A Journey Through Texas.

This story was about a man named Alvar Nunez Cabeza who traveled through Texas with his three countrymen. He and his men traveled for three months. Alvar Nunez Cabeza met the natives as well as others in a few of the stories that we have read so far. The natives helped Alvar Nunez Cabeza and his men in various ways. They lead the men the sunset, where they would gather their prize. Throughout the voyage 8 natives that died. They most likely died because of an illness. Alvar Nunez Cabeza thought they died because they were afraid of him and his men. They all had so many things that differed from one another. For example their cultures were different. The natives dressed differently and thought differently about n how to live day to day life. The natives thought that if they planted maize that it would ruin their crops. The Spanish were looking for the maize the whole time and the natives were the ones that showed the Spanish how to find it, and after searching for about 17 days they finally found it.

Today we read a book about slaves, and the journey from Africa to America and some of the things that were going on in the salve ships. This story also talks about how the conditions of the ships were and some stories that he author saw on while on the ship. The story starts off when he was just a little boy and him and his sister got taken away by the white men. He was separated from his sister almost right away. He was only 11 years old when all this happened too. He told us how the conditions were very bad. There were way to many people on the ships so they were very crowded. Because the conditions were so bad that many of them got sick and some even died. But because many were getting sick and the space was so tight many others got sick because they were not getting treated. if someone got sick they might let them go on the deck for a little while and get some fresh air. they food was very scarce for the slaves and there were a few that even tried to escape off the slave ships. They would jump over board hoping that they would make it back to shore. When this would happen a few white men would take the smaller ships out and go after them, some would drown and one or 2 might make it back to the boat. When they would get back they would be beaten so bad that they would almost die. They did this to how the other slaves what would happen if they tried to do something like this too. The slaves on these ships were always getting beaten. If they were caught stealing like some in the story were caught stealing food, they were beaten very badly.

The Navajo Origin Legend

To me this story was kind of confusing i wasn’t sure what the author was talking about or trying to get into when i first started reading. As i kept reading i noticed that like the other stories this one to be showing how people thought that humans came about living on this planet. Most of the other stories though had some kind of lesson that the author was trying to point out. In this story i did not see a lesson trying to be pointed out. This story was talking bout how man and women were formed. The people in the story thought that man and women were made by the four Navajo gods. When the gods came down they preformed some type of ritual that in the end was the creation of man kind. But they did this with the help of the wind. They thought that if the wind hadn’t not done its role in making humans then we would not be what we are. After the wind blew and the man and women were created the gods told them that they shall now “live together now husband and wife. And when reading this story it relates to marriage today. When we get married the priest says something just like that.

When Grizzlies Walked Upright (:

To me this story was telling us how the people long ago who didn’t understand the way things were may have thought that the bears are they way they are and why Mount Shasta has those rocky paths. Many people in earlier times didn’t know how to explain the way things were why the world did some of the things that it did. So they would make up stories to tell their children and grandchildren so they could better understand the world they are living in. like most stories this one seemed to also have a point. i think that the point the author was trying to get across was that sometimes when you don’t listen to what you are told bad things will happen. Like the daughter didn’t listen to her father and she ended up getting blown away. Also i think that the author was trying to tell us that sometimes we let our minds get the best of us. We wonder a little too much and it leads us into trouble. When we are told not to do something because we could get hurt we have the tendency to do it anyways not really thinking that it will be "me" as the one who really get hurts. Like the grandmother bear she thought she would be doing a good thing she was thinking that the chief of sky would be happy to see his daughter and grandchildren but in the long run he wasn’t at all. He ended up killing the grandmother and cursing the grandchildren. He took his daughter away from her children and from then on made grizzle bears walk on all for legs and was unable to speak to humans. Also he separated the family from that day on the story told us that all the grizzly bears separated all over the world.

The Earth on Turtle's Back

While reading this book it seemed to be sending more of message that the reader is suppose to notice then just a regular story with and actual point. In this story the author talked about how the wife had a dream that the tree had been uprooted, so the husband had the men of the town try and uproot the tree. None of them were able to do it so the husband tried and finally got it. When the wife leaned over to look down the whole she saw something and slipped. She fell all the way down into the whole and landed with the water birds and animals. Some of the birds saw her falling from the SkyLand and decided to go and help her. They noticed right away that she wasn’t one of them. At first they weren’t sure what to do with her. Then one of the animals said that they heard that there was earth under the water. So over and over again the animals attempted to go down and grab this “earth" that they heard was down there. All the animals that tried were strong and were not too devoted to getting the earth they just tried but didn’t try their best. Then as they were all getting ready to give up they heard someone say that they were willing to try it and they would do anything to get "earth" or they would die trying. This was said by a tiny muskrat. Unlike the other animals that were all strong and could not to it the tiny little muskrat tried and got a piece of earth. She was very tired and was in desperate need of air, her lungs were on the verge of collapsing. Then she finally got to the surface and the animals put the piece of earth on the turtles back that stepped up and was willing to help the sky women. To me this story seemed like it was trying to tell the reader that just because you’re strong and big doesn’t mean that someone who is tiny can’t do the same things. Also that someone who is tiny can have more courage than someone who is big and strong, and in the end that is was got the world started. The turtle played a roll in this story to i thought because the world evolved over a long period of time, like the way in which a turtle moves. The turtle was symbolizing how "earth" began.

First Voyage To America

Christopher Columbus sailed took sail on October 21st 1492. Some of the characters that where mentioned in the story are Christopher and his crew members. The setting is most important because it tells the reader how and where he landed when he. he sailed there. When they arrived at the island it looked like everyone fled in terror. So, they kept exploring until they came across the Native Americans. They met the Natives while they were in search for water. The Native Americans were very nice to them. They asked for good water while Christopher gave them glass. After they talked to the Natives for a while, they decided to get back on the boat to go find the king. They wanted to go see the king to get gold because he heard that the king had plentiful amounts of gold. That is about the Journal of Christopher Columbus.