Native American Folklore

My newest obsession has been Native American Folklore. I find it absolutely fascinating; the beliefs, the morals, the ways they solved problems, it's completely exotic to me. This is one of my favorite myths, describing how the lakes and tribes were formed, and the reasoning behind it.

Coyote and Wishpoosh

from the Chinook tribe 

retold by

S.E. Schlosser 

Now Wishpoosh the monster beaver lived in the beautiful Lake Cle-el-lum which was full of fish. Every day, the animal people would come to the lake, wanting to catch some fish, but Wishpoosh the giant beaver drove them away with many threats and great splashing. If they refused to leave, Wishpoosh would kill the animal people by dragging them deep into the lake so that they drowned.

Coyote was very upset at Wishpoosh for the way he treated the animal people. Coyote decided that he would kill the monster beaver and so he went to Lake Cle-el-lum with his spear tied to his wrist and started to fish. As soon as Wishpoosh saw this upstart person invading his territory, the giant beaver attacked. Coyote threw the spear and it pierced the beaver. Immediately, Wishpoosh dove to the bottom of the lake, dragging Coyote with him.

Well, Coyote and Wishpoosh wrestled and tugged and fought each other at the bottom of the lake until the sides gave way and all the water rushed out, pouring out over the mountains and through the canyons until it collected in Kittitas Valley and formed another, larger lake. Coyote and Wishpoosh burst forth into the new lake, shouting and wrestling and fighting each other with renewed vigor until the second lake gave way and the water rushed out, joining in with the waters of several rivers to form a massive lake at Toppenish.

Wishpoosh the monster beaver would not give up the fight. He bit and clawed at Coyote and tried to drown him in the massive lake. Coyote fought back fiercely, and at last the massive lake gave way, the water roared down into the meeting place of the Columbia, the Yakima, and the Snake, where it dammed up into a lake so huge none has ever seen its like before or since.

Coyote and Wishpoosh dragged at each other, pulling and tugging and ripping and biting until the dam gave way and a huge wave of water swept down the Columbia River towards the sea. Coyote and Wishpoosh were tumbled over and over again as they were swept down river in the mighty wave of water. Coyote grabbed bushes and rocks and trees, trying to pull himself out of the massive wave. By these efforts was the Columbia Gorge was formed. But Coyote could not pull himself out of the great wave and so he tumbled after Wishpoosh, all the way to the bitter waters at the mouth of the river.

Wishpoosh was furious. He was determined to beat this upstart Coyote who had driven him from his beautiful lake. The giant beaver swept all the salmon before him and ate them in one gulp to increase his strength. Then he swam out to sea with Coyote in pursuit. The monster beaver threw his great arms around a whale and swallowed it whole.

Coyote was frightened by this demonstration of the monster beaver's strength. But he was the most cunning of all the animals, and he came up with a plan. Turning himself into a tree branch, Coyote drifted among the fish until Wishpoosh swallowed him. Returning to his natural form, Coyote took a knife and cut the sinews inside the giant beaver. Wishpoosh gave a great cry and then perished.

Coyote was tired after his long fight with the monster beaver. He called to his friend Muskrat, who helped drag the body of Wishpoosh to shore. Coyote and Muskrat cut up the giant beaver and threw the pieces up over the land, thus creating the tribes of men. The Nez Perce were created from the head of the giant beaver, to make them great in council. The Cayuses were created from the massive arms of Wishpoosh, in order that they might be strong and powerful with the war club and the bow. From the beaver's ribs, Coyote made the Yakimas and from the belly the Chinooks. To make the Klickitats, Coyote used the beaver's legs, so that they would become famous for their skill in running. With the leftover skin and blood, he made the Snake River Indians who thrived on war and blood.

Thus were the tribes created, and Coyote returned up the mighty Columbia River to rest from his efforts. But in his weariness, Coyote did not notice that the coastal tribes had been created without mouths. The god Ecahni happened along just then and fixed the problem by assembling all of the coastal tribes and cutting mouths for them. Some he made too large and some he made crooked, just as a joke. This is why the mouths of the coastal tribes are not quite perfect. 

