NATIVE AMERICAN VERBAL ART

3 kinds of verbal art      1. poetry / song / verse

                                    2. tales

                                    3. oratory

* POETRY *  See also ORAL POETRY  & ORATORY

Traditional Oral Poetry

     FORM:

• often sung

• involves: repetition & parallelism

• Language simple but powerful

    IMAGERY:

• A Reflection of the traditional world, worldview, values, spirituality, etc.

• Often emphasizes the goodness of the world, how to be healed, how to succeed in hunting or in war, connection to and knowledge of Nature

 Contemporary Poetry

    FORM:

• No longer sung (although it may be)

• Modern poetic format

• Language  (English) more complex

• Often echoes traditional forms

     IMAGERY:

• Also a reflection of values, concerns, worldview

• Still often Nature Based (also deals with issues of poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, relationships, things that order this world)

• Sometimes consciously harkens back to traditional themes

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