SYMBOL AND ITS FORMS IN THE NATIVE AMERICAN TEXT: THE MAP OF MISREADING

From the pre-Columbian era up to the late XIXth century, Native American literature existed primarily as an unwritten and anonymous oral tradition. The enduring strength of this oral tradition and a firm commitment to ancestral roots led to significant intertextuality in the literature from the early U.S. period, contributing to its rich symbolism. Arnold Krupat argues that even modern, complex Native American works often maintain ties to or can be shaped by oral traditions, spirituality, and relationships with the land, which function in ways distinct from the dominant culture’s focus on written texts. [5].