Origins and Encounters

When did Native Americans begin cultivating maize?

• c. 2000-1000 B.C.

When was the Gutenberg Bible printed?

• 1455

Who are the Americas named after?

• Amerigo Vespucci

• (From Florence, Italy)

When were the first enslaved Africans taken to the Americas?

• 1502

When was the colony of Jamestown established?

• 1607

When was the Mayflower Compact signed?

• 1620

Who created the first American literature?

• Native Americans

How many distinct groups of native peoples lived in the Americas? How many languages did they

speak?• more than 200 groups

• more than 500 languages

Is literature only what is written down? If not, what else can be

literature?• oral literature also counts

• passed down to each generation through storytelling and performances

• connect with ancient Greek mythology, The Odyssey

In what ways will your experience of the reading selections in this

section be different from the way they were originally experienced?

• reading instead of hearing/seeing

• not original language – translated into English

Name three ideas emphasized in Native American literature that make it unique

from other cultures’ literature.• emphasizes importance of living in

harmony with natural world– humans are part of nature, not dominant

• humans related to animals, plants, land, stars/planets, elements– which are alive and aware

• human and non-human make a sacred whole together

What caused the change or loss of some Native American cultures?

• Loss: European diseases and violence

• Change:– forced religious conversion– forced relocation– forced education

How is Native American literature being kept alive today?

• singing songs

• telling stories

• writing in English

Name four contemporary Native American authors.

• N. Scott Momaday

• Leslie Marmon Silko

• Paula Gunn Allen

• Simon Ortiz

• Louise Erdrich

• Michael Dorris

• You might know another from English 9?– Sherman Alexie