Native American Tribe Review Questions

1.       Respond: What words would you use to describe the images in these tales and the impression they made on you? I would describe the images with the words grand and majestic. The Native Americans didn’t spare any fancy, eloquent wording when describing these aspects of their culture. The impression that these descriptions made on me was that the Native Americans had a very colorful imagination and were very passionate about their beliefs.

2.       (a)Recall: What do the grizzly bears do that angers the Chief of the Sky Spirit? (b)Analyze: What does his reaction tell you about him?

3.       (a)Recall: What punishment does the Chief of the Sky Spirits levy against the grizzlies? (b)Analyze Cause and Effect: How does this action affect his grandchildren, the people of the Earth?

4.       (a)Recall: Identify the stages of the Navajo Creation ceremony. The men and women washed themselves with different colors of cornmeal, respective to their gender. The gods laid a buckskin down facing west, then the corn on this facing east, then finally the other buckskin facing east. Under the white ear they put a white feather, and under the yellow, a yellow feather. The wind blew on the pile of symbolic items and from this came a man and a woman; the man from the white ear of corn, and the woman from the yellow. They were given life from the wind.  (b)Analyze: What do the order and ritual of the ceremony tell you about the Navajo people? From these things it is evident that the Navajo people were very ritualistic and believed that you had to perform these rituals precisely otherwise they wouldn’t work.

 

5.       (a)recall: What is the wind’s role in the ceremony? The wind gave life to the people. (b)Contrast: How does the wind’s role contrast with the order and ritual of the ceremony? The wind makes the rest of  the ritual seem somewhat pointless as all that was needed for life was the wind.

6.       (a)Compare and Contrast: In what ways do the two tales differ in their attitude toward nature? In the Navajo story, nature is manipulated to create man and woman; however, in the Iroquois story, nature is upheld as a respected resource that should be thanked. (b)Evaluate: With which attitude do you most identify? Why? I identify most with the idea of upholding nature and respecting it because, although it is possible to manipulate nature to some extent, we can’t control what happens most of the time, and what we put into nature cycles back to what we get out of nature; therefore, it should be respected in order for us to keep receiving good things from it.

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1.       Respond: If you were the chief of a Native American nation, would this speech persuade you to join the Confederation? Explain. If I was the chief of a Native American Nation, this speech might actually dissuade me from joining the Confederation because the list of requirements that leaders in this group must meet is a little daunting.

2.       (a)Recall: What do the lords plant to commemorate their meeting? The Tree of Great Peace. (b)Analyze: What do the roots of this plant symbolize? The roots symbolize the expansion of the tribe and its beliefs; they symbolize the tribe reaching out to others and offering them a place in the tribe as long as they agree with all the rules and regulations that the tribe has placed forth for them.

3.       (a)Recall: According to the Constitution, what must confederate lords do to open a council meeting? To open a council meeting, the confederate lords must give thanks and greet their cousin lords, and offer thanks to the earth and all the supplying aspects of the earth, and also to “the great creator above”. (b)Infer: What does this decree suggest about the Iroquois? This decree suggests that the Iroquois people are very spiritual and they highly value their relationship with nature and their surroundings.

4.       (a)Analyze: What three images from nature does Dekanawidah use in the Iroquois Constitution?  The animals that serve as food and give their pelts for clothing, the messengers of the Creator who reveal his wishes, the streams of water, the pools, the springs and the lakes, etc.(b)Infer: What do these references tell you about the Iroquois? These references tell you that the Iroquois are highly observant of their surroundings and thankful for everything that nature provides them with.

5.       (a)Summarize: Summarize the qualities and conduct required of council lords by the Iroquois Constitution. The qualities and conduct required of council lords by the Iroquois Constitution include not getting angry or upset, keeping a “level head”, having a thick skin, being peaveful and good, wanting to please the people, being patient and deliberate, etc. (b)Synthesize: How well do these qualities apply to leaders in the modern world? I think that these qualities do apply to what leaders in the modern world should be like; however, it isn’t uncommon at all for qualities such as these to be shattered by leaders today in the modern world.

6.       Take a Position: Do you agree with and support the ideas presented in The Iroquois Constitution? Why or why not? I do agree with and support these ideas because the Iroquois people have offered up nothing but a peaceful proposition in their Constitution, and I definitely think that leaders in the community should be the strongest people in the community, in every way. I do believe that a respect for nature should be prominent in society because if we disrespect nature, it comes back to harm us. I also agree with being thankful for everything that we are given and giving thanks often.