Primary Source Analysis - Hist PDF

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Native American Creation Stories

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Who produced the document? ○ Salinan - modern day California ○ Cherrokee - southeast united states What does it say? (i.e. summarize) ○ Salinan ■ The world had been created but there were no humans ■ The bald eagle was the leader of the animals ■ He used clay and molded it into the shape of a human and slowly the human grew however he remained asleep ■ The eagle decided the man shouldn't be alone and created a women using one of its feathers ■ When the women was fully formed the eagle woke them both up and flew off ■ The bald eagle came back and asked if they had slept together but they hadn’t ■ The eagle called a coyote over to ask him to do it. However he died after. ■ The eagle revived the coyote and told him to do it again and this time he lived ■ The coyote then said she was good and that the man and women would live together ○ Cherrokee ■ The earth is a giant mass floating on water ■ Connected to the sky vault by 4 cords at the cardinal points ■ Before the earth it was all water and all the animals were in Gälûñ’lätï (beyond the arch) ■ It was crowded so a water beetle went to see what was under the water ■ It came up with some mud which slowly grew into the earth ■ No one remembers who fastened the earth to the cords ■ The earth was wet and maluabkle when it was first created so the animals couldn’t live there ■ They sent birds to check if it was ready but it wasn’t ■ Finally they sent the great buzzard but he found that it was not ready yet ■ When it got to cherokee land it became very tired and its wings hit the ground ■ This created mountains and canyons ■ When the animals came down to earth it was dark so they put the sun on a course to go from east to west everyday ■ However the sun was two hot so they kept moving it farther away

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At Gûlkwâ’gine Di’gälûñ’lätiyûñ’ which means “the seventh height,” which is 7 handbreadths high it was perfect. ■ There is also an under world. Everything is the same but the seasons are different. ■ The rivers are the paths to the under world and the springs are the entrance ■ You need an underground guide to get there ■ When animals and plants were first made they were told to stay awake for 7 days. After 7 days only the owl, panther and a few more were awake. They were given the ability to see in the night. The only plants awake after the 7 days were the cedar, the pine, the spruce, the holly, and the laurel. They would always be green and never “lose their hair” ■ Humans came after ■ Only a brother and sisyer at first but the brother hit the sister with a fish and made her have more children ■ She had one child every day until it became too much ■ Then she only had one child a year and thats how it has been since What’s the document’s context? ○ One of thousands of stories from native americans that explain how the world came to be Why is it important? ○ It shows the common native american tendency to put spiritual power in the natural world How does it reflect the questions we are asking in the course and for your papers? ○

Thomas Morton Reflects on American Indians ●

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Who produced the document? ○ Written by Thomas Morton who was an early settler in the americas. He criticized the strict religious tenets of the pilgrims and puritans. He was exiled to maine from massachusetts What does it say? (i.e. summarize) ○ It describes how native american teepees are built ○ They are very hospitable and welcoming ○ Mentions how they moved around depending on the season ○ The trading networks within tribes or with other tribes ○ They are born as white as europeans but are bathed in a bath that makes them darker ○ The younger people always respect their elders and young men are always able to voice their opinion but the elders make the decisions ○ Conspires with devel to heal people ○ Trading and different types of beads are their currency

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They spot ships well before the english men do Twice a year they would burn the forest so that it could be traversed otherwise it would be too dense ○ They are simple and share everything ○ Morton determined they lived much happier and free lives than Europeans who were bogged down by certain burdens What’s the document’s context? ○ Written in 1637 it analyzes native american culture. He could use this knowledge to criticize the english settlers Why is it important? ○ It is one of the pilgrims first accounts of native americans when they arrived in america How does it reflect the questions we are asking in the course and for your papers? ○...