Date of Award

Spring 1995

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

Program/Concentration

English

Committee Director

Jeffrey H. Richards

Committee Member

Dana Heller

Abstract

This thesis will examine Native American oral narratives and determine what influence western culture has had on the written recording of these stories. By examining traditional literature, I will analyze a trickster myth in order to establish Native American literary patterns. I will then examine Henry Schoolcraft's translations of Chippewa oral narratives and determine what is characteristic of Native American oral narratives and what alterations he made in order to market these narratives to an audience deeply entrenched in western literature.

I will also distinguish between Native American narratives translated into English and English narratives that contain an Native American subject but are devoid of any characteristics of Native American narratives. While examining transitional Native American literature, I will analyze John G. Neihardt's Black Elk Speaks and attempt to distinguish what are Black Elk's intentions in sharing this vision with the world and how does it differ from the author' own literary agenda. I will also compare Neihardt's success in accurately translating an Native American oral narrative with Schoolcraft's earlier efforts.

The translation from Native American to English demonstrates how western literary conventions are imposed on Native American literature and also how the Native American literature's own rules are disregarded. Consequently, the richness and meaning of the narratives are lost. However, much modern literature is being composed by American Indians who are aware of the rules regarding Native American narratives and follow these Native American literary traditions as they compose their narrative in English. This thesis will attempt to conclude how successfully each of the preservers of Native American literature conveys the intended purpose of Native American narratives.

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DOI

10.25777/keh0-1685

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