Native American Lore

Native American Research Paper

Native American Lore is stories that are passed down through generations of each tribe. Folklore is a combination of stories that are passed down generations that include legends, myths, and fairy tales. Legends are traditional stories passed down that seem historical, but are not authenticated. Myths are an early history story usually explaining a natural phenomenon, usually involving supernatural beings and events. Fairy Tales are popular children’s stories involving magical beings and lands. Due to the Native American beliefs, myths are the most heavily concentrated folklore. The values that are reflected in this culture 's lore are bravery, curiosity, faith, loyalty, and religion. Oral tradition and folklore

The Tuskegee Indians believe they are the first to live on this land. “Origin of Strawberries” is a Cherokee legend about the first man and woman on Earth. They begin to fight and when she leaves him a patch of strawberries tempts her. She gathers them and brings them back to her husband. Both legends are either in early human times or before human times. They are Native American legends, however, they are from different tribes. They both tell the story of finding something or wanting something. These legends reflect the culture by curiosity, loyalty, and beliefs. The values of curiosity and bravery are evident in each story. In “Origin of Earth,” the birds have to be brave and go search for land. In “Origin of Strawberries,” the wife is distracted by strawberries and begins picking them out of curiosity. There is no other historical reference to the Tuskegee legend of “Origin of Earth.” However, there are many other theories such as the earth was created from an explosion of stars or the Bible. There is historical accuracy in “Origin of Strawberries,” as other religions believe this theory, too. There is nothing altered in either story. Both are still intact as they were. Other theories may have been

Fairy tales were the easiest to search for. “Iagoo, The Story Teller” is the fairy tale of a man who spent his whole life in the woods. He explored many places and was able to tell any story accurately. He was the only one who knew where to find anything. Wintertime is when he told the most stories. “The Fairy Bride” is the story of a girl who spends hours in the woods with fairies. The day she is set to marry a hunter, she disappears and no one can find her. One day, a hunter sees her, as a godly figure, in the woods with a boy that is not from their tribe. She becomes a bride after all. In both fairy tales, the main characters spend their time exploring the woods. They both know more than anyone else in their village. Iagoo is a storyteller and The Bride is just a girl who spends her time exploring everything she can. These fairy tales reflect the culture by having a storyteller in one and an arranged marriage in the other. Storytelling is very important in the Native American culture. Arranged marriage is always necessary. Brides hardly choose their husbands. The value of curiosity is most evident in the fairy tales. Iagoo spends his whole life exploring the woods, as does The Fairy Bride. They both are secluded people and would rather be exploring. Iagoo has origins from many tribes. Some say he has a black face and is very old. Some tribes don’t give any specifics. They all say he just wants to preserve history. There are no other origins the “The Fairy Bride,”