CHIMING THE NATIVE WOMAN AND THE SACRED BISON: UNTANGLING THE MEANING OF MYTHICAL CREATURES WITH RESPECT TO ELINOR IN LYNDA A. ARCHER’S TEARS IN THE GRASS

The defining character of aboriginal cultures is their belief in the sacredness of both the living and non-living things in nature. Myths and legends play an important role in shaping the belief system of these people towards land and its beings. When talking about land, aboriginal women take an upper hand as they are the ones who lives in close proximity with nature, its beings and the mythical stories associated with it. Linda A. Archer's Tears in the Grass has a ninety-year-old Cree woman as the protagonist. The novel is filled with images and symbols from nature that become the milestone of Canadian native mythology which is long being forgotten by the present generation of Canada. This paper tries to unravel how the aboriginal women imbibe meaning and lessons of life from nature and the related mythology. The paper also uses the Vedic concept of Prakriti to draw this parallel between the native woman and the natural world.