Terms for Discussing Native American Literature
oral tradition = the
spoken culture and history of people, passed
down from one generation to the next
myth = an explanatory story about how gods, customs, the world, animals, or events began
metaphor = a direct comparison of two things which seem to be different but which have similarities
(Example: The snow is a white blanket covering the ground. A blanket is
warm and snow is cold, but both cover things)
rhythm = a pattern of sound
onomatopoeia = the creation or use of words which imitate sounds (Ex: pow, buzz)