Фольклор американских индейцев
учебно-методический материал на тему

Фольклор американских индейцев

    Издано довольно много книг, включающих мифы, древние легенды, но фольклор американских индейцев нам не очень известен. Между тем, он, на мой взгляд, чрезвычайно интересен. Его отличают глубокая философичность, образность, выразительность, юмор. Он находит живой отклик у детей сасмого разного возраста. Наконец, он поучителен. Предлагаю адаптацию нескольких рассказов о сотворении мира.

THE  CREATION.

The tale of the Northwest Woodlands.

Retold by Joseph Bruchac.

Before this world came to be, there lived  in the Sky-World an ancient chief. In the center of his land grew a beautiful  tree which had four white roots stretching to each of the following directions: North, South, East, and West. From that beautiful tree, all good things grew.

      Then it came to be that the beautiful tree was uprooted and through the hole it made in The Sky-World fell the youthful wife of the ancient chief, a handful of seeds, which she grabbed from that tree as she fell, clutched in her hand. Far below there were only water and water creatures who looked up as they swam.

      “Someone comes,” said the duck. «We must make room for her.”

   The great turtle swam up from his place in the depths. “There is room on my back,” the great turtle said.

     “But there must be earth where she can stand,” said the duck. So he dove beneath the waters, but he could not reach the bottom.

    “I shall bring up earth,” the loon then said and he dove, too, but could not reach the bottom.

    “I shall try,” said the beaver and he, too, dove but could not reach the bottom.

   Finally the muskrat tried. He dove as deeply as he could, swimming until his lungs almost burst. With one paw he touched the bottom and came up with a tiny speck of earth clutched in his paw.

    “Place the earth on my back,” the great turtle said, and as they spread the tiny speck of earth, it grew larger and larger until it became the whole world. Then two swans flew up and between their wings they caught the woman who fell from the sky. They brought her gently down to the earth where she dropped her handful of seeds from the Sky-World.

   Then it was that the first plants grew and life on this new earth began.

Tasks:

1. How does this tale interpret the beginning of  things?

2. What  role do the animals play in the creation of the earth? What animals are mentioned here? What is their habitat?

3. Is there any supreme power (God,  Deity, Creator) present in this tale? What is it called? Where does he live?

4. What role do the plants play in the creation?

5. Are there any exaggerations here?

6. What virtues are praised in the tale?

RAVEN  BRINGS  FRESH  WATER.

A tale of the Pacific Northwest people.

Retold by Fran Martin.

     In the beginning there was nothing but soft darkness, and Raven beat with his wings until the darkness packed itself down into solid earth. Then there was only the icy black ocean and a narrow strip of shoreline. But people came soon to live along the coast. And Raven felt sorry for them, poor, sickly things, who never had any sunshine. They lived by chewing on nuts and leaves, and crushed the roots of the alder trees for something to drink.

     I must help them, thought Raven, and he flew down to earth, calling, “Ga, ga, ga!” and gathered the people together. Like ghosts they were, shadowy and pale in the misty darkness.

     “Raven has come!” they told each other. “It is Raven-Who-Sets-Things-Right.”

     The poor things were encouraged, and they gathered round to see what he would do.

     Raven plucked a branch from an alder, and scattered the leaves on the surface of a pool. At once the leaves were sucked under, and the water started to bubble. After the pool had boiled for a moment, the surface cleared and fish began to jump there. So that was how Raven gave the people fish.

     But now that they had fish to eat, they were thirstier than ever. They called on Raven, and down he came, and the people said, “Here is Raven-Who-Sets-Things-Right.”

     Raven knew that there was only one spring of fresh water in all the world. A man named Ganook had built his house around it, and refused to give any away.

     Maybe, thought Raven, I can drink enough to carry some back to the people.

     So he went to the house and asked to come in, and Ganook was very glad to have his company. Raven sat down and made polite conversation, and pretty soon he asked for a drink of water.

      “Very well,” said Ganook grudgingly, and showed him the spring, a crystal pool welling up in a basin of rock.

