National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar for College Teachers
American Indian Literatures: Oral and Written
June 19-August 11, 1989
Directed by A. LaVonne Brown Ruoff, Department of English
Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, this seminar will focus on American Indian oral and written narratives. The group will study the following topics: 1) The structures and cultural contexts of oral literatures, including such myths types as creation, earth diver, culture hero/trickster/transformer, Orpheus, star and animal husbands. 2) Autobiographies as examples of the transition from oral to written literature in English. 3) Incorporation of oral traditions into twentieth century fiction. Authors to be covered include William Apes, George Copway, Sarah Winnemucca, George Eastman, John Matthews, D’Arcy McNickle, N. Scott Momaday, Leslie Silko, and James Welch.
Guest speakers:
Gerald Vizenor (Ojibwa)
Roberta Whiteman (Oneida)
