Native American Literature: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions #561

by Sean Kicummah Teuton

North American Indigenous literature began over thirty thousand years ago when Indigenous people began telling stories of emergence and creation, journey and quest, and heroism and trickery. By setting Indigenous literature in historical moments, Sean Teuton skillfully traces its evolution from the ancient role of bringing rain and healing the body, to its later purpose in resisting European invasion and colonization, into its current place as a world literature that confronts dominance while celebrating the imagination and resilience of Indigenous lives.
By the time Europeans arrived in North America Indigenous people already understood the power of written language and the need to transmit philosophy, history, and literature across generations and peoples. Seeking out multiple literary forms such as sermon, poetry, and novel to serve differing worldviews Indigenous authors have shaped their writing into North American Indigenous literature as we recognize it today. In this lucid narrative, Sean Teuton leads readers into Indigenous worlds. He describes the invention of a written Indigenous language, the first Indigenous language newspaper, and the literary occupation of Alcatraz Island. Along the way readers encounter the diversity of Indigenous peoples who, owing to their differing lands, livelihoods, and customs, molded literature to a nation's specific needs. As Teuton shows, Indigenous literature is one of the best places for understanding Indigenous views about land and society and the role of humanity in the cosmos. In turning to celebrated contemporary authors such as Thomas King, Leslie Silko, Sherman Alexie, Louise Erdrich, and James Welch, Teuton demonstrates that, like Indigenous people, Indigenous literature continues to survive because it adapts, both honoring the past and reaching for the future.
ABOUT THE SERIES:
The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literature, History, Indigenous, Cultural, Academic, Native American

176 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2015

Reviews

[Meike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot more informative than you would expect a "very short" intro to be!

[Craig Werner]

Beautiful introduction to a crucial body of literature. Teuton writes elegantly about the oral tradition, the grounding of Native expression in the struggle against colonialism, and the tension between cosmopolitan and nationalist currents in contemporary Native writing.

The only problem is signaled in the titled "Very Short."

[Freya Abbas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book. Definitely gives me a lot of ideas for further reading.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This VSI (Very Short Introduction) stimulates curiosity from its very title. One might be interested in, but not necessarily intrigued by, titles such as: “Native American Folklore,” or “Native American Mythology.” However, when one thinks of the world of Native American story and language-centric art, one is likely to first think of oral storytelling, and then, secondarily, about the immensely popular genre / commercial fiction of someone like Stephen Graham Jones. Even if one is aware of some of the Native American literary works that got widespread attention and praise, works such as Momaday’s “House Made of Dawn” or the poetry of Joy Harajo, one may wonder whether there’s the basis for such a broad overview style book.

That’s just the notion that this book seeks to challenge. That said, until the final two chapters, it doesn’t always feel like the topic is as advertised. That is to say, with the exception of chapter two -- which discusses the oral storytelling of various Native American tribes, much of chapters one through five is historical and cultural background designed to provide context for the creation of a Native American literary canon, but without talking about the canon’s components much. Some of the questions addressed include: how Native tribes came to written language, in general, and then to the English language, specifically; how self-image of tribal peoples shifted over time (and how that impacted the nature of written works;) the nature of various strains of Native literature (e.g. literature of resistance v. literature of assimilation, and so on.)

I learned a lot from this brief guide. I’m not going to lie, it does have some sections that are dry and quite scholarly, but it also raises some interesting ideas while introducing the reader to books that will be wholly unfamiliar to some and largely unfamiliar to most.

If you’re interested in how Native American literature came to be, I’d recommend one check it out.

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

What it says on the tin. I was curious to read what a short little book could say about Native American literature and I got what I wanted. It's a brief overview of literature in the Western/colonial sense (books, written works, etc.) as well as the oral traditions of Native peoples. This was definitely something I knew very little about so that was helpful.

That's all there is really to say about it. I was not familiar with many of the works Teuton mentions in the book so it was helpful to learn a little more about it. I think this was just about right for me, although I'd argue that maybe the format and the need to cram in as much information as possible in this style made it a bit choppy.

My first read of these types of "Very Short" introductions and I think this seems like a great series when you can't/don't want to read a humongous book but need something with greater detail than a magazine longread. A good library borrow but I suppose for a reference it's certainly an easy and portable buy.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to Native American Literature.