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AMERICAN LITERATURE KMHS ENGLISH DEPARTMENT 2015-2016 1 THE PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD The Beginnings of American Literature: Native American Traditions and the First Puritan Settlers OVERVIEW TEXTS & CONTEXTS 1 The Pre-Colonial Period TIMELINE 1 Key Terms allusion Calvinism jeremiad Puritan Puritan plain 2 HOW THE WORLD WAS MADE A CHEROKEE MYTH The Cherokee were the first Native American tribe to accept citizenship in the United States and are still the largest recorded population of natives. They originally migrated from the Great Lakes region centuries ago and settled in the Southeast, primarily the Carolinas and Georgia. As Europeans appropriated their land, the Cherokee were resettled in the Great Plains, and their official headquarters is now Tahlequah, Oklahoma. This account was recorded by English language folklorists in the 19th century and first published in 1913 by Katharine Berry Judson. 3 How the World Was Made earth was fastened to the sky with four cords, but no one remembers who did this. At first the earth was flat and soft and wet. The animals were anxious to get down, and they sent out different birds to see if it was yet dry, but there was no place to alight; so The earth is a great floating island in a sea of water. At the birds came back to Galun'lati. Then at last it seemed to each of the four corners there is a cord hanging down from be time again, so they sent out Buzzard; they told him to go the sky. The sky is of solid rock. When the world grows old and make ready for them. This was the Great Buzzard, the and worn out, the cords will break, and then the earth will father of all the buzzards we see now. He flew all over the sink down into the ocean. Everything will be water again. earth, low down near the ground, and it was still soft. When All the people will be dead. The Indians are much afraid of he reached the Cherokee country, he was very tired; his this. wings began to flap and strike the ground. Wherever they In the long time ago, when everything was all water, all struck the earth there was a valley; whenever the wings the animals lived up above in Galun'lati, beyond the stone turned upwards again, there was a mountain. When the arch that made the sky. But it was very much crowded. All animals above saw this, they were afraid that the whole the animals wanted more room. The animals began to world would be mountains, so they called him back, but the wonder what was below the water and at last Beaver's Cherokee country remains full of mountains to this day. grandchild, little Water Beetle, offered to go and find out. When the earth was dry and the animals came down, it Water Beetle darted in every direction over the surface of was still dark. Therefore they got the sun and set it in a the water, but it could find no place to rest. track to go every day across the island from east to west, There was no land at all. Then Water Beetle dived to the just overhead. It was too hot this way. Red Crawfish had his bottom of the water and brought up some soft mud. This shell scorched a bright red, so that his meat was spoiled. began to grow and to spread out on every side until it Therefore, the Cherokee do not eat it. became the island which we call the earth. Afterwards this Then the medicine men raised the sun a handsbreadth in the air, but it was still too hot. They raised it another time; 4 and then another time; at last they had raised it seven one or two more were still awake. Therefore, to these were handsbreadths so that it was just under the sky arch. Then it given the power to see in the dark, to go about as if it were was right and they left it so. That is why the medicine men day, and to kill and eat the birds and animals which must called the high place " the seventh height." Every day the sleep during the night. sun goes along under this arch on the under side; it returns Even some of the trees went to sleep. Only the cedar, the at night on the upper side of the arch to its starting place. pine, the spruce, the holly, and the laurel were awake all There is another world under this earth. It is like this seven nights. Therefore they are always green. They are also one in every way. The animals, the plants, and the people are sacred trees. But to the other trees it was said, " Because the same, but the seasons are different. The streams that you did not stay awake, therefore you shall lose your hair come down from the mountains are the trails by which we every winter." reach this underworld. The springs at their head are the After the plants and the animals, men began to come to doorways by which we enter it. But in order to enter the the earth. At first there was only one man and one woman. other world, one must fast and then go to the water, and He hit her with a fish. In seven days a little child came down have one of the underground people for a guide. We know to the earth. So people came to the earth. They came so that the seasons in the underground world are different, rapidly that for a time it seemed as though the earth could because the water in the spring is always warmer in winter not hold them all. than the air in this world; and in summer the water is cooler. We do not know who made the first plants and Review Questions animals. But when they were first made, they were told to watch and keep awake for seven nights. This is the way young men do now when they fast and pray to their medicine. They tried to do this. The first night, nearly all the animals stayed awake. The next night several of them dropped asleep. The third night still more went to sleep. At last, on the seventh night, only the owl, the panther, and 5 THE SKY TREE A HURON MYTH The Huron (also called the Wyandot) lived in the Northeastern woodlands by the Great Lakes. Today, many still live on a reservation in Quebec, Canada. Huron first came in contact with French settlers in the St. Lawrence Valley in the 17th century. Jesuit missionaries successfully converted many Huron to Catholicism, and the tribe maintained largely peaceful relationships with European settlers. “The Sky Tree” is a creation myth that dates from the earliest days of Huron oral tradition. 