Twbtg2:Abstract

Native American culture is rich with storytelling, spirituality, and tradition. Historians, folklorists, and scholars in the field of Oral Tradition have collected, transcribed, and recorded performances from many tribes and peoples including Zuni, Yokuts, Miwok, Kalispel, Crow, and many more. Although there are a multitude of tribes, resulting in a multitude of oral traditions, there are many similarities between the story telling techniques, content, and characters. One type of story that is seen in multiple traditions is that of the trickster. The content on this wiki is dedicated to create an explanatory and interactive experience to learning the histories, functions, and importance of these stories.

The three Approaches to Oral Poetry will be utilized on a handful of stories. The Ethnopoetic approach will explore the structure of some tales, such as how Dennis Tedlock's Finding the Center. Performance Theory will attempt to uncover the keys to performance of the traditions, which can highlight similarities and differences in Native American cultures which are often lumped into one being. Finally the Immanent Art approach will explain how the words mean what they mean by exploring the registers of the traditions, as well as look at the performance arenas of the different traditions.

The internet, like Oral Tradition, allows for many different routes to the same place. With that in mind, this wiki has many links on each article, providing many options of where to navigate. There is no designated page-by-page route that will be suggested, but a table of contents, list of all related articles, and a list of suggested routes exist if you want any guidance. If you get lost, a navigation bar at the bottom of each article will provide you with a variety of options, and clicking the OT Wiki logo in the upper left corner of the website will bring you back to the homepage. A summary of the sources exists for those interested in further reading of where some information originated.

Lastly, this is a wiki. Anyone can edit an article if they like, and discussion is suggested (click on the "discussion" tab on the top right of each article.) Some pages may be locked to protect certain aspects of this project.