       “Don’t drink it all!” Ganook warned him. “You know that’s the only fresh water in all the world.”

       Raven knew it well; that was what he had come for. But he said, “Just a sip!” and drank until he staggered.

      “Hold on there, Raven!” cried Ganook. “Are you trying to drink the well dry?”

     That was just what Raven was trying to do, but he passed it off lightly. He made himself comfortable close to the fire and said, “Ganook, let me tell you a story.”

     Then Raven started out on a long, dull story about four dull brothers who went on a long, dull journey. As he went along he made up dull things to add to it, and Ganook’s eyelids dropped, and Raven spoke softly, and more and more slowly, and Ganook’s chin dropped upon his chest.

     “So then,” said Raven gently, with his eyes on Ganook, “on and on through the long, gray valley through the soft, gray fog went the four tall, gray brothers. And now, snore!” And Ganook began to snore.

     Quick as a thought, Raven darted to the spring and stuck his beak into the water. But no sooner had he lifted his head to swallow than Ganook started up with a terrible snort, and said, “Go on, go on, I’m listening! I’m not asleep.” Then he shook his head and blinked his eyes and said, “Where are you, Raven? What are you doing?”

     “Just walking around for exercise,” Raven assured him, and back he went, and in a low, unchanging voice he went on with the long, dull story of the four brothers. No sooner had he started than Ganook began to nod, and his chin dropped down, and he jerked it back and opened his eyes and scowled at Raven, and nodded his head and said, “Go on! What next?” and his head dropped down upon his chest.

     “So on and on,” said Raven slowly, “over the hills, went the four tall, gray brothers. The air was thick and gray around them. Fog was stealing softly over the mountains. Fog before them, fog behind them, soft, cloudy fog. And now, snore!”

And Ganook began to snore.

     Quietly Raven slipped to the spring and, glub, glub, glub, he drank up the water until the pool was dry. But as he lifted his head for a last, long gulp, Ganook leaped up and saw what he was doing.

     “So, Raven!” shouted Ganook. “You think you can lull me to sleep and steal my water!”

     He picked up his club and started to chase Raven round and round the fire. Raven would run a few steps and flap his big wings and rise a few inches off the floor. Then with a last tremendous flap he went sailing toward the open smoke hole. But he has swallowed so much water that he stuck fast in the opening, and there he struggled, while Ganook shouted, “You squint-eyed Raven, I’ve got you now, Raven! You miserable thief!” And Ganook threw green alder logs on the fire and made a great smoke that came billowing up and almost choked Raven to death.

     Raven hung there, strangling and struggling, until at last he pulled free with a mighty wrench and went wobbling heavily off across the sky. He was so heavy he flew in a crooked line, and as he flew he spurted little streams of water from his bill. These became rivers, first the Nass and the Sitka, then the Taku and the Iskut and the Stikine. Since Raven flew in a crooked line, all the rivers are crooked as snakes. Here and there he scattered single drops, and these became narrow creeks and salmon pools.

     And so Raven brought fresh water to the people – but he bore the mark of that smoke hole ever after. He had gone to Ganook as a great, white, snowy creature, but from that day on, Raven was black, as black as the endless sky of the endless night.

Tasks:

1. What was there in the beginning?

2. How are people  portrayed in the tale?

3. What animal helps  the people? How is he portrayed?  What associations does it call in your mind? Is it the usual  way this animal portrayed in the folk tales and  myths? Could you recall any other stories  in which it plays an important role in the fate of the people?

4. How does the raven help  people? Why do they call him “Rave-Who-Sets-Things-Right”? Whom is this privilege  commonly attributed to?

5. Who is Ganook? Is it a human being or an animal? How is he presented?

6. The tale is full of contrasts: darkness of the world, emphasized by the blackness of the ocean -  the whiteness of the raven;  raven’s self-sacrifice and generosity  - and Ganook’s greed; the action which is now fast and dynamic and then is slow. What effect does it produce upon the reader? What thoughts does it bring to your mind?

