ABSTRACT
Several North American Indian tribes produced narratives of epic proportions dealing with the mythic and historical past. These vary significantly in complexity of form and mode of presentation, ranging from sets of laconic oral formulae to historical epics of advanced prose or poetic form. Two types of subject matter, the chronicle (an annalistic sequence of discrete events) and the fabulistic (emplotted) narrative, are present. Oral presentation is frequently accompanied by a mnemonic aid, such as wampum or pictographs.
