ERIC Number: ED173001
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1976
Pages: 305
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Literature of the American Indian. Abridged Edition.
Sanders, Thomas E.; Peek, Walter W.
From ancient stories of creation to contemporary poetry and prose, this volume ranges through thousands of years of the literature of the American Indian. Chapter One of the book deals with pre-Columbian religions and features accounts of the Creation by the Cheyenne, Navajo, Omaha, Yakima, Zuni, and Uitoto. Chapter Two has as its theme folk characters, tricksters, and heroes as it presents such material as three tales of Manabozho, one of Coyote, and stories like "Winabojo and the Medicine Man" and Ictinike and the Turtle". Chapter Three contains 14 pre-Columbian poems. The fourth chapter presents the Iroquois epic of Dekanawida as well as the text of the world's oldest living consitution, The Law of the Great Peace of the People of the Longhouse (Iroquois, 1390 AD). The oratorical skills of American Indians are discussed in Chapter Five and famous speeches by such men as Metacomet, Logan, Little Turtle, Red Jacket, Red Bird, and Chief Joseph are presented. The sixth chapter deals with Native American religions after the Christian invasion and includes accounts of the Ghost Dance and peyote religions. Contemporary voices in poetry, prose, and protest are heard in the final chapter. The poetry is by such authors as Ted Berrigan, N. Scott Momaday, and Simon J. Ortiz. Five short stories are presented as well as five essays of protest. Each of the book's chapters is prefaced with a discussion of its thematic material. (DS)
Descriptors: American Indian Culture, American Indian Literature, American Indians, Anthologies, Cultural Background, Essays, Fiction, Folk Culture, Legends, Mythology, Poetry, Prose, Religion, Tales, Textbooks
Glencoe Publishing Co., Inc., Riverside, New Jersey 08075 ($7.95)
Publication Type: Guides - Classroom - Learner; Collected Works - General; Historical Materials
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A