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Indian Oratory Indian Oratory
Genre: Native American
Author: C. Vanderwerth, W.
Publisher:
Edition:
Pages: 0
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Media Format: Softcover
List Price: $0.00
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Summary
Indian Oratory - The oratory of a people reflects the major issues which concern them and the values which govern their decisions. In this time of renewed interest in American Indians, it is significant that little written record of their oratory exists, although Indians made much use of public address. Most of the accounts we do have are the heritage of the Indian's oral tradition. Some of the early white men who traveled and lived among the Indians left transcriptions of Indian tribal council meetings and speeches. From these scattered reports and the few other existing sources this book presents a reconstruction of contemporary thought of the leading men of many tribes. Here for the first time the Indians' speeches are brought together in one book. The collection affords us a vivid picture of the issues facing the Indians from their point of view, presented by their leaders, who sought first to accommodate-and finally to resist-the engulfing tide of an alien society. The conditions under which these speeches were delivered were generally adverse-the Indians usually at a decided disadvantage. The issues, as we see almost immediately, were not remote or abstract. They were of threatening and urgent concern-matters of life and death to a way of life as well as to individuals. Ultimately the question was whether to resort to forceful resistance or surrender a traditional way of life. Around the council fires tribal affairs were settled without benefit of the written word, and young men attended so that they could hear the speeches, observe their delivery, and consider the weight of reasoned argument. Speakers at tribal councils were men of eminence in war or council or both. They were also men of dignity and ability, well trained in the oral tradition. Their speeches, which would do credit to any Athenian orator, should dispel for all time the myth of the Indian as ignorant savage. That these eloquent, moving speeches were often made with telling use of wit and ...