Reading Questions

First, I'd like to say that I was absent yesterday, so I'm finishing this now. 

Navajo Origin:

1. The words were very descriptive. They allowed me to paint a picture in my head of what everything looked like; I felt like I could imagine what it would be like to be there while the story was happening. 

4. a) It starts out by the people washing themselves on the twelfth day, they then dry off with cornmeal (men with white, women with yellow). Four calls are then made to the four gods with each call being louder than the one before it. The gods appeared and brought with them buckskins and corn (one yellow and one white). The laid the corn inside the buckskins and put feathers (one yellow and one white) with the corn. The wind then blew and from it life was created from the corn. 

b) It tells me that the Navajo people participate in this ritual in order to remember the story of their creation. 

5. a) In the ceremony, the wind represents life and creates humans. Without the wind, they die. 

b) The wind's role contrasts to the roles of the other rituals by being necessary. The wind was necessary for life to happen while other parts, like the buckskins, were just for show. 

Iroquois Constitution

1. If I were a chief, I would be persuaded to join because this would give me and my tribe protection from war with any of these Indian tribes.

2. a) The lords plant 'the tree of the great peace' to commemorate their meeting.

b) the roots represent peace and strength. 

3. a) They must greet each other and express their gratitude.

b) the Iroquois are nice people and want to have peace and be friends with the other tribes. 

4. a) He uses a tree, an eagle, and deer antlers in the Constitution. 

b) It tells me that the Iroquois cultures as linked to nature and they, as a people, valued nature.

5. a) The qualities of conduct for a lord are obedient, good disposition, honest, and his actions shall be made with calm deliberation. The lord must also be filled with peace and want on,y good things for his tribe.

b) We want leaders like this to represent and rule us, but it is very hard to find people like this today. 

6. I believe in the ideas presented because I think that they are ideals that not only the leader should shar, but the people should share also. The ideas will only make for better tribes, it will not provide anything negative for the tribes, so I agree with it.