What is a narrative? What makes a “great” or important story? What lessons can we learn about our selves and others through these stories? What.

Timeless Narratives of the First Nations and Greek

PeoplesPart 1

What is a narrative?

What makes a “great” or important story?

What lessons can we learn about our selves

and others through these stories?

What lessons can we learn about human

nature?

What lessons can we learn about the meaning

of life?

Questions for Thought

o Long ago, before people invented writing, stories about

important beliefs, deities, heroes, and experiences were

told and retold. The best of these were passed by word-of-

mouth from one generation to the next to form an

important part of our heritage. Some early stories were told

in the form of poems, others in the form of songs, and

others in the form of what we now call tales or narratives.

**Oral traditions

Introduction

o Traditional narratives tell us a great deal about

life, the environment, human nature, and the

human condition. They force use to examine our

relationships with others, our virtues, and our

failings. At the end of the day, most of these

stories have serious moral themes that cause us

to think deeply about ourselves and our values.

Intro Continued

o “It is believed that storytelling is both a gift from the Creator and

an art that requires a great amount of skill and technique to hold

the audience spellbound. The storytellers must possess a gift for

memory, creativity, humour, and drama. The role of the

storyteller is also as a historian or keeper of knowledge who

educates the audience about life, the past, and provides insights

into minds and spirits to facilitate a better understanding of who

we are.” (Stan Cuthand, Cree Elder, Stories from the Seventh

Fire: The Four Seasons, 2002, p. 1).

Intro Continued

Many cultures around the world produced their own stories to

explain the beginnings or creation of the earth. These creation

stories often form a basis for the religious and spiritual beliefs

of a cultural group.

Traditional stories reflect the First Nations and Métis people’s

environments and world views. As in the past, today they

transmit knowledge, inspire, and unite people. First Nations’

stories often invite the listener to take time to think about the

meaning of, or lesson in, the story.

First Nations and Metis Creation Stories

What is the diagram called that pushes a

narrative along? What are the elements of this diagram? (Let’s

write them on the board).

Review: Story Elements

Let’s read “The Native American Experience”

booklet.

Do you know anything about the Iroquois

people?

After reading “The World on the Turtle’s Back”

complete the questions in the booklet. We will

discuss these as a class afterwards.

The World on the Turtle’s BackAn Iroquois Creation Story

The Saulteaux First Nation Peoples

T.H.S. Chambury poses with two friends, Prince Albert circa 1901Saskatchewan Archives Board S-B11866

The Saulteaux moved into Saskatchewan after 1750. They were first noted by John Tanner around 1796 when he saw them chasing the GrosVentres westward into the Rocky Mountains. The Saulteaux are related to three other Ojibway tribes from Ontario: the Ottowa, near Georgian Bay; the Missassauga, on the Manitoulin Island and the Potawatomi who lived along Lake Huron. The “Council of Three Fires” united these three tribes in summer, when they fished, gathered maple syrup, berries and wild rice together. In the winter the three tribes went their separate ways to hunt moose, caribou, elk, beaver, bear, deer and rabbits. The Ojibway followed the fur trade as it expanded west. In Saskatchewan the Saulteaux adjusted quickly to the plains way of life and have developed their own culture. Uunlike other bands in Saskatchewan, there earliest Saulteaux tended to camp near trading posts like Fort Pelly. They challenged the Blackfoot tribe, the GrosVentres and the Sioux or Lakota tribes for territory, often making summer raids on them.These summer raids interfered with trade, and the traders often tried to stop them.

(as told by Florence Machiskinic)

http://treaty6education.lskysd.ca/saulteaux

The Saulteaux taught that the Creator created “seven levels of life so that

there is a balance in life. The Creator is present in all the levels and people

are taught to revere all living things because they are intertwined and make

up life and one whole existence. The seven levels are (1) the fish kingdom

comprising all water life; (2) the plant kingdom – all life being dependent on

plants; (3) the four-legged and two-legged creatures; (4) the crawling

creatures; (5) the insect world; (6) the bird kingdom; and (7) human beings”

(Elder Danny Musqua) (Treaty Essential Learnings, 2007, p. 27).

How are these beliefs similar to ones in the Iroquois creation myth: “The

World on the Turtle’s Back”?

The Saulteax Creation Beliefs

How is this creation story similar and/or

different to the Iroquois? Complete the questions on the page of the

story.

The Coming of GluscabiAn Abenaki Creation Story

How is this creation story similar and/or

different to the Iroquois and Abenaki?

Four Worlds: The Dine Story of Creation (Navajo)

Choose one of the three First Nations creation stories that we read,

and re create it as a drawing.

Guidelines:

• Choose one story that we have read.

• Choose what you think to be the most important moment in the

story to draw.

• Use pencil and pencil crayons.

• Title and brief description must be included.

Visual Activity