The beliefs and history of these amazing people is something that is always passed down in the form of oral tradition. This means that people in the Lakota culture will pass down these life lessons and vital information by telling stories, often around the fire, and usually it will be the elders telling the stories to the young ones. This might sound like a strange way to learn things for those of us who are more used to reading books or reading about them online, but when you consider how long these people's ways have endured for, there must be something to it that works well.
When settlers were coming to North America from Europe, they were not exactly sure what to do about all the troublesome people who already lived on this land and were very different from them. One of the ways that these Europeans tried to cope, besides just committing mass genocides, was to try to force these Native Americans to abandon their own traditional ways and start doing things the European way, which they considered civilized. In the process of doing this, they ended up destroying a lot of beautiful artifacts and traditions.
An encouraging fact for those who are proponents of oral traditions is that this is one that has withstood the test of time. Since it is brought to life by actual people rather than artifacts, the tradition stays alive as long as the people do. It is amazing how well this simple yet effective tradition has been.
When it is the wintertime, it is often too cold to get much done outside that is productive, and it is often too cold to even play or have fun outside. It is also darker for longer during this time of the year, so one of the only things to do is sit around the fire and hear what the elder folks have to say. This is the best time to hear the stories that these people will tell time and time again.
When a story is told to you over and over again, you tend to remember it a lot better. This is definitely the theory behind the oral tradition. The elders will repeatedly tell the same stories, much like most people's parents do, but in this case, it is intentional.
One of the older ways that these people would record a year in the life is with pictorial diagrams. Unfortunately, this was one of the many things that were destroyed by European settlers. It just goes to show how traditions other than oral ones are more vulnerable.
These people's oral tradition dates back as far as they do. This is the benefit of having a system that cannot be broken or lost. This is thanks, of course, to the devoted people who carry on the tradition.
According to their many stories, these people came into this world via a range of hills. The first people to arrive were turned into buffalo. After hearing this, you'll probably never look at that animal the same way again.
When settlers were coming to North America from Europe, they were not exactly sure what to do about all the troublesome people who already lived on this land and were very different from them. One of the ways that these Europeans tried to cope, besides just committing mass genocides, was to try to force these Native Americans to abandon their own traditional ways and start doing things the European way, which they considered civilized. In the process of doing this, they ended up destroying a lot of beautiful artifacts and traditions.
An encouraging fact for those who are proponents of oral traditions is that this is one that has withstood the test of time. Since it is brought to life by actual people rather than artifacts, the tradition stays alive as long as the people do. It is amazing how well this simple yet effective tradition has been.
When it is the wintertime, it is often too cold to get much done outside that is productive, and it is often too cold to even play or have fun outside. It is also darker for longer during this time of the year, so one of the only things to do is sit around the fire and hear what the elder folks have to say. This is the best time to hear the stories that these people will tell time and time again.
When a story is told to you over and over again, you tend to remember it a lot better. This is definitely the theory behind the oral tradition. The elders will repeatedly tell the same stories, much like most people's parents do, but in this case, it is intentional.
One of the older ways that these people would record a year in the life is with pictorial diagrams. Unfortunately, this was one of the many things that were destroyed by European settlers. It just goes to show how traditions other than oral ones are more vulnerable.
These people's oral tradition dates back as far as they do. This is the benefit of having a system that cannot be broken or lost. This is thanks, of course, to the devoted people who carry on the tradition.
According to their many stories, these people came into this world via a range of hills. The first people to arrive were turned into buffalo. After hearing this, you'll probably never look at that animal the same way again.
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