As you can see, the Native Americans are full of humor, wit, generosity, and knowledge.  Native American myths always make me question where people do come from because although their legends seem far-off, they always have a reason behind them.

LFA vs. TFIOS

John Green. We all know and love him. The first book I read of his, Looking for Alaska, proved to be the greatest book I had ever read. Some time went by, and I had eventually read all of his published books. AND THEN- TFIOS. The Holy Grail of Holy Grails. The book of all books. The only book I have ever tracked and anticipated for MONTHS. And I cried. Well, I sobbed. It was beautiful: the way it was written, its message, the characters, the love- all of it.

In Frankum's class we have Reading Mondays. When we first started, someone had stolen LFA before I could, so I settled for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian- a classic. Once Looking For Alaska was free, I jumped on the opportunity to grab the book. I finished the book in three Reading Mondays because it had been such a favorite of mine. But, once I thought about it, I decided it was no longer my favorite book ever. It was no longer my favorite John Green book anyone, too. Actually, it is now almost at the bottom of my John Green Book list. Let's figure out why, shall we?

The characters: developed, thoughtful, funny, but surprisingly vulgar. I'm a teenage girl. Vulgarity is what I rely on to keep my sanity. However, the entire Thanksgiving chapter dedicated to porn with surprisingly detailed descriptions of..well... all of it, bothers me. I guess I found it funny the first time I read it, but not anymore. Now it just seems immature. And, while on the topic of immaturity, the language Green decided to use also bothers me now. It didn't when I first read the book because it seemed fitting to the characters which were my age at the time. This time around, the language seemed very drastic, and, while fitting to the characters, seemed over-the-top inappropriate. I understand teenagers throw the F-word around, as well as synonyms to the words poop, pee, and butt. That being said, Green overused his ability to give his characters the freedom to curse aloud. Finally, the book didn't flow. I am honestly upset saying it, but it's true. The transitions were poor, the dialogue was choppy, and the thought processes seemed to have been written by someone who desperately wants to become a writer. So, that being said about LFA, let's discuss TFIOS.

The characters: beautiful, inspired, witty, confused, funny, the list can go on and on. The language: crude when necessary, beautiful always, funny constantly, and thoughtful consistently. The story: captivating. Inspiring. Tear-jerking. Let's be honest, this is the only book that has ever made me cry. I cried for CHAPTERS. The twists and turns of the characters emotions made me question everything I stand for. I'm not a hero. Neither are they. And yet they seem POWERFUL. Hazel is my best friend and August is the boy I know I will one day meet and fall in love with. It's inevitable. They collectively stir up emotions we didn't even know we had.

 All of this is true. It is all wonderful. John Green wouldn't be a renowned author if he didn't improve. He wouldn't have received all of the awards he has and all of the publicity that he has if he wasn't WONDERFUL. So, no, I am not completely trashing LFA. I am discussing the wonders of improvement and my love for a man who is never allowed to stop writing and publishing his art.

Mother

"Stop crying, your face will run!"
The irony of the geisha world will forever remain a mystery to me. This quote embodies the true aspects of geisha: your face is not your face; your makeup is your face. Your Mother is your controller until she dies or until you do (socially, that is). Your Sister is the only one who matters, "If your honorable sister tells you to cut your leg, you cut your leg." And if you are publicly humiliated by a neighboring geisha, it is your duty to take revenge.
Memoirs of a Geisha is one of my favorite novels. The thing that really gets me is all of the metaphors. They take over the entire story. What woman is genius enough and smart enough and beautiful enough to be interviewed sixty years after the fact and STILL remember all that had happened to her?  A genius woman, that's who.
This novel was written by a Jewish boy from New York about the life of a real geisha.  Her memories are tapped into and expressed in a way that cannot be mistaken for any but her own. She refused to have the book published until after her death, but the beauty of the novel is the fact that it is written in such a modern way, you assume this character has been alive since the beginning of time and is immortal. Once you finish the book, you want to run to NYC to her little restaurant and meet her and tell her how wonderful of a woman she is, but you can't.  This was the hardest realization for me to grasp after I finished this novel.  I wanted to meet this magnificent woman, but she has been gone for many years now.
It doesn't matter- I've met this woman many times throughout her life, seeing in on how everything is going. It's a relief to know that I can meet her anew every time I open the book.

