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Narratives of Native Americans

            Traditional narratives of the Western expansion described western tribes as a part of the dangerous environment that the American travelers had to endure throughout their journey. They are typically portrayed as challenging encounters for the travelers to overcome. History books, the western genre of fiction, and Hollywood movies all reinforced the stereotypes of Indian massacres, raids, abductions, thieves, and vagabonds. Occasionally in these narratives, a lone Native American would travel with the hero as a faithful companion. In general, however, Native Americans are portrayed as a form of civilized wildlife. Tate challenges this convention by highlighting the human to human interactions that defined the westward journey of the American emigrants. While most began their trek with Native Americans as their biggest fear, many had come to value and rely on their encounters with the local tribes. "Although lasting personal friendships were impossible to maintain among the migrating populations, the amiable relations created by thousands of individuals blossomed into a climate of improved feelings all long the line of march" (104). Some other challenges to the traditional narrative of the Western expansion were the exchange of goods and services which provided for safe passage. Most important was the reliance of the emigrants on the Native American's knowledge of the land which was needed to survive the journey. .
             There are very few representations of the economic interactions between the westward bound Americans and local tribes in traditional narratives of American expansion. At the time the emigrants were under the preconceived notion that the Indians stole all the goods they had or robbed graves to get these items. The reality that Tate's study reveals is that the American travelers relied on the goods and services Native Americans provided in exchange for their manufactured products.


Essays Related to Narratives of Native Americans

1. Native Americans Influence on Literature

However, the Native American's influenced the white men in more ways than many realize. ... Most of the Native American traditions distinguish between songs and narratives. ... Original Native American stories were performed orally in the native language of their tribe. ... The oration of stories and legends was very important to Native American writers. ... In the 1920's the Native American authors started turning to the novel. ...

  • Word Count: 1765
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Early American Captivity Narratives

Captivity narratives were popular with readers in both American and the European communities. Captivity narratives of Americans relate the experiences of whites enslaved by Native Americans and Africans enslaved by Americans. Two widely read captivity narratives are The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano and are A Narrative of Captivity by Mary Rowlandson, in which relate the experiences of an eleven-year-old African male captured for the American slave market and of an adult white woman captured by Native Americans. ... The narrative of her captivity by In...

  • Word Count: 1490
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson

Rowlandson gives a vivid and graphic description of the eleven week captivity by the Native Americans. ... In this narrative, Mary Rowlandson, a wife of a pastor and a mother of three from Lancaster, Massachusetts recount the invasion of her town by the Native Americans during King Philip's War. ... She learns to cope with the Native Americans, which causes her attitude towards them gradually changes. ... Rowlandson recounts many encounters she experiences with the Native Americans. ... They were dressed in English apparel, but they turned out to be more Native Americans. ...

  • Word Count: 928
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The Unredeemed Captive Analysis

He also shows how undercurrents of racism and moral superiority often trouble these relationships, especially with the Native Americans. ... It provides an honest look into the captivity of prisoners by Native Americans, a story of prejudice in the usual prisoner's narrative. ... Eunice, or now known as Marguerite, died at the age of 89 still cherishing her Native American family. ... Demos raises the Native Americans from the heathen status by giving them human qualities, not just focusing on the violence of war-party raids. ... Much like the Native Americans Demos gives the minister...

  • Word Count: 1326
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. A Refelction of King Philip's War

They have not seen a Native American before. ... They were very ignorant of Native American culture. ... When the need for Native American's help ended the Pilgrim's began to treat the Native Americans with less and less respect. ... The Pilgrims sometime took land from the Native Americans by taking advantage of the Native Americans. ... Even Native American translators would use their a...

  • Word Count: 2493
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Police32

Their narrative style brings to life the world views of African Americans, Native Americans, women, and gays and lesbians in modern American society. ... Their narrative style brings to life the world views of African Americans, Native Americans, women, and gays and lesbians in modern American society. ... Their narrative style brings to life the world views of African Americans, Native Americans, women, and gays and lesbians in modern American society. ... Their narrative style brings to life the world views of African Americans, Native Americans, women, and gays and lesbians in modern Americ...

  • Word Count: 1757
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Individuality and Community in Literature

Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony uses the protagonist Tayo to tell his story, but the narrative is disturbed by analepsis memories, initially when he is still "sick;" the narrative is also disrupted by Silko's use of myth, both traditional Native American myths and contemporary interpretations of the myth form. ... The tale foreshadows Tayo's story of damnation from his Native American roots by his family and himself. ... Native American mythology is an integral aspect of Ceremony and it also plays a significant role in Animal Dreams. ... It is through Codi's love interest, L...

  • Word Count: 1765
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

8. Texts on the Exploration of the New World

Readers of historical narratives must consider the writer's audience and purpose and analyze the tone of the narrative to determine its credibility. ... Cabeza de Vaca survived one of the most disastrous conquests to North America, being one of only four to survive. ... La Relacion gave readers insight into the conditions of the expedition, a glimpse at the culture of the Native Americans, as well as the circumstances the Spaniards lived in, as they lived among the Natives. ... This narrative took place in the time of the Plymouth Colony, and tells the story of the pilgrims and their ...

  • Word Count: 892
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

9. Toni Morrison

In Mary Rowlandson's Narrative, she defines her Puritan race by showing what it is not through the Native Americans. ... In Mary Rowlandson's narrative, defining the "other" becomes a strong instrument in defining the differences in the Puritan culture and the Native American's. Throughout the narrative, Mary Rowlandson describes her culture as being "better" by showing the Native American's race as being worse. Using strong words in describing the Native Americans such as "barbarous creatures"(Norton 150), Mary Rowlandson right off the bat excludes the Native Americans f...

  • Word Count: 1155
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

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