7. Note the cases of  a) alliteration (“strangling and struggling”), repetition (“gray”, “dull”, “fog”), inversion (like “back he went”). Comment upon their use and say what effect they produce upon the reader.

8.Find the cases of onomatopoeia in the tale.

9.Did you like the tale? Why?

GRANDMOTHER  SPIDER  STEALS  THE  SUN.

    In the beginning there was only blackness, and nobody could see anything. People kept bumping into each other and groping blindly. They said, “What this world needs is light.”

    Fox said he knew some people on the other side of the world who had plenty of light, but they were too greedy to share it with others. Possum said he would be glad to steal  a little of it. “I have a bushy tail,” he said. “I can hide the light inside all that fur.” Then he set out for the other side of the world. There he found the sun hanging in a tree and lighting up everything. He sneaked over to the sun, picked out a tiny piece of light, and stuffed it into his tail. But the light was hot and burned all the fur off. The people discovered his theft and took back the light, and ever since, Possum’s tail has been bald.

    “Let me try,” said  Buzzard. “I know better than to hide a piece of stolen light in my tail. I’ll put it on my head.” He flew to the other side of the world and, diving straight into the sun, seized it in his claws. He put it on his head, but it burned his head feathers off. The people grabbed the sun away from him, and ever since that time Buzzard’s head has remained bald.

    Then Grandmother Spider said, “Let me try!” First she made a thick-walled pot out of clay. Next she spun a web reaching all the way to the other side of the world. She was so small that none of the people there noticed her coming. Quickly Grandmother Spider snatched up the sun, put it in the bowl of clay, and scrambled back home  along one of the strands of her web. Now her side of the world had light, and everyone rejoiced.

    Spider Woman brought not only the sun to the Cherokee, but fire with it. And besides that, she taught the Cherokee people the art of pottery making.

Tasks:

1. What is the tale about?

2. What animals are mentioned here? How are they portrayed? What good do they do to  people?

3. What associations does this tale  bring forth in you mind?

4. How does the tale explain the natural phenomena?

COYOTE  HELPS  DECORATE  THE  NIGHT.

Retold by Harold Courlander.

    In the beginning, before people came, there were only animals on the earth. It was the animals who arranged things. They all worked except Coyote. He was lazy. He merely watched. The other animals put the rivers where they are now, so that there would be water to drink. They put mountains here and there for beauty. They made trees and forests for shade. They made grass grow. They created the desert, putting down sand and all kinds of rocks, and then to make the desert attractive to look at, they painted the rocks pink and yellow and other colors. They caused cactus to grow, and put lakes in different places.

    They looked at what they had done and said, “It’s not enough.”  So they made mesas and canyons. They went on decorating the earth every way they could think of. And finally, when things were nearly finished, they did one more thing.  They made hundreds and hundreds of small, shiny objects with which they planned to complete their work. But they didn’t know what to do with them. Some said, “Put them on the mountains.” Some said, “Sprinkle them around the desert.” Some said, “Hang them in the trees.” They could not agree. So they left the pile of shiny objects on the ground and went home to sleep.

    While they slept, Coyote came to see what they had  been doing all day. He sniffed at the objects. He picked one up and examined it closely. “What is this?” he said. And seeing no use for it, he tossed it into the air. He picked up another and looked at it. “What is this good for?” he said. And he tossed it over his shoulder. Again he picked up one of the objects. “What is this supposed to be?” He threw it away in disgust. One by one he examined the shiny  things, and finding them not good to eat nor useful in any  way, he threw them into the air, until at last they were all gone.

     Then he looked up into the sky and saw them where he had thrown them, tiny spots of light in the darkness. This is how the stars came to be where they are. Coyote the busybody is responsible.

Tasks:

1. What role did the animals play in the creation of the world? Did they  make useful things only?  What arts were they engaged?

2. What animal created stars? How did he do it? Did he understand what he was doing?

Follow-up tasks:

1. What do these tales have in common?

2.  Could you recall any other tales by other nations that would explain the origin of things, emphasize the interrelationship of  Man and Nature,  have animals as the chief characters?

3.  Do these tales sound peculiar to you? In what?