The Utterly Honest Journal of a Temporary Native American

So, I read this book in probably seventh grade for the first time. I thought it was utter genius. I read it again this year about three weeks before Christmas because I needed a book to read for Reading Mondays in Creative and Critical. I could not believe I forgot how good this book is. I mean, what teenager doesn't want to read about bulimic girls and bullying best friends, silent-to-violent basketball games, and cutting an Indian's ponytail off (NEVER cut off an Indian's ponytail, it is their pride and joy. They actually WASH them).
To be honest, my favorite aspect of the entire book is the cartoons. They progressively get better throughout the novel and each one brings more and more sarcasm to the situation. I mean, what teen would draw a cartoon of a special guest at his grandmothers FUNERAL just to mock him. One who has no shame.
In the end, the boy gets the girl, the family becomes rich, the sister becomes successful, and the grandmother comes back to life.
Nah, I'm totally kidding.
I suggest this book to all people who want a quick read with lots of pictures. I promise you won't feel like a first grader looking at a picture book full of racoons. These pictures are MUCH more entertaining than racoons.

Bobo, the Lovable Primate

"Bobo came with us, of course.  He got into more trouble over the years than all the kids put together, but we loved him just the same."
Bobo is a monkey; a chimp, to be more specific.  He works on a circus, obviously because he is brilliant.  The speaker has five children, so to combine the trouble they all got into and have that still not add up to Bobo's shenanigans really says something about the lovable primate.
Can you imagine being the vet of a circus, making your rounds every day to the same animals, and falling inlove with a monkey and an elephant? I wish I could.

Every day, Bobo and I would take a stroll through the menagerie.  He would either be attached to my hip or holding my hand, like my own child did.  His little almost-human hand fit perfectly in mine, even though it was always leathery.  When Marlena was on my mind, Bobo would always stare up at me with his too-human amber eyes, sensing my pain and frustration.  Pre-stampede, he laughed at me.  He just laughed and laughed and laughed.  Apparently, when you are hungover, it affects your work to the point of being laughed at by a monkey and sprayed with water by a giggling elephant.  Post-stampede, the poor fellow trembled for days.  When Marlena and I broke him out of his cage before leaving the circus, his grin was from ear to ear.  He knew.  He always knew.

The Elephant

Continuing the theme of necessities, being waited upon is not one of them.  Being a waiter myself is the perfect example.  I serve the elderly, so maybe that's not the best example. Some of the residents aren't able to get up on their own, or have to use a scooter.  Being the twenty-two year old I am, I can never picture myself in an old-folks home.  Senile and wrinkly people belong there, and I am neither of those things nor will ever be those things.  I will never have Dumbo- esque ears, I will never allow my neck be as long as a turkey's gobbler.
Imagine seeing things familiar to you as a boy, then seeing them again seventy years later.  Would the colors be different because of poor eyesight, or have the colors really just changed?  Would the smells be the same, or would there be any smell at all?  What about the other senile and wrinkly people? Will they understand what I am going through because it's a generational thing, or will they all look at me like I'm an old bat?

This entry will have to wait to be continued, it is time for me to water the elephant.

Hollow Sounds

So, I technically already have a blog.  It's full of poetry that I had forgotten about until, well, now (A side note to Mrs. Healey- it may or may not contain words you would not say in church but they were written a really long time ago). 
I don't really know how to blog.  I mean, on tumblr you just write what you're feeling, I guess, but I don't have a tumblr so I wouldn't know. I guess this blog has a special purpose, because we are, in fact, a special class of AP Lit students. We are, in fact, the only class of AP Lit students. Regardless, the moral of this story is that I am inexperienced at blogging and this first post is just running around in circles.
Fini.