Chris Newton
Matt Gonzalez
Section: F: 2:00 – 3:00
5 October 2016
A Modernist Blending of Folkloric Archetypes:
Is There a New Cross-Cultural Tradition?
1.
Are there
entities or persons of trickery in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God? If so, are they Native or African
American tricksters? Or both?
2.
Is the
novel a work of purely African American Folklore?
3.
In what
ways do the different archetypes of the Trickster differ in moral agency?
The Trickster is a prominent archetype in
both Native American and African American Folklore. In each tradition, however,
the Trickster assumes distinctly different roles and appearances. The way in
which it appears distinguishes the purpose of trickery in the philosophy of
each culture. While the purpose of trickery differs in many ways, a similar theme
of a need for skepticism while maintaining an openness to uncertainty is nonetheless
present in each culture’s folklore.
In Native American Folklore, the Trickster
often assumes a fluid and transformative identity. Despite the archetype’s negative
connotation of deception, it is not proposed as deliberately repulsive and
unjust, nor is it deliberately admirable and just in the tales. This is
reflected by the myriad forms in which it appears, which often seem neutral: as
natural phenomena, animals, a cultural hero (which may not have traditionally
conceived heroic qualities), etc. The Trickster intends to contest the notion
of a wise or commonsensical response to preconceived patterns of thought by
continuously striving to stimulate confusion and chaos in its audience. The archetype’s
fluid identity and cunning actions may be perceived simultaneously as both
repulsive and unjust, as well as admirable and just, by its ability to provide
consolation in embracing the unknown (for malevolence can be learned from a
benevolent identity and vice versa). Its message is this: one learns most without
any preconceived assumptions of what is to come from uncertainty; one cannot pre-establish
certainty in the uncertain. In this way, its methods are uncomfortable yet
enduring, and always succeed in teaching a moral or behavioral lesson. The way
the Trickster transforms and the lessons it teaches provide a critique on the
reliance of identities as a credible source of knowledge. In the tales, the
Native American Trickster does not play or enact any specified role, nor
presuppose any specific purpose, and in this way cannot provide an affirmative
understanding of any genuine and stable point of reference in the various
identities it assumes; consequently, it denies the existence of a particular
quality that is capable of distinguishing disparate identities from one another
more generally.
African American Folklore also maintains the
archetype of the Trickster throughout many of its tales, although its
characteristics and method of deception are slightly different. The ability to
outwit and therefore employ uncertainty is largely writ in the archetype of the
African American Trickster. Rather than its appearance being fluid, however, it
often adopts an animal form, the most common one being Brer Rabbit. Eventually,
after the emancipation of African Americans from slavery, the animal character
became human in form. The message to be understood by the animal and the human
differs. When the archetype appears as an animal, the status it achieves is
earned solely by merit of its ability to win against its oppressors (in
whatever way competition arises) and to thus have power in an exclusively declarative
sense. In fact, a common theme that arose in African American Folklore, but which was not present in African Folklore
prior, is the reasoning behind why certain animals act the way they do (Britannica).
This may be extended to question the validity the power the animals are capable
of earning from their actions beyond mere declaration. However, when the
archetype appears in human form, themes of, “… virtue, power, honor, pride, and
benevolence determine status,” and a moral distinction between just and unjust
antagonists, not the trickster himself, becomes essential to the tale (Britannica).
The tricksters themselves appear as weak and amoral and are only reprieved of
these blemishes through the actions they perform to deceive their gullible
oppressors. In African American Folklore, trickery is a method of establishing
strength and achieving reward for this strength. It is a way of empowerment. The
pranks the Trickster plays aim to overexcite the anxieties of the tale’s
listeners, in order to inspire a calm sense of stability and assurance in those
aspiring to outwit a stronger authority figure.
Native American Folklore was not recorded in
print until the 1880’s while African American Folklore was not available until
the late 1800’s (and was only made widely available in the 1880’s). It is
interesting how the same archetype is present in two independently originating
cultures and how they became so prominent and embedded in each culture’s
teachings. Most striking is the difficulty of tracing the origin of the themes
attached to the archetypes in relation to time and space. As independently
developed oral traditions unrecorded
until the late 19th century, it seems troublesome to determine if
the themes arose before, during, or after the exploitation they faced by the
White Man, and if present before, what adaptations were made to these themes respectively,
and which are original to the cultures themselves.
Cunningham, David. African American Folktale. Encyclopaedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2016.
<https://www.britannica.com/art/African-American-folktale>.
