Literature emerged as a way for people to describe what they held dear and what constituted a significant part of their lives. Many nations developed their art to convey their values and reflect their worldview, and Native Americans were no exception. Indigenous people had established their oral traditions before Europeans arrived in America. Two Native American songs that have survived to the present day are the “Cherokee War Song” and “Lenape War Song.” These pieces of oral poetry help shed light on indigenous people’s outlook. An analysis of these poems shows that the key values of the speakers are loyalty to their nation, family, and religion.
The two songs show that Native Americans had a patriotic attitude toward their tribe. In “Cherokee War Song,” the speaker says that indigenous people were going to wage war “to meet our country’s foes” (Levine 56). It suggests that defending their nation was one of their core values, and they fought bravely for the sake of their nation. Likewise, in “Lenape War Song,” the speaker describes himself as a “creature” whose life does not belong to himself because he “tries to do his duty / For the welfare of his nation” (Levine 57). The two poems demonstrate that Native Americans were willing to sacrifice themselves because they were loyal to their nation.
Although indigenous people were ready to give their lives for their nation, they also cared about their relatives and worried about what would happen to them in case of their death. This is clear in “Cherokee War Song,” in which the speaker thinks about his family after expressing his concern about the possibility of falling victim to war: “Farewell, ye little ones, ye tender wives, / For you alone we would conserve our lives!” (Levine 56). In “Lenape War Song,” the narrator also frets about the possibility of not seeing his relatives again after the battle: “And know not whether I shall return, / To enjoy the embraces of my children / And my wife” (Levine 57). Thus, both poems show that Native Americans highly valued their families, and the potential impossibility of returning to them seems to be the only circumstance that darkened their view of war.
Finally, the two songs emphasize that Native Americans appreciated religion. In “Cherokee War Song,” the audience learns that indigenous people believed in the afterlife: “But cease to mourn, ’tis unavailing pain, / If not fore-doom’d, we soon shall meet again” (Levine 56). This quote shows that Native American warriors discouraged their families from mourning because they believed that they would reunite after death. The poem “Lenape War Song” demonstrates another aspect of Native Americans’ religion. It refers to the Great Spirit, which is the supreme being that was thought to have created everything and have the ability to intervene in people’s lives. In this poem, the speaker asks the Great Spirit to “take pity” on him, his children, and his wife by giving him the strength to fight his enemies and letting him return home alive (Levine 57). Hence, religion was important for Native Americans because it gave them hope. They thought that death was not the end of everything and that there was a supernatural force that could help them overcome hardships.
In conclusion, the two pieces of Native American oral literature reveal that indigenous people valued their nation, families, and religion. Their loyalty to their nation was demonstrated by their willingness to wage wars against their tribe’s enemies. Native Americans’ appreciation of kinship was evidenced by their worries about the possibility of being killed and never seeing their families again. Finally, they valued religion because they believed in the afterlife and the power of the Great Spirit.
Work Cited
Levine, Robert S., editor. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Vol. A+B, 9th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2016.