Vicente Quintana Ms. Herrera English 3 18 September 2016 Native American Mythology Native mythology are stories about humans, animals and deities that try to explain the origins and values of a given culture. Some examples of native mythology stories are: The Navajo Origin Legend, When Grizzlies Walked Upright, and The Earth on Turtle’s Back. Each of these myths have their own details and certain ways on how the creations went, but they all have similar beliefs and customs. The Navajo Origin Legend is about a ceremony that created the first humans by the power of wind. The people believed that the wind was the god because it is what brought us to life and is what keeps us alive since we breathe out air until we pass away.
This poses a problem among the European settlers because according to the Bible life was created by God, a man not a woman; which is absurd since women are the ones who give life and birth” (1). This single detail creates a huge contrast of beliefs between the two tribes. The Seneca’s “The Origins of Stories” narration coincides with Christianity’s depiction of Jesus Christ., because in the Bible Jesus was described as a master storyteller.
He compares the creation story from the Indigenous mythological view and the Christian
For centuries, Native Americans have passed down creation myths from generation to generation. Creation myths always “describe how the universe, the Earth, and life began” (33). The Iroquois’ creation myth, retold as “The World on the Turtle’s Back”, describes the creation of Earth and of life as we know it today. In a Kiowa myth from The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momoday, the narrator (the author) describes a myth detailing the creation of the Big Dipper constellation that he had heard from his grandmother. By analyzing these myths, I have recognized the similarities between the Iroquois and the Kiowa despite cultural differences.
“The Iroquois Creation Story” written by author David Cusick and “A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia” written by author Thomas Harriot both show how power can be used in different ways to change the course of events and the ability to control a nation. “The Iroquois Creation Story” shows power which caused a conflict between good and evil, who were known as the good mind and bad mind. “A Brief and True Report of the New Found Land of Virginia” shows that the British were stereotyping the Native Americans to show the British have more power. The Native American story shows how power can create, while the British story shows that power can be used to convince others of their superiority.
The Ngunnawal People have been living within the borders and surrounding mountains of the Australian Capital Territory for over 25,000 years. The way the Indigenous people used the land to live off was extremely efficient and sustainable. They had a bounty of knowledge about the land surrounding them, and over generations, devised resourced management skills to ensure maintenance of the animals and plants, and most importantly, the land in which provided these things. Aboriginal culture existed long before Captain Cook arrived in Australia in 1770. He claimed the land to be "Terra-Nullius", meaning that the land did not belong to any person.
Long ago, people wondered about how we, as people, came to the Earth. Story-tellers would go around the villages and tell amazing stories about how the Earth, humans, and life were created. Many myths came from these oral stories. Three of these myths that were created are called The Earth on Turtle's Back from the Onondaga tribe, When Grizzlies Walked Upright from the Modoc tribe, and the Navajo Origin Legend from the Navajo tribe. All three of the myths play an important role on if there is a higher power, how we view the world was created, and beliefs on how other creatures and forces helped create what we believe in.
Aboriginal spirituality as determined by the Dreaming The important tenet that reinforces Aboriginal spirituality is a idea known as the Dreaming Dreaming is the unseen spirit world. It is not incomprehensible and in the past. It is realism ‐ Dreaming is expressed in ceremonies, dance, song and art. It is both individual and communal
A creation myth can describe how the earth began, explain the workings of the world, support specific customs, and guide the people of the group. The story “How the World Was Made,” written by the Cherokee tribe, is a creation myth because it provides insight on the creation of the world, its functions, and the social customs of the Cherokee. Firstly, the story explains the creation of the earth itself. When everything was water, a Water-beetle dove “to the bottom and came up with some soft mud, which began to grow and spread on every side until it became the island which we call the earth” (“How
Shaping the Mindset In ancient times nature surrounded everything. The Iroquois Indians only knew nature, it is what they were taught. Their storytellers used myths or traditional stories explaining a phenomenon and fables or stories using animals to convey a moral. In the Iroquois nation’s creation myth “The World on the Turtle’s Back” and the fable “ Coyote and Buffalo” by Mourning Dove, both use cultural beliefs, a series of supernatural events, and colorful archetypes to prove to the origin of the earth.
How the World Uniquely Begins Native American myths and the Christian Bible both offer stories about how the world began.. In “The Earth on Turtle’s Back” and Genesis 1, both tales have similar values and ideas. These two stories compare in that both tell the importance of water, the fact that Earth came out of the water, and the existence of supreme beings; in contrast, each story has a unique idea of how the world came into being. “The Earth on Turtle’s Back,” a story from the Onondaga tribe, an original Native American group, is a myth which relates a story about the beginning of the world. Water is below the Skyland and it becomes an issue when the Great Tree is uprooted.
In various cultures, traditional stories of a universal beginning relate to the beliefs and rituals that are prevalent within that society. Although these creation stories differ among cultures, all display similar characteristics which constitute archetypal settings of creation myths, such as a great tree, the landmass from a watery chaos, and the fall of man. In the Iroquois’ creation myth, “The World on the Turtle’s Back”, the display of archetypal settings parallels the creation depicted in the book of Genesis, but underlying each similarity are differing interpretations which allow for the stories to relate to its specific culture. In both “The World on the Turtle’s Back” and the Genesis creation story, a prominent characteristic is the great tree connecting heaven and earth.
The Iroquois creation story is a renowned Native American myth written by a Tuscarora historian, David Cusick. He is also the author of David Cusick’s Sketches of Ancient History of the Six Nations, which is known to be the first Indian-written history printed in the English language (Radus). The Iroquois creation myth exists in twenty-five other versions. It describes how the world was created from the Native American perspective. It begins with a sky woman who falls down into the dark world.
The Sky Gods vs the Iroquois The stories “The World on the Turtles Back” by the Iroquois, and The Way to Rainy Mountain by N. Scott Momaday discuss two different creation myths. “The World on The Turtles Back” is an Iroquois legend that has been passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, making it an oral tradition. A creation myth is a traditional story that involves supernatural beings or events that explain how the some aspect of human nature or the natural world came to be. These myths have comparable aspects that are specifically the roles of men, women, animals, and nature.
In the Chinese creation myth Nuwa, born from parts of yin and yang that were separated by Pan-gu, decided she wanted someone she could love and talk to. She went down to a mud bank and decided to creation people out of clay. She was so fascinated with her work she created more little clay creatures, unfortunately it took forever, so she decided to fling mud from a stick, but these humans were the less intelligent ones. In the Inca creation myth Pachacamac, the sun, created the first humans from the stone of an enormous mountain rock. These humans were pitiful and knew nothing about the world, nor how to survive in it, so Pachacamac sent his son and daughter down to Earth to teach them how to live.
