The Role Played By Native American Legends

By Tammie Caldwell


Story telling is a common feature in most cultural settings. They only differ due to the geographical locations but most of them tend to have similar morals. It was used as a tool to carry lessons through generational lines. The intention of a narrator is to pass traditional customs of the concerned culture and offer a solution to most contemporary problems by confronting them. Native American legends are among the stories and had the following roles to fulfill.

Preserving culture and passing on traditions is among the most sought objective to achieve by many native communities. Legends are told to every generation and prove to be a convenient way of achieving such objectives. They link one generation to another ensuring that none of the member is left out in learning the ways of the community.

Language is what distinguishes people from different regions in most cases. Preserving a language is essential in determining how long a native language will be in existence. Modern education poises a lot of danger in the attempt to erode these languages. Since stories are told using native languages, they have greatly help in the fight for it been preserved.

A story is more likely to give a good elaboration of an event or occurrence as it happened. Through them, it is easy to explain why certain natural occurrences such as why weather exists and the reason behind it changing from time to time. The same could also explain for the occurrences of natural calamities such as droughts or floods in a more understandable manner to the community members.

Every community believes to have their own origin and explanations of how they came into existence. Communities also comprise of their supreme being who is believed to be the creator. Native legends are in a position to give a proper explanation and paint the picture of what the communities believe in a great way. They also explain the relation between the community members and their creator.

Roles such as division of labor are well upheld in native settings. Through stories, members are in a position to learn who is able to carry out a certain task and who should not. They also get to know how they should relate and respect each other. Sharing of responsibilities is put into consideration to ensure that the community is in a position to thrive.

Narrations of stories take different turns. It allows for the inclusion of music, songs and dances. This keeps the community entertained at the same time conveying a certain massage. It defined the occasions in which a song or dance should take place and who should take part in performing it.

Legends are a source of motivation. Existences of stories that talk of superheroes who did marvelous deeds to the communities pose a challenge to the community members. Some take such as their role model and work hard in the future to attain such recognition or glory. This works in creation of future leaders for the said communities. They also outline what to avoid in order not to be a source of shame like some of the fallen heroes.




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