NATIVE AMERICANS

- We regard Native Americans as one big culture. There were similarities, but actually quite different.

- Lived in different places, different civilizations.

- They were more like Europe is now than America is now. There are minor variations in Europe like different languages, different ways to dress, etc.

- The Native American culture was like this except they did trade with one another and have some contact.

- It was very much a tribal system, though. Each tribe had own customs, languages, etc.

An etiology myth is an eplanation of the source of something.  The Eskimo myth we read is an account of the creation.  Creation stories give the etiology of the the entire universe and various items within it.  The similarity between the Eskimo account and the Genesis account is possibly due to the influence of Christian missionaries - Native American stories were collected and written in a systematic way until late in the 19th century.  The similarity could also be coincidental.

Notice that the typical number of repetitions is four.  This was frequently true in Native American stories.  In European stories, the number is typically three (3 little pigs, 3 bears, 3 blind mice, etc.).
 

Senecan story stone

This story gives the source of stories themselves.  Notice that narrative is such a powerful attraction that the tribe is willing to give up food in order to get the stories.  (We do the same thing whenever we pay to see a movie or buy a novel.).  Stories are a manifestation of language, memory, and culture.  Thus they represent the critical moment of transformation of early people as they develop.  The Greeks had Prometheus to give the knowledge of fire to people.  In Genesis, the snake encourages Adam & Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge.  Here the knowledge is conferred by the story stone.