In contrast to
tales like Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, and some Cinderella
stories, Native American folktales seem to have a far less “fearsome” theme to
the concept of traveling into nature.
While both regions’ tales use going into the wilderness and surviving as
a rite of passage and growth, there is more willingness among the Native
American tales to do so. For instance, in
the “Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden” and “The Orphan Boy and the Elk Dog”
tales, the titled characters fearlessly embark on their journey out of their
village. Nature and the unknown is also
used to some characters’ advantage, like “The Flying Head” tale, where the
villagers hide outside of the village
because they know that something far more terrifying will be inside the village. Also in “How Mosquitos Came to be”, the hero
willingly sacrifices himself to the giant by lying outside of the village.
Native American Patterned Blanket
Comparable to "The End of the World" tale of the White River Sioux
Something else
notable between European and American Indian tales is the approach to women in
their societies. While in European
tales, women occupy either the devil-woman role (such as the evil step-mother
in a handful of tales) or the innocent virgin (usually the heroine, like Snow
White or Cinderella), the Native American tales have more of a sense of
equality between the two represented genders.
While tales like “The Orphan Boy and the Elk Dog” have a strong sense of
patriarchy, (“if you don’t do it, I’ll take a stick to you!”), the tale of “How
Men and Women Got Together” discuss the importance of both genders working
together to make a harmonious way of life.
“The End of the World Tale” also places the power of maintaining Earth
and life itself in the hands of a woman finishing a blanket. This reinforces the archetype of “Mother
Earth” in several cultures, not just Native American, but also contrasts with
the typical Christian-European beliefs in Revelations and the return of the male Christ.
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