Native American cultures have a long tradition of storytelling that is passed down from generation to generation. Legends and myths are traditional stories that help explain cultural history and beliefs. They often explain events in the natural world, such as the origin of the earth, animals, and humans or the change of seasons. And they create a common ground within each culture by providing a shared set of values and life lessons. These stories were not written in books. Sometimes illustrations were recorded on birch bark scrolls (свитки бересты или коры березы), animal hides or stones. But most myths were passed down by word of mouth. Each tribe had a storyteller who was responsible for communicating the myths to the next generation. It was an honored position. Today we can tell a lot about the early cultures by the stories that are still being told. The most famous Iroquois stories are “The Iroquois creation story” and “The sun and the moon”.
- Iroquois creation story
Задание 1: Послушай легенду о создании ирокезов. Отработай беглое чтение легенды и сделай устный перевод.
The story illustrates the importance of animals in Iroquois culture. Animals were very important and respected in Native American culture, as they provided guidance and protection to humans or they were responsible for the creation of North America. It also presents a set of values for Iroquois people. It explains the nature (origin of many plants and animals, as well as natural phenomena), history, and teaches a lesson about good and bad.
Long before the world was created, there was an island floating in the sky (the paradise). This where the sky people lived quietly and happily. One day the sky woman realized she was going to give birth to twins. When she told her husband the Great Spirit, he became very angry. He pulled the celestial tree on the island out of the ground. When the sky woman looked into the opening left by the tree, her angry husband pushed her into the great hole. She felt toward(s) the waters that covered the earth below. But two birds saved the sky woman. They took her to the water animals. The water animals were determined to help the sky woman and used mud from the ocean floor to create land on the back of a turtle. The mud grew and grew until it became North America. The woman stepped onto the land. Then she created the sun, moon, and stars.
When the sky woman had her twins, one son was good, but the other bad. The good brother creates many things such as plants and animals for the people to eat. But his brother would always attempt to undo his good work. The good brother made the tall and beautiful trees, but the bad brother put moraines [məˈreɪn] (морена, ледниковое отложение) and nuts in their trunks and covered some with thorns and poisonous fruits. The good brother made a bear and a deer, the bad brother made venomous [ˈvenəməs] animals (ядовитые животные) like lizards and snakes. The good brother made beautiful rivers, but the bad brother pushed in turn rocks into the rivers creating a swift and dangerous current. When the bad brother created winter, the good brother gave it life-creating spring. This explains the change in seasons. Eventually, the brothers fought, and the bad brother was defeated. He was forced to live on the turtle’s back and sometimes he makes his anger known by forming a volcano.
Today some people dismiss legends as simple attempts to explain science, history and the belief system. But with these stories, people are able to keep their traditions alive for many generations.
Существуют и другие версии данной легенды. Посмотри видео ниже.
При подготовке к пересказу в помощь пользуйся подборкой картинок об истории создания ирокезов.
- The story of “The sun and the moon”
Задание 2. Послушай легенду, объясняющую борьбу противоположностей на примере Солнца и Луны. Подумай и приведи другие примеры противоположностей на английском языке. Свои ответы опубликуй в комментариях ниже.