Thomas-Builds-The-Fire also holds a very cultural place in this tale as he fills the role of storyteller and continues the oral tradition common to many indigenous peoples as Mary Pat Fisher indicates in her book Living Religions. Her text labels the position of storyteller as a spiritual specialty among indigenous religions and states, "Because the traditions are oral rather than written, these people must memorize long and complex stories and songs so that the group's sacred traditions can be remembered and taught, generation after generation" (Fisher, 59-60). ... Lee indicates on pages...

• Word Count: 1919
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

These tribal traditions represent a rich and varied cultural history. ... They are one of the few peoples without any trouble in keeping the oral tradition alive. They use the oral tradition as a means of enlightening those who have not witnessed the past. ... The oral tradition is where their heroes are born. The passing down of their culture through the oral tradition helps to keep their autonomy, yet many Native Americans have abandoned the practice of oral tradition to adapt to modern times. ...

• Word Count: 822
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Whereas The Girl Who Married the Bear is an origin story, told for centuries, instilling values and traditions in Native American cultures, "Fleur" is an example of how origin stories are connected to present-day Native American life. ... These stories show the continuation of Native American traditions, and how technology and opinions may change, but as long as history is told through these stories, their culture and spiritual beliefs will never be lost. The reason so many Native American groups refuse to give up their culture is because traditions, such as origin stories, give them a sen...

• Word Count: 1714
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

When Christopher Columbus sailed in 1492 he connected two worlds so vastly different that they might as well have been from far ends of the universe. Native Americans, as they came to be known, were a people very much integrated with the land they lived on and saw themselves as a part of it. The Eur...

• Word Count: 1611
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Blues music originated from African Americans, used as a way of oral history chronicling their horrendous treatment at the hands of white men as they endured slavery and their subsequent mistreatment after the abolishment of slavery with poor economic and social status and opportunities. ... The following line "It's been so long since someone understood" refers to the inability of some Native Americans and non-Native Americans alike to understand Native American culture and traditions. ...

• Word Count: 2551
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Throughout the years, slavery has played a dominant role within the Cherokee Nation, inevitably affecting thousands of African Americans, American Indians, and Europeans alike. Within the last decade, a vicious battle has come alive between the Cherokee people and freedmen. These freedmen, who have ...

• Word Count: 2752
• Approx Pages: 11
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate