The Navajo creation Myth story deals with the topics of story telling that are quite familiar to
other Native American tribes. Although first and foremost the Myth follows an emergence story of how
the tribe went through a set of four worlds until it would come to inhabit the one we live in today.
A hand full of characters journey through the worlds and the effect they had on them is important.
Some of the characters that are written about the most are these god like beings that create nature,
animals and make laws of the land for the inhabitants to follow. The story develops in four separate
increments which take place in each world. Throughout the telling the story is entertaining, describes
the history of the tribe in great detail
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After introducing the six god like people Hahdenigai-Hunai says, “On
the dark earth Begochiddy built in the east a white mountain; in the south a blue mountain, in the west
a yellow mountain, and in the north a black mountain...,”. With this sentence the starts the history of the
Navajo. The culture of worshiping the sun and having respect for all things on earth may be linked
that the gods that take care of them created the world. Later on once the first and second world were
burned to the ground by Hashjeshjin, which would later be described as a place from punishment in a
almost hell like way, the first tribe was created. In this part the culture roles start to develop the man
goes out and hunts while the wife cooks and takes care of the children. The telling shares a great deal
of information about where they came from and why they live the way they do.
The telling goes into great detail of how the Navajo's interacted with each other and the animals
found in nature. As mentioned in the paragraph above animals and nature had a strong tie to the culture
and history. Many of the animals were found on the four different mountains in the world and
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The Navajo tribe used the animals for hunting and nature to build homes.
Women and men relationships were also tested by the gods when the men were sent to live on the other
side of a river. While the men and children flourished in their new homes the women suffered and
died without the men. Showing how the men were viewed as leaders and without them the tribe would
fail.
Many oral traditions include interesting stories about people that are likable in some way or
another. Without entertainment in these stories it is very well possible that they would have died out
a long time ago. More people today would surly enjoy history in greater quantities if the stories were
less formal and more about bring it too life. The story feels real, the listener is emerged like the six
god like beings in the first world. The tone includes powerful words Hahadenigai- Hunai said, “From
the north came a white bird, and thrust his arrow down his throat four times, then the Locust thrust his
arrow through his heart four times, and the bird flew north again”. This part of the story jumps into the
ears of the listener and makes us want to hear what happens next. The amusing story makes us want to
hear it through until the
Creation stories tell of how the world was created based on the Indians. In my home state of Washington State, Makah Indians told the story of the-Two-Men-Who-Changed-Things creation story. Chelan Indians told the story of a Great Chief above that created the Indians. Both have different cultural backgrounds and live in different places in Washington.
The Navajo creation story explains that medicine was brought to the people by an ancient owl. This owl sent down a magic bundle containing the powers of healing to the new world. For thousands of years Navajo people have used this knowledge to heal and live in harmony with each other. As a product of two worlds, Dr. Lori Alvord was one of the first people to combine modern medicine with Navajo beliefs by overcoming cultural differences.
to teach the young of the tribe the type of values they would have to
Oral History and Oral Tradition was incredibly important for both tribes. They passed legends and historical stories on through speech, each story holding its own important moral or message. For example,
Adjacent Iroquois tribes, such as the Mohawk natives, shared a very similar creation myth (Redish and Orrin, “Native American Legends”). The cultures of both tribes influenced each other, and as a result, the myths became closely related. The Huron creation myth is heavily based on the culture at the time. The myth mentions beans, corn, and pumpkins being planted on the turtle. The Huron culture often depended on beans, corn, and squash for survival (Redish and Orrin, “Wyandot Indian Fact Sheet”). These were the essential plants on which the culture depended. The Huron tribe was thankful for these life-giving plants and showed this in their myth by stating that they came from a divine
The story Navajo Lessons conveys the theme that “It is important to learn and appreciate your heritage.” This story is about a girl, Celine, and her brother that visit her grandmother on the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Celine arrives at a place in the middle of nowhere at her grandmother’s house and is not excited because she had better plans for the summer. Her family is encouraging her to deal with it and make something good out of it. Over time, Celine learns that this trip was worth it because she realized that it is important to learn and appreciate your heritage. Celine learned this in many ways, one of them being that she wanted to learn and listen to the stories that her grandmother was telling.
Wheelwright, M. (1942). Navajo Creation Myth. Navajo Religion Series, Vol. 1. Santa Fe: Museum of Navajo Ceremonial Art.
To understand the effort and significance of these works, first one must understand its people. The Navajo are thought to be descendants from the people known as the Athabascan's, who migrated from Northwest of Canada and Alaska to the American Southwest around 1200 to 1500 CE . In the 16th century the Spanish conquistadors appeared in the Southwest and by the late 16th century began to subdue many of the native Pueblo people. It was because of this that many of the Pueblo people migrated westward into Navajo territory. Prior to this the Navajo had types of weaving. It is thought that they adopted weaving as well as some agricultural and ceremonial practices from these Pueblo people. This newly adopted craft was further changed with the introduction of sheep brought in by the Spanish .
The tribe was divided into four social groups. At the top of the hierarchy were the relative...
John Farella. The Main Stalk: A synthesis of Navajo Philosophy. Navajo Religion. (Tuschon: University of Arizona Press, 1984)
Duane Champagne in Social Change and Cultural Continuity Among Native Nations explains that there has never been one definitive world view that comprises any one Native American culture, as there is no such thing as one “Native community” (2007:10). However, there are certain commonalities in the ways of seeing and experiencing the world that many Native communities and their religions seem to share.
The Christians and the Mesopotamian people believed that Man was created in their Gods' own image, while The Meso-Americans believed that Man was created from their surrounding environment.
The Navajo tribe is the largest Native American group in Arizona. They first descended from the Apaches, who came from the Pueblos, also known as the Anasazi. The Navajo are known for weaving blankets, raising sheep, and generally being a peaceful tribe. Typically, the Navajo tribe was deeply religious, worshiping their common possessions, such as livestock and homes. The Navajo women were primary leaders in society. The typical Navajo's life was a wealth of culture.
Every ancient society and civilization has creation myths that were passed down and keep alive throughout the passing of time by word of mouth. These myths are the world’s oldest stories and are vital to these cultures because they explain their beginnings and give purpose to their existence. By analyzing and interpreting different creation myths it becomes easier to understand different cultures and their connections and relationships with heir beliefs and god(s).
So today a Sunday, we all woke up at again an early time. I went over to George Drouillard a civilian interpreter and hunter and asked him and other Indians to go and search for Clark so we can continue to exploration and not waste any more time. I myself wanted to get this done as soon as possible that’s why I asked them to go search so early. Not much later Clark had arrived with his interpreter and another native women named Sacajawea. That night we held a meeting with the Shoshoni’s, Sacajawea served as our translator. We asked them if it would be possible to give us horses so we would be able to cross the vast mountain ranges to the west, they agreed and we would meet them in an open field and barter food for their horses later that