# Recommend books / DVDs on Native American oral tradition

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-dvds-on-native-american-oral-tradition/511374>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 24, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-dvds-on-native-american-oral-tradition/511374 "2009-09-24T14:37:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lynne-42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lynne-42/32/3138_2.png) [@lynne-42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lynne-42)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2009, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-books-dvds-on-native-american-oral-tradition/511374/1 "2009-09-24T14:37:16Z")

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I would really appreciate any recommendations of good books or DVDs on Native American oral tradition, especially Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, Pueblo, Caddo and Ojibway, but don’t feel constrained to them if there is something particularly good you want to recommend.

My particular interest is in the way knowledge is encoded in oral tradition, especially the natural sciences. So I don’t want the simplified children’s stories, but material as close to the original as I can, given it is a totally different format. I realize this is not easy reading. Recommendation of any DVDs of ceremonies, dances, traditional songs and so on, would also be appreciated. I am very keen to find material along the same line as the Australian : [Yolngu DVD, Ceremony](http://www.filmaustraliaceremony.com.au/s2.htm) which records the preparations and performance of a major ceremony as explained by the Yolngu themselves.

If you are aware of mnemonic devices to the stories, I would really appreciate reference to them as well. So that adds Art to my list. I’ll be in the US in three weeks time, for a month’s research on oral tradition, but would like to be as aware as possible of what is around before I come.