Apache And Cherokee Similarities

Two Enemies One Story

This paper will identify differences and similarities within the Apache and Cherokee Tribes of North America through their Creation Stories. Creation Stories often share similarities throughout the world. Creation stories are frequently considered sacrosanct explanations which are found in almost all Native American tribes except a select few in South America. These stories all have a scheme of figures who are often divine beings with human features or human like, or a combination of animalistic features and human, who play main roles with in the creation story. Creation Stories help answer question that cannot be answered by general knowledge and are told in a story format. These stories in most cases are delivered

These similarities also show that there is some European influence from Genesis. In the Apache creation Story documented by Glenn Welker describes the creator as “small bearded man, Creator, the One Who Lives Above. As if waking from a long nap, he rubbed his eyes and face with both hands.” (Welker, 2011) In the Cherokee creation story the creator was “the Water-beetle (Beaver’s Grandchild).” (First Peoples, 2009) Between the two tribes we are able to see the parallel of the single creator. This is most likely influenced by early colonization by the Europeans and settlers and/or Spanish missionaries. Both these tribes have a first creature of first being that come from another world or place which emphasizes evolutionary progress. This implies that both creation stories are Emergence stories. The main difference is that the creator in the Apache story the Supreme Being resembles humans and in the Cherokee story the creator is from nature. In both these stories the earth was created due to space and need more room to populate the earth. As describes in the First peoples site, “the animals who lived above the sky needed more room.” (First Peoples, 2009) The Apache passed on that the creator, small

Women from the Apache tribe were in charge of the home a complete role reversal. Besides cooking and taking care of children, Apache women built new houses for their families every time the tribe moved. Though it was rare for an Apache woman to become a warrior, girls learned to ride and shoot just as boys did, and women often helped to defend Apache villages when they were attacked. Apache men were hunters, warriors, and political leaders. Only men were chiefs in the Apache tribe. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine (Sharp, 2016) With the Cherokee roles where slightly different yet very simular. The Cherokee men and women had equal power in their society. The men were in charge of hunting, war, and diplomacy, while the women were in charge of property, farming, and family. Cherokee men made political decisions for the tribe. Women were landowners, but men were chiefs. (ICTMN Staff ,