The American Indian values the animals that have been given
to them by the Great Spirit, and for the tribes of the Great Plains region
there are two animals that are held above all else; the mighty buffalo that
provides their nourishment for survival and the Spanish horse that allowed for
the indigenous people to reach their full potential. These new creatures were
not native to the continent, but rather would brought to the land by foreign
invaders arriving from across the sea in search of golf and other treasures.
A Native American on horseback, a classic sight of the American Frontier
source: Wikipedia
I envision for this to be the opening paragraph followed by
a line break as I have inserted here moving forward into the main bulk of the
planned story. Greater depth could be added to the ongoing conflict that is
described as occurring between the Comanche and Ponca in the course of the
story. The description of the Comanche as “terrible fighters” is unclear and
could be interpreted in different ways by different readers. This ambiguity is
an area I believe needs to be addressed in one way or another before moving
deeper into the main arch of the story. Why do the Ponca decide to attack the
Comanche even after receiving aid from the opposing tribe in the form of horses
and training on how to properly ride? This portion of the story is asking for
more depth to be added, with perhaps a revenge theme or to defend the honor of
the tribe possibly. The story the way it sits is rather short and straight to
the point without too much information, even in situations where it would be well
suited. I plan to refrain from creating a main character for the story, preferring
to present it in a way that the readers are able to place themselves in the
narrative.
Bibliography: Myths and Legends of the Great Plains, Katharine Berry Judson (1913)
Hey, Cole! I think you're right about the ambiguity concerning the Comanche. When I saw "terrible," I thought of the Comanche as fighting dirty. However, like you pointed out, that could mean a lot of things depending on the context. Other than that, I think your story has great potential. Perhaps the Comanche gave the Ponca sickly horses? That's just one thought I had off the top of my head. Lastly, I think it's funny how the invaders came to the Americas in search of "golf." Haha
ReplyDeleteIt's really awesome that you have taken advantage of this story planning option! This sounds like a really great story. This is great questioning of the source story and the different interpretations that could be made. I look forward to reading the final outcome.
ReplyDeleteCole,
ReplyDeleteI really like that the invaders are another tribe. I feel as though we are so used to U.S. history, we forget about Native American history and if there every was trouble between tribes and how they were settled, especially when they spoke different languages. It’ll be interesting to see where this story goes I, too, would like to know why the Ponca attacked the Comanche after they helped them and if their intention was to throw them off from the beginning to make the attack easier. Good luck!