The most well-known creation myth, tells about an animal looking for mud in the bottom of the sea. The earth arises from the sand that the duck (or the raven, pigeon, fox, vison, eagle and halcon) carries on its peak. In a Cheyenne myth, it is said that the back of Grandma Tortoise is where the earth rests.
The accounts of the flood are related to the story of the divers in search of land, due either to the torrential rains or to the tears of those of the upper world who weep for the evil acts committed on the earth.
Most myths describe mankind as made of clay (hopi) or grass, feathers, sticks or corn pans. Man can be created from the bones of the dead, from the sweat of the Creator, or simply as a result of a desire.
In some tribes, the gods marry each other: Mother Earth with Father Heaven, the Sun with the Moon, the Dawn Lucero with the Eve. The first being was a woman, according to the Iroquois and Hurons of the northeast, and the Navajo of the southwest.
Eastern Canadian micmac sees creation as a constant flow. The world beneath the earth, the world under the water, the earth world, the spirit world, and the world above the earth and the heavenly world are the six worlds that make up his universe. Reality fluctuates according to people’s preferences and never remains stable.
For the Lakotas, J. is the supreme being according to Wakan Tanka, the "Great Mystery". The myth of the creation of this people says that the higher gods, each of whom has an aspect of Wakan Tanka, felt alone and created other manifestations of the god. The Lakotas use the word "Father" to refer to any of these individual aspects and "Grandfather" for transcendent deity in their prayers.
The higher gods first created the related gods (the Moon, the Fugitive Star and the Thunderbird), and then the related Gods: Bípedos (who were relatives of humans and bears), Buffalo, Four Winds, and Torbellino. The fourth group, that of god-like beings, has to do with the soul, the spiritual essence and the sacred powers: Nagi (shadow or ghost of the dead), Nagila (like a shadow), Niya (life or breath) and Sicun. (poder espiritual).
Wakan Tanka consists of these four groups of four aspects, also known as Tob Tob ("Four-Four"), which is expressed through its 16 aspects but is larger than their sum.
Wakan Tanka |
|||
Higher Gods | Associate Gods |
Similar Gods |
Similar to the gods |
Sun, Sky, Rocky, Earth |
Moon, Wind, Shooting Star, Thunder bird |
Bipeds, Buffalo, Four Winds, Whirlwind |
Nagi Nagila Niya Sicun |
Many cultures have myths about the Earth Diver in which the turtle plays an important role.
The cheyene account contains all the essential elements:
Maheo, known as the "All Spirit", created the Great Water, aquatic beings and birds, who were tired of flying and used to dive to find food. They could not do so until the focha tried, but when he returned, he dropped in Maheo's hand a small clay ball that he was carrying in his tip.
The Great Mother Turtle could only carry her after Maheo rubbed her in her hands. The first earth was formed when the clay continued to grow on his back.
Although North American cultures are very diverse, there are very few myths about the creation of the world. Most indigenous cultures believe that the universe was created by a supreme deity or the "Great Spirit".
This being is very revered, known as Gitchi Manitú among the Algonquins of the northeastern forests and Wakan Tanka among the Lakotas of the plains, but is too passive and too indefinite to consider him a different personality. In most cases, its only function is the creation of more precise figures, such as the Mother Earth and Father Heaven, very broad deities, or the Sun and Moon, to which other acts of creation are attributed when the supreme god withdraws to heaven. These figures can also be used as tools for human creation.
In most creation narratives, animal characters are presented as active entities: for example, it is told in scattered areas of the west that the Spider woven a fabric that eventually formed the earth. However, the most popular myth is that of the Earth Diver, who in many cases is a humble man who approaches the bottom of the primordial sea and collects the sand that, as it expands, forms the earth. A turtle, a common character in forest mythology, holds the world. This type of myth has parallels in Eurasia, as do the accounts of a great flood that appear in some versions of the creation myth, indicating that it may have migrated to the east.
The Lakota myth about creation begins with Wakan Tanka, the supreme being, whose spirit was in Inyan, the first god. There was only one, Han. (Black of Darkness). Inyan intended to demonstrate his abilities, however, not finding anything to use them, he created the goddess Maka (the Earth) and the blue waters with his blood. From these waters emerged the great Skan vault (Heaven), whose edge defined the limits of the earth. Skan used his energy to create the earth's darkness with Han and the waters with Inyan, and he himself created Wi (the Sun), whom he ordered to shine, causing the global warming. The four gods, Skan, Inyan, Maka, and Wi, met, and Skan the most powerful of them, said to them, "Al we are four, we have one origin, Wakan Tanka, which no one can understand, not even the gods themselves." He is a god of the gods.
The Awonawilona world, which contains everything, was hidden in darkness and emptiness. Fogs and streams emerged from Awonawilona, then the Sun formed an igneous ball that scratched the fogs and joined together to form drops of rain that became the ocean. Awonawilona then planted her seed in the ocean, and grew up to form a green cloak that spread across the sea. Then Awonawilona was divided into two parts: one was Mother Earth and the other was Father Heaven.
Mother Earth slipped over the sea with her fingers until she formed foam. It breathed over this foam and formed black and white fogs floating over the ocean like clouds. Father Heaven blown over the clouds and the rain began to fall on the earth.
Then Father Heaven ascended to heaven. Inside Mother Earth, life expanded rapidly and soon gave rise to the creation of living beings, starting with ugly snakes, passing through scary monsters and finally giant twins that emitted thunders opening large holes in the ground.
In order for men to escape from the dark entrances of the earth, climbers and climbing women built a rope staircase with trees and grasses. The soil was already plowed and ready to receive the first corn seeds when they managed to climb. People began to cultivate and harvest the harvest.
This is a story of the indigenous colonization of Arizona and New Mexico, the desert areas of southwest America.
The most extensive groups of native peoples in North America are the Navajo and their relatives, the Apaches, who now live in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, with about 160,000 people. His customs include the most complete narration of the myth of Creation, which consists of four stages.
1. The first stage, The Beginning, tells how the first men came to earth from the underworld.
2. The second stage, the Age of the Animal Hero, describes how the earth was ordered and the adventures of its first inhabitants.
3. The third stage, the Divine Age (Yei, directed by the Speaking God), tells the killing of monsters.
4. The fourth stage tells the birth of the Navajo nation and its first migrations.
Native American Cultures: Myths and magic
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This book challenges deep-seated stereotypes and offers an enriching perspective that contributes to a more comprehensive and respectful appreciation of the indigenous peoples of North America. Through an understanding of their myths and beliefs, we are taking an important step toward cultural reconciliation and the recognition of the diversity that has enriched the history of this continent.
These mythical stories, many of them linked to the literary genre of fantasy, reveal a world where the divine and the human intertwine in narratives that explain the cosmic order, creation, and the fundamental structure of the universe. Discover how these sacred tales bear witness to the deep connection of the natives with nature and spirituality.
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Traditions, myths, stories and legends