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1. How do the oral Traditions of the Native Americans relate to the oral traditions of the Greeks, the Judeo-Christian background, or another set of oral stories and traditions with which you are familiar? The oral traditions represent one of the oldest means of passing the cultural heritage to the posterity. Long before, the first tribes learnt how to inscribe and express their thoughts in writing, every tribe used language (oral communication) pass the news, messages and dangers to the people around. The oral traditions of the Native Americans were somewhat similar to the oral traditions of the Greeks, Judeo-Christians and other religions. Just like in Ancient Greece, the oral tradition of the Native American tribes had tales, verses, and songs.
The Ancient Greece is very famous for its Greek Myths that speak about the reign of Gods in ancient Greece and Rome. A large number of heroes of the oral traditions in Greece like Hercules, Perseus, and Jason are remembered even today (Mattingly, 56). The Native American tribes had a large number of myths that speak about various fetish or totem animals that reigned and patronized their given tribe. The Judeo-Christians also possess a great number of myths or descriptive events from the Holy bible that orally are transmitted from one person to another and is meant to glorify God. The oral form of praising god, or in other words a prayer, was present in Greek, Judeo-Christian and Native American oral traditions if not in every other oral tradition in the world. Just like in the ancient greek and roman oral traditions that speak about gods turning into bulls, eagles and other animals to achieve certain purposes, the Native American animals could as well turn into humans and communicate with their tribe.
Therefore, it was advisable in the native American tribes to name people after some animal or even the animals part of the body. The ancient greeks or judeo-christians also tried to name people after some heroes from the holy bible or from various greek / roman myths and tales. 2. In what way do the religious identities of the pilgrims and the European versions of Christianity change, distort, or merge with the Native American Religions? What elements of this merger / conflict may be seen today? The main difference between the first European pilgrims to the USA from Europe and the Native American tribes that lived across the land was certainly religion. The Native tribes according to the Christian pilgrims were all pagans who did not love the true God and therefore were considered oftentimes the children of satan.
The pilgrims also believed that the Indians did not have the right to the land (USA) and were confident that God gave this land in to the hands of the first US settlers (Thompson, 132). One should also not forget that the native American tribes in the religious sense worshiped the nature and therefore considered themselves to be a part of nature and believed that living in harmony was necessary for peace on the land. The Christian pilgrims and US settlers were from the puritan Europe that witnessed many wars, and quarrels over land, possessions, power and wealth (Thompson, 133). Upon their arrival to the USA, these pilgrims also believed that their undeniable right was to buy and own land for their future survival. The Christian religion does not oppose the ownership of the land, especially if that land belongs to the pagans.
The native tribes religion meant that the Indians had the right to use forests for hunting and rivers for fishing, while there was no hint one could own the forest. Whenever the food or water was gone, the Indians would move to another area. There were many instances that the Indians shared the same forest and allowed other tribes to rent it, but they would never sell it in the sense the first US settlers thought of the term. Bibliography: Thompson, Micheal, The World Oral Traditions, McGraw Hill, 2002.
Mattingly, Andrew, The world traditions, Prentice Hall, 2001
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Research essay sample on Native American Tribes Oral Traditions
