ll fear@

Because thou art with me, thy rod

and staff my comfort are


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The 'nd of 5uritanism

• %o longer need for theocracy

• 5uritans became guilty of religious

persecution themselves

• .alem >itch Trials

• 7ID:*sA revitali-ation of 5uritanism called

the +reat Awa#ening

Primitivism-Native American- Age of Fath

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