ESL Classes: Native American Materials
Myths, Legends & Story Telling

Myths, legends and story telling are predominant methods of handing down culture in Native American tradition. While not always so predominantly, these things are found in all cultures and societies. Joseph Campbell sees myths as "shape-shifting yet marvelously constant stories." In an interview with Bill Moyers on PBS (4/17/81) he further says, "Throughout the inhabited world, in all times and under every circumstance, the myths of man have flourished and they have been the living inspiration of whatever else may have appeared on the activities of the human body and mind. It would not be too much to say that myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human cultural manifestation. Religion, philosophies, arts, the social forms of primitive and historic man, prime discoveries in science and technology, the very dreams that blister sheep boil up from the basic magic ring of myth."

That's quite a lot of power to give to myth, but if what Campbell says is true, then although cultures and world order perceptions may separate us and cause states of liminality in trying to move from one to another, myths and stories may be the place where we are all joined to the "inexhaustible energies of the cosmos." The universality of these stories crosses the boundaries of culture and connects us on a deep level. The particularities of a story may be culturally bound, but the essence of the stories seems to recur in different guises across cultures, as does the story-telling tradition.

Within Native America, myths, legends and stories are time-honored methods for transmitting culture, religion and ethics to the members of the tribe and to the following generation. This oral tradition could be used effectively in an ESL classroom. I took some of my first-semester intermediate-level students to hear Georgiana Sanchez speak at Saddleback College's October 1997 "Humanities Hour." Professor Sanchez told stories, and although my students couldn't always understand all the words, they loved the stories. They remembered bits and pieces, props, her change in tone of voice, and the song that she hummed. They seemed to relate to her story-telling in a very profound, basic kind of way. I think for many students it "brought them home" to a sense of the universal. It felt familiar.

Some ways in which these stories could be used in an ESL classroom:

• Have the students read or listen to a story and analyze the elements in it.
• Let the students practice telling the story themselves, complete with voice changes and props (this would take some practice and coaching
• Videotape students telling stories.
• Let students build masks and use them to tell the stories. (This might prove to be a particularly effective method for getting shyer students to be dramatic, as I have found that when students can "hide" behind a different persona, they don't feel as personally threatened.
• Have students bring in stories of their own and compare them with the Native American stories, looking for common themes, for "shape shifting" of the same story between cultures.

Students could also dramatize and tell their own stories for the class. Moving away from myths and legends, the students could simply tell stories about their families, their ancestors. This might involve bringing in pictures, and interviewing older relatives and telling their stories.

There are numerous possibilities for ESL students here. The main problem I see would be in getting students to become dramatic story tellers. This would take time and patience, but being able to tell a story effectively in English would certainly boost their confidence in speaking. This material could definitely enhance an intermediate or advanced-level conversation or multi-skills class.

• The Maidu creation myth
• All Things are People
• Sun and Moon
• A Tale of Coyote

• Coyote and the Skunk