Native American Creation Myths Research Paper

The myth or legend is usually not a truth but it is virtual memory that ancient people create for their beliefs. Most of the ancient ethnic groups have created myth and each of these have characteristic identities. Some of them share similarities for the points of human creation and natural surroundings. Interestingly, they reached different objectives or consequences in last of the story even if they traced similar thinking process. The myth of creation from Maya Indian, “From the Popol Vuh”, focuses on the creation of language as well as human though. Whereas, Native American, “How Man Was Created”, focuses entire myth on how themselves are created. Although two of the myths from different ethnic groups emphasize natures for the source of

The description of the first part from Maya Indian, “There was neither man, nor animal, birds, fishes, crabs, trees, stones, caves, ravines, grasses, nor forest; there was only the sky”(Gloria 14), indicate human is the first creation on the earth. In addition, the description “They talked then, discussing and deliberating; they agreed, they united their words and their thoughts”(Gloria 14), indicate they have certain purpose to the future earth. Whereas, “Finally he decided to make a creature that would resemble himself” (Gloria 15) from myth of Native American indicate the human is the last creation on the earth. These differences generate interesting contrast about future imagination between two of the ethnic groups. Maya Indian have strong responsibility for the future success especially for the human skills. They believed that languages and human intelligence are necessary for the progressed future. For this reason, it is obvious that they feel strong responsibility for start new world and its cultural expansion by improving human skills. Compare to Maya Indian, Native American have different purpose of human creation. The whole story of “How Man Was Created” shows the path until Native American was created. As showed earlier sentence, they are not the first creature on the earth. Thus, the purpose of the myth was state their status by comparing