Essay: Bravery in American Indian Fairytales

A common theme that I noticed while reading this unit was bravery. These stories were told by Iagoo which tells me that he remembered them for the bravery and that was an important feature for him. I also think that it is a good quality to have. Not everyone is willing to be brave because there is always a risk factor to being brave. There is always something that you have to be willing to lose in order to try to gain something. In these stories, there were many brave characters.

One of the characters whom I feel showed bravery was Shin-ge-bis. He is a character from the story Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind. In the story, everyone flees when they realize the North Wind is coming. The North Wind is one of the things that everyone fears. Everyone left except Shin-ge-bis. He refused to let the North Wind win. Eventually he overtakes the North wind and becomes a hero. He risks his life in order to help the group as a whole. The North Wind is stunned that anyone is willing to stand up to him. Shin-ge-bis was the only one who was willing to stay and fight. That didn't make everyone else bad people for going because they were scared so no one would have blamed Shin-ge-bis for fleeing. Not everyone is able to conquer their fear and stay but he refused to give up and stayed to fight. It worked out for him in the end.

Another character that had to have been my favorite was O-jeeg from the story How the Summer Came. It was a time when the North Wind controlled everything and it was winter all the time. O-jeeg's son was tired of the winter. It was not a pleasant time, with everything always being so cold. O-jeeg decided to try and make it summer by breaking into the sky. He took some animals with him and went to the top of a mountain to break through the sky. He was able to break through and he freed a couple of the seasons. The animals were able to return but O-jeeg got trapped. He was never able to return so he truly did risk his life for the good of the rest of the people. He did not manage to keep his life but he traded it for something that he felt was worth it. That is truly what bravery is about.

Snow-covered Trees. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary B: American Indian Fairy Tales

The American Indian Fairy Tales Unit was a bit hard to read, mostly because of the names. I think that having the meaning of the names after them throughout the stories made it so much easier. So, here is one of my favorite stories from the American Indian Fairy Tales Unit.

How the Summer Came: Iagoo tells this story about a time when there was no summer. The North Wind caused it to be winter all the time. The people used to imagine that above the clouds in the sky, there were birds and it was warm and it was called summer. O-jeeg's son came across a squirrel who told him about the warm place above the sky and so he went to try to convince his father to find the place so that they could experience warmth. O-jeeg agreed and met with all the animals. They came up with a plan. They manage to break open the sky and free the seasons. O-jeeg could not get away fast enough and he was caught. He risked his life so that his son could experience a different kind of world. I think this story shows how much a father loves his son. I like how it shows that the stars are his father laying on the floor of the sky as a reminder. It is a very sweet story. I feel like this is a story that has such a good moral ending. O-jeeg and the animals risked their lives so that the people, in the world where it was winter all the time, could live a better and happier life. They could experience the warmth of the sun. The story made it seem like O-jeeg knew he wasn't coming back, at least that is what I got out of the story, and the fact that he still went is such an amazing and brave thing to do. It shows how much his son and the other people meant to him.

Snow-covered trees. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Reading Diary A: American Indian Fairy Tales Unit

Here are some of the stories that I liked the most from the American Indian Fairy Tales Unit.

Shin-ge-bis Fools the North Wind
This story is quite interesting. It shows a sort of rivalry between Ka-bib-on-okka, the North Wind, and Sha-won-dasee, the South Wind. People loves the South Wind but did not like the North Wind. The North Wind was not kind and was feared by most. Shin-ge-bis appears to be the only character whom is not affected by the North Wind. He does not fear him like the rest. I love the bravery that he shows when he refuses to let the North Wind ruin his day.

"Ka-bib-on-okka, ancient man,
Come and scare me if you can.
Big and blustery though you be,
You are mortal just like me!"

The Little Boy and Girl in the Clouds
Iagoo begins to tell this story about a hill that carries the little boy and girl up into the clouds. He is telling this story to the children and it reminds me of all the times I would listen to my grandparents tell stories to all us kids. He is telling them of a time when the animals roamed free with the people. Two children were playing in the water and decided to climb up a hill and they fell asleep. The rock rose up and everyone was trying to figure out how to get the children down. All the animals tried but it took the little worm to be able to climb up and return with the children. This story shows that it doesn't matter how small you are, you can always make a difference.

"That is not the question at all. 

Anybody could ask that. 

The only question worth asking is: 

how are we to get them down again? "

Mountain Source: Wikimedia Commons