Before Europeans settled in America, Native- Americans had been lived for thousands of years in this continent. They had about three hundreds different cultures and were speaking in about two hundred different languages. Since they didn’t have any alphabets and writing literatures, they passed on their cultural values, their wisdom, their understanding about nature and surviving, and their sense of identity through oral literature. The older generations passed their knowledge and their wisdom to the younger generations through oral narratives, oratories, songs and poems. Oral narratives were often told by an older in a story telling session to the younger members while the adults were present. These stories usually were about sacred or secular stories, some religious or historical like the Tlingit tribe’s story of their first contact with white people.
Some of the Native – American myths are about creation and nature like the one about how the world was made. The Cherokees believed that the world consists of various levels: the earth, the underworld, the heaven, and the level between heaven and the earth. According to the Cherokee myth, at first the earth was flat and very soft and wet. The animals were above in Galun lati, beyond the arch. When it was crowded, they sent the Great Buzzard to find out if the earth is dry and if he can find any place for the animals to live. “When he flew all over the earth, he found it soft and wet. When he reached the Cherokee country, he was tired and, and his wings began to flap and strike the ground, and wherever they struck the earth, there was a valley, and wherever they turned up again there was a mountain.” When the earth was dry and the animals came down it was still dark, so they got the sun and set it in the sky. Since it was too hot, the conjurers put the sun in another hand – breadth for seven times to make it tolerable. When the animals and plants were made they were told to keep awake for seven nights. On the seventh nights, of all animals only owl, panther and a few others were awake. So they were given the power to see in dark. Of all plants only cedar, pine, spruce, the holly and the laurel were awake, so they were given to be always green. Human being was created after all animals and plants. At first, there were only one brother and one sister. The brother struck the sister with a fish and told her to multiply; so after seven days a child was born to her. After that each seven days she gave birth to a child until the earth was crowded. Then, it was made that each woman should have only one child in a year.
The story of the first fire began when the thunders sent their lightning and put fire in to the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree, which grew on an island. Before then, the world was cold, so every animal wanted to bring some fire from that island. Every time any of them tried to go in to that island and bring fire, some thing happened to him, like Raven and Uksuhi snake got black since they burned themselves, and Hooting Owl and Horned Owl have white ring around their eyes because of the smoke. At last, it was the Water Spider who managed to bring fire in a bowl hanging on her back and ever since we have fire and the Water Spider has her bowl.
Native- Americans song may also be of a religious nature or about history. The religious expression may vary from dance dramas staged as public ritual or personal. The Zunis who used to live in the area now called New Mexico, prayed before planted their corps. During the ceremony, they honored the power of life, and prayed for their ancestors, who have become masked Gods and had the power to bring rain. Some times the songs were about war, like the Papagos of the southeast or “They came from the east”, which is about how European settlers came to America and what happened to Native – Americans after they settled. “The Coming of the First White Man” was another poem, which was transcribed from Mayan hieroglyphs shortly after the Spanish conquest of the Central America in 1541. This narrative has been told for centuries all over the Tlingit country of Southeast Alaska. For readers, it is necessary to supply more gesture and social context to inform the expression to the song.
Native American’s skills in oral literature had been improved during the events such as religious presentations, welcoming, petitions and meeting with other tribes. Although most of the events and myths have been transferred through the stories and song orally to the next generations, some have been recorded and translated by European settlers, such as the meeting of the Seneca chief known as "Red- Jacket". Although these translations help us understand Native – Americans better and learn about their culture and traditions more, even best translations must struggle to give the right sense and expression to the readers. The vibrant oral tradition was central to most Native – Americans and continues to be so today.
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