Week 9 Essay: Tejas Legends

I went to a high school that was once part of an Indian Reservation and took Native American History.  I hated it.  I was really not looking forward to this unit since I thought it was going to be the same thing but I actually really liked this unit.  The stories were much better than the one we read in high school.  I think we mainly focused on one tribe and one trickster for the year so I was tired of hearing all about him.  I liked that the Tejas Legends were all different and not about the same person over and over again.

These were all pretty sure and very easy to read.  I liked that the stories for the most part were creation stories.  It makes it more interesting to read I think.  I like reading different cultures' creation stories because they are all so different and unique.  I think that is what I was mostly expecting from this class overall.

My favorite stories this week were "The Maiden Who Loved a Star," "Why Irises Hold Hands," "The Cloud That Was Lost," and "The Plant That Grows in Trees."  In past units, I felt like a lot of the characters would do things selfishly or as a trick.  In "The Plant That Grows in Trees" I was surprised the bird was actually trying to look out for the plant and not put it in the tree for selfish reasons.  Same with "The Maiden Who Loved a Star."  I was surprised the witch didn't kill the young girl when she asked her too but gave her an alternate option that would keep her alive but just not in human form.

Overall, I really enjoyed the readings for this unit and am excited to see what the next unit will be like.

                                                        Image source: Un-textbook