To meet their audience's changing needs, even created anew out of a contemporary man's or woman's Some have been told for thousands of years, and theyĪre still being told and retold, reshaped and refitted Recorded as productions from the heart and soul of (quoted in Humishuma, 1990,Įrdoes and Ortiz (1984) refer to the 166 legends that they Were the leaves upon which they were written. They were our books, our literature, and the memories of the storytellers Years before the white man ever came to our homeland these legends were told over and over, and handedĭown from generation to generation. Stories are among our oldest possessions. Story-telling is an ancient profession, and these Story telling was a way of relating history, transmitting cultural knowledge, and giving expression to theĮsthetic and poetic endeavors of all Native American peoples. To serve as a contribution to realizing their educational

This paper discusses the instructional uses of traditional stories is meant Peoples, they are little used in schools. Of traditional stories and the role they have played in the linguistic and cultural continuity of indigenous However, despite the broad consensus on the artistic merits Ethnographers and students of folklore have described in detail andĮxtensively analyzed the literary aspects of oral tradition. Of indigenous people vehicles to preserve, carry, and teach historical events, religious beliefs, ethics,Īnd values to the young and old. Important aspect of the history and culture Copyright 1997 byĬoyote as Reading Teacher: Oral Tradition in the Classroom Armando Heredia and Norbert Francis Legends, myths, folk tales, and stories have long been an Flagstaff, AZ: Northern Arizona University. Using Traditional American Indian Stories to Teach

American indian legends