Harris, Trudier. The
Trickster in African American Literature. TeacherServe, June 2010. Web. 6
Oct. 2016. <http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/freedom/1865-1917/essays/trickster.htm>.
Native American Mythology. Myths Encyclopedia, n.d. Web. 6 Oct. 2016.
<http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Mi-Ni/Native-American-Mythology.html>.
I find it so interesting that "western" culture always takes Folklore for granted. Folklore in Western Society is frowned upon and no one attributes any particularly folkloric meaning to things that science can explain. You mentioned how two fundamentally distinct cultures, formed on different continents had similar folkloric bases. This is fascinating. I couldn't help but think however that these folkloric traditions are also present in Pagan Culture in Europe. In Celtic tradition in Ireland and Scotland, there is the Leprechaun, in Italy there is the Buffardello, and I'm sure the image of the trickster is present in other cultures/countries as well. Folklore is all too often overlooked, but unjustly, because in the end its the basis of all culture. Really enjoyed reading your Blog Post Chris.
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ReplyDeleteI found your point of tricksters' capabilities to be both "repulsive and unjust, as well as admirable and just" interesting. These kinds of tricksters almost often appear as foils to the heroes of their folkstories. The gullible are tricked by the cunning, yet the wicked are stopped by the kind. Tricksters, it seems, only have one thing in common: cleverness. It is how they utilize this cleverness that paints the story. So, in a way, folklore about tricksters can also be viewed as not only stories of caution about cunning strangers, but also as examples of the different ways people use their ingenuity. What makes us human is not our ability to critically think, but our ability to use it in both harmful and beneficial ways.
ReplyDeleteHey Chris, I'm glad someone brought up folklore/mythology into this discussion (those are what I'm interested in). Native Americans believed that Raven or Coyote stole fire from the sun for humanity, both of them are tricksters. When we have tricksters who've fed humans -- what does that say about humanity? Is the negative connotation associated with trickery the same one that Native Americans used?
ReplyDeleteBut to answer your third question, I think that the tricksters do have some kind of moral agency, but that it isn't too relevant. Their sense of right and wrong does change between the stories, but they are not necessarily bound by it. If they do something pretty vile, it's called a trick, a joke. And the same thing happens for when they act righteous. The inner identities of the trickster shift so much that no one can tell when they are acting and when they are not. A good example of this would be Loki, sometimes he acts for Valhalla, and sometimes against it, and no one can tell where his true sense of right, wrong ang duty lies.
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteI thought your topic was interesting, especially considering the underlying issues that folklore brings into light. I had not considered the underlying issues or put much thought into it, but after reading your post, I found that folklore culture has many dimensions. The whole issue about representation as an animal versus a person is interesting to think about. I enjoyed learning about the "trickster" as well because I think that is a complex character full of fun and mischievousness, but the character also makes a statement about the society and views of those who are more radical.
Thank you for the article Chris,
ReplyDeleteIt has always been interesting to me when different cultures who have developed independently from each other create similar tradition and folklore. In this case, with the similar representation of the "trickster" archetype that is both present in Native American and African American folklore, the similarities reveal an insight about human beliefs. What struck me most was that both the Native American's and African American's depict this trickster archetype in a neutral light, taking into account that they both believed it is often best to approach the uncertain in a neutral light rather than directly opposing it or condemning it, much like how even our 'western' culture says we should approach the uncertain today.
Thank you for the article Chris,
ReplyDeleteIt has always been interesting to me when different cultures who have developed independently from each other create similar tradition and folklore. In this case, with the similar representation of the "trickster" archetype that is both present in Native American and African American folklore, the similarities reveal an insight about human beliefs. What struck me most was that both the Native American's and African American's depict this trickster archetype in a neutral light, taking into account that they both believed it is often best to approach the uncertain in a neutral light rather than directly opposing it or condemning it, much like how even our 'western' culture says we should approach the uncertain today.
I thought your post was very interesting; comparisons of folk tales between different cultures are insightful because it shows commonalities of human nature across cultures. I also thought it was interesting that the rabbit was considered the trickster in many African American folk tales because the fox, a predator of the rabbit, is often cast as the trickster of English and European fables. Thank you for your article!
ReplyDeleteI loved your post and class discussion. The existence of the trickster archetype is interesting, because it exists in many different cultural background and different types of folklore. I remember learning about the phenomenon of a "collective unconscious" in psychology awhile ago, and this certainly gives some agency to that idea. It gives a new perspective on human traditions everywhere.
ReplyDelete