6 “The Sky Tree” “My husband,” she said, “when I cut the tree, it split in half and then fell through a great hole. Without the tree, there can be no life. I must follow it.” Then, leaving her husband, she went back to the hole in In the beginning, Earth was covered with water. In Sky Sky Land and threw herself after the great tree. Land, there were people living as they do now on Earth. In As Aataentsic fell, Turtle looked up and saw her. the middle of that land was the great Sky Tree. All of the Immediately Turtle called together all the water animals and food which the people in that Sky Land ate came from the told them what she had seen. great tree. “What should be done?” Turtle said.   The old chief of that land lived with his wife, whose Beaver answered her. “You are the one who saw this happen. name was Aataentsic, meaning “Ancient Woman,” in their Tell us what to do.” long house near the great tree. It came to be that the old “All of you must dive down,” Turtle said. “Bring up soil chief became sick, and nothing could cure him. He grew from the bottom, and place it on my back.” weaker and weaker until it seemed he would die. Then a Immediately all of the water animals began to dive down dream came to him, and he called Aataentsic to him. and bring up soil. Beaver, Mink, Muskrat, and Otter each “I have dreamed,” he said, “and in my dream I saw how I brought up pawfuls of wet soil and placed the soil on Turtle’s can be healed. I must be given the fruit which grows at the back until they had made an island of great size. When they very top of Sky Tree. You must cut it down and bring that were through, Aataentsic settled down gently on the new fruit to me.” Earth, and the pieces of the great tree fell beside her and Aataentsic took her husband’s stone ax and went to the took root. great tree. As soon as she struck it, it split in half and toppled over. As it fell, a hole opened in Sky Land, and the Review Questions tree fell through the hole. Aataentsic returned to the place where the old chief waited. 7 FROM OF PLYMOUTH PLANTATION BY WILLIAM BRADFORD William Bradford (1590-1657) was born in Yorkshire, England to an affluent farming family. After numerous deaths in his family, Bradford was orphaned at the age of seven and was sent to live with two of his uncles. A long period of sickness in his youth meant that Bradford could not work the land, so he would spend most of his time reading the Bible. This interest in religion led Bradford to become a member of the Separatist church. He accompanied the religious leader of the Separatists, William Brewster on their journey to Holland and sailed aboard the Mayflower to Plymouth. While aboard the ship, Bradford signed the Mayflower Compact, the first official government document in the New World. He was elected governor of the colony five times, serving for over 30 years. His journal of the voyage and settlement of the colony became Of Plymouth Plantation remains one of the most important documents of New World exploration. 8 From Of Plymouth Plantation halfe seas over, to smite this yong man with a greeveous disease, of which he dyed in a desperate maner, and so was by William Bradford him selfe ye first was throwne overbord. Thus his curses light on his owne head; and it was an astonishmente to all his fellows, for they noted it to be ye just hand of God upon THE VOYAGE AND THE ARRIVAL him. Of their vioage, & how they passed ye sea, and of their safe arrivall After they had injoyed faire winds and weather for a season, at Cape Codd. they were incountred many times with crosse winds, and mette with many feirce stormes, with which ye shipe was shroudly shaken, and her upper works made very leakie; and SEPTR: 6. These troubls being blowne over, and now all one of the maine beames in ye midd ships was bowed & being compacte togeather in one shipe,* they put to sea craked, which put them in some fear that ye shipe could not againe with a prosperus winde, which continued diverce be able to performe ye vioage. So some of ye cheefe of ye days togeather, which was some incouragmente unto them; company, perceiveing ye mariners to feare ye suffisiencie of yet according to ye usuall maner many were afflicted with ye shipe, as appeared by their mutterings, they entred into sea-sicknes. And I may not omite hear a spetiall worke of serious consulltation with ye mr. & other officers of ye ship, Gods providence. Ther was a proud & very profane yonge to consider in time of ye danger; and rather to returne then man, one of ye sea-men, of a lustie, able body, which made to cast them selves into a desperate & inevitable perill. And him the more hauty; he would allway be contemning ye truly ther was great distraction & differance of opinion poore people in their sicknes, & cursing them dayly with amongst ye mariners them selves; faine would they doe what greeous execrations, and "did not let to tell them, that he could be done for their wages sake, (being now halfe the seas hoped to help to cast halfe of them over board before they over,) and on ye other hand they were loath to hazard their came to their jurneys end, and to make mery with what they lives too desperatly. But in examining of all opinions, the mr. had; and if he were by any gently reproved, he would curse & others affirmed they knew ye ship to be stronge & firme and swear most bitterly. But it plased God before they came 9