Ancient Stories

• How is the language in these texts similar to and/or different from the language you use in everyday conversation?

      -It is very spiritual and talks about what high morals we should have. The language is similar to what our parents teach us and what we learn from church. Now, we don't talk as formal or spiritual as we once did. This language was something the native American's believed, as they felt they were one with nature and today's language is learned from media and Hollywood from our experiences with new technology.

• Because it began as an oral story, "White Buffalo Calf Woman" can be found in multiple text versions.  How important is it for a story to be repeated word for word?  Is meaning embellished, distorted, lost, or enhanced in the retelling?

      -Yes, it is very important if you repeat a story word for word.  When retelling a story it can be embellished, distorted, lost, or enhanced as the story is retold. For example, in grade school we played a game called "Telephone". In this game, when one person whispers something to another then repeats to the next, by the time you get to the last player the phrase or word is always different and loses it original meaning.