The primary objective of this M. A. thesis is to correct some false assumptions found in both older and more recent secondary literature on North American Indian narratives. Many folklorists base their folktale criteria on terms of cultural differences instead of similarities which results in an ethnocentric point of view that holds the Grimms' Kinder- und Hausmarchen as a standard against which all other folktale collections falls short. If we want to strive for a world view that will embrace all types of literature, while respecting the individuality of each culture, then we must focus on the essential similarities among world literatures and not the differences. The purpose of using another culture as a comparison, such as that of the North American Indians, is to question the ethnocentric definitions of folktales and fairy tales which have often been too rigid. Perhaps those cultural values exhibited by North American Indian folktales could prove to be beneficial to the world's multi-cultural society, in that these values could enrich and rejuvenate some Western values, such as respect for animals and the environment. These values may offer solutions to urgent contemporary world problems. Through a comparative analysis of the animal suitor motif found in the Grimms' fairy tales and North American Indian folktales, I hope to call attention to the stark cross-cultural similarities in universal folklore and to bring to light the multiplicity of cultural values which are deeply rooted in fairy tales and folklores around the world.

The Okanagan Indians classify their folklore into three states: (1) animals only in the area (2) animals and humans living harmoniously (3) animals and humans hunt and kill each other. Word counts were done on 55 stories and distance and other coefficients were calculated between pairs of stories. Cluster analyzes on the matrix of distances attempted to determine if the classifications could be arrived at methodologically. Analyzes used were Factor Analysis, Smallest Space Analysis, and Hierarchical Clustering. Results were mixed, and some techniques of Hierarchical Clustering separated the stories into the three categories. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

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The body` of criticism concerning N. Scott Momaday's House Made of Dawn demonstrates a lack of material dealing with the ramifications of the Priest of the Sun's sermon which examines the "Word" of St. John. This thesis explores what is meant by St. John's Word, and how this Word relates to Momaday's novel as a whole. Momaday, through Tosamah, the Priest of the Sun, claims modern society is being overloaded with meaningless words. The Word, in its pure form, is connected to the Native American oral tradition and Momaday's belief that words are powerful when they are used in a traditional manner. The context of language is shown to be an important element in this novel, as the topic of Native American assimilation into white culture is discussed. / Department of English

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