Navajo poetry : an honors thesis [(HONRS 499)]

The purpose of this paper is to provide tack ground information for a two week unit of study to acquaint high school students with America's first poets, the American Indians, I have selected the writings of the people who call themselves the Dine; they are known as the Navajo to the white man. The spelling of the official name for this tribe varies from Navaho to Navajo. To avoid confusion, the word will be spelled as Nava o. This is the form that the majority of North American Indian publications have adopted. The Navajos lend themselves to a comprehensive study of poetry due to their interesting culture, beautiful songs and verses, and their large population in the Southwest. There are many possibilities for this topic to be integrated with the history and/or art programs in the high school. It is my hone that each student will be able to identify with several universal truths found within Mankind by studying one specific tribe of North American Indians.I have developed long term goals for the study of Navajo poetry, After I teach this unit for a few years and continue my research, I would like to develop a teaching packet for school systems across the country to employ. I will attempt to work with organizations such as The National Geographic or the Navajo Community College Press to produce films, filmstrips, books, and pamphlets to convey the magic of Navajo poetry. It is my firm conviction to give American high school students at least a glimpse of the literature and artistic genius of America's first poets. The American Indian deserves recognition in this area.Honors CollegeThesis (B.?.