Native American Folklore

Introduction

Native American folklore goes back centuries and centuries according to the Native Americans. The stories that children like to listen to consist of the tales told in the folklore. The Native Americans used to and still tell stories that are related to the myths and tales of the past. Most Americans have grown up hearing the tales of bears and werewolves. The excessive use of Native American folklore in books and movies has never let the myths go out of fashion. Native American folklore is a combination of mythology and sacred beliefs (Watts, pp. 283).

The Native American folklore is one of the oldest and most popular folklore of the world. It has evolved since Europeans invaded the American continent and continues to evolve generation after generation. Due to the technological and social change that has taken over the world, a lot has been lost from the Native American culture. The younger generation is more inclined towards believing and practicing the culture of Americans. They feel the fantasies of Native American folklore are just that and have nothing to do with reality.

One of the most important aspects of Native American culture is the art of storytelling. They believe that telling stories is a part of their culture in order to tell the younger generations of their ancestors. Normally, the evenings are the best time for storytelling when the entire tribe or family gets together. They sit in a circle, and the eldest member is usually the one who tells the tales. It is through this storytelling that people learn about their history and ancestors. The stories that are told tell a lot about the development of their culture as well as other cultures. The stories were especially important when there was no written language (Mood, pp. 321).

Discussion

Origin

The origins of Native American folklore are clear as the name suggests; Native Americans have introduced Native American folklore to the world. The stories and tales are not just stories for the Native Americans, because they believe in the history. They believe that the tales are actual experiences of their ancestors, which cannot be denied by them. The folklore is incorporated in their culture, and their values are derived from it.

Many people believe that the literature in Native American folklore is that of irrational fantasy and consists of meaningless things. Researchers continue to wonder why Native Americans incorporate the implausible in their literary productions. The reason is very simple, because it is the culture that Native Americans follow. The cultural aspect of the folklore has contributed to it being so intriguing to readers. The history and literature is very engaging.

The Native American folklore consists of stories that are allegories of natural phenomena. People and researchers have long been interested in Native American folklore, and the interesting stories it contains. Those who like to study cultures, especially American culture, are able to derive the relationship or similarities between various cultures with Native American folklore.

Native American culture is considered to be wise and magical. The study ...