If you have never heard of an oral tradition before, it is not very difficult of a thing to understand. All that you need to know is that it is a way of passing down histories and legends by means of storytelling, which is something that is done verbally. This is the way that many cultures have passed down their traditions and many other bits of vital information down the generations for countless years, and a prime example of this in action would be the lakota culture.
When settlers were coming to North America from Europe, they were not exactly sure what to do about all the troublesome people who already lived on this land and were very different from them. One of the ways that these Europeans tried to cope, besides just committing mass genocides, was to try to force these Native Americans to abandon their own traditional ways and start doing things the European way, which they considered civilized. In the process of doing this, they ended up destroying a lot of beautiful artifacts and traditions.
This is something that has lasted a long time. It is still alive to this very day, in fact, which is something that the people who are still living and teaching this lifestyle are certainly quite proud of. This is just a merit of how effective their oral tradition is, and that is why the people who carry it on are so serious about continuing it and not deviating from what their ancestors have done.
If you want to hear a story like this, it is probably best to be on the lookout when winter comes around. Traditionally speaking, this was the best time to hear stories because everyone would be huddled around a fire against the harsh cold. Since that's how tradition went, many people still like to do things the same way.
It might seem like the elders have a shortage of stories because they tend to repeat the same ones over and over again. This is actually something that is very intentional, though, because it helps the young ones retain the stories better. Otherwise, it would be hard for all the details to be passed down.
One of the older ways that these people would record a year in the life is with pictorial diagrams. Unfortunately, this was one of the many things that were destroyed by European settlers. It just goes to show how traditions other than oral ones are more vulnerable.
A great thing about these people's histories is that it goes all the way back to the beginning of time. This is the benefit of having a record of history that doesn't wear down with erosion. It can be a very interesting insight into ancient history.
An interesting story from these people is that the first of them to arrive in this world were actually tricked by a divine force. They were then turned into buffalo. It is an interesting origin story for an iconic creature.
When settlers were coming to North America from Europe, they were not exactly sure what to do about all the troublesome people who already lived on this land and were very different from them. One of the ways that these Europeans tried to cope, besides just committing mass genocides, was to try to force these Native Americans to abandon their own traditional ways and start doing things the European way, which they considered civilized. In the process of doing this, they ended up destroying a lot of beautiful artifacts and traditions.
This is something that has lasted a long time. It is still alive to this very day, in fact, which is something that the people who are still living and teaching this lifestyle are certainly quite proud of. This is just a merit of how effective their oral tradition is, and that is why the people who carry it on are so serious about continuing it and not deviating from what their ancestors have done.
If you want to hear a story like this, it is probably best to be on the lookout when winter comes around. Traditionally speaking, this was the best time to hear stories because everyone would be huddled around a fire against the harsh cold. Since that's how tradition went, many people still like to do things the same way.
It might seem like the elders have a shortage of stories because they tend to repeat the same ones over and over again. This is actually something that is very intentional, though, because it helps the young ones retain the stories better. Otherwise, it would be hard for all the details to be passed down.
One of the older ways that these people would record a year in the life is with pictorial diagrams. Unfortunately, this was one of the many things that were destroyed by European settlers. It just goes to show how traditions other than oral ones are more vulnerable.
A great thing about these people's histories is that it goes all the way back to the beginning of time. This is the benefit of having a record of history that doesn't wear down with erosion. It can be a very interesting insight into ancient history.
An interesting story from these people is that the first of them to arrive in this world were actually tricked by a divine force. They were then turned into buffalo. It is an interesting origin story for an iconic creature.
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