Navajo Origin Legend Research Paper

Dictionary.com defines a myth as a traditional story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, especially one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature. Native Americans passed down their history by word of mouth. Many Native American tribes share legends within their group to their children. Obviously, they did not have the resources we have today to explain why some things happen in the world, so the Native Americans used their only assets on explaining natural phenomena. The Navajo and Delaware tribe both have their own explinations on how the world was created, while they are both completely different myths they have some points that are similar.
To begin, The Walam Olum and The Navajo Origin Legend have a great deal of similarities. The Walam Olum explains how the Great Manito created all of our natural resources of the world, like the sun, moon, and the stars. Along the same lines, the Navajo Origin Legend discusses about how the first man and women came to be. Both stories have an explination on how the world originated. They both have an explination of life. Also, the two tribes pass down their stories by word of mouth to the

children in the tribe. Equivalent, both of the stories could have changed since the Native Americans had no documentary on the actual first version. Since everything was passed down from generation to generation, the stories can change because there is no definite story in writing. Therefore, the myths of the Walam Olum and the Navajo Origin Legend both have their beliefs of natural phenomena.
While the two myths have their deal of similarities, they also differ greatly. First, the Walam Olum starts off with no life at all. As the narrator explains in the beginning there is no water, land, absolutely nothing. In contrast, the Navajo Origin Legend explains that there are people, perhaps gods, that have been there before the first man and woman came to life. Next, the Walam Olum explains how important the good Manito created all of the good resources on the Earth. However, the most important or significant thing to the Navajo tribe is the number four. For example, the Navajo Origin Legend states that, “It was shouted, as before, four times--nearer and louder at each repetition--and, after the fourth call, the gods appeared.” Thus proving that the most symbolic concept in the Navajo tribe is the number four. Obviously, the Navajo Origin Legend and the Walam Olum have their deal of differences.
As previously mentioned, both of the myths make numerous references to God. Although it is not our “famous” God that we all know of today. Each tribe has their own beliefs as we do here in America. First, the Walam Olum’s god is known as the Great Manito. He created all of the good in the world. For example, as the myth states, “He made the sun, the moon, the stars.” He created all of our natural resources that we have today. On the contrary, there was also an evil Manito who created all of the bad and annoying things that we have today. The evil Manito brought all of the badness with him, “And with him brought badness, quarreling, unhappiness.” Next, the Navajo Origin Legend has four gods, White Body, Blue Body, Yellow Body and Black Body. These are the gods that created the first man and woman on earth. They created the wind, which blew between the buckskin of the two ears of corn. The fingerprints that we have today, according to the legend, is the direction in which the wind blew when our ancestors were created and came to life. To conclude, both legends have references to God, although it is not the God we know of today.
In conclusion, there are numerous differences and similarities in the Walam Olum and the Navajo Origin Legend.

Myths are passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. Without a doubt, the stories are bound to change because there is no original story in writing. No matter what we do, there will never be concrete evidence on the life and stories of Native Americans. Since there was no actual explination on the creation of the world for the Indians, they had to use their only natural resources and what they believe in. The two legends obviously show that since there was obviously great distance between the two tribes, they still prove that they use their own

judgement.