Native American culture, according to William Youngs, A Question for Harmony, the Native American origins beginnings started with endless space. Tawa, the Sun Spirit, impregnated Mother Earth, creating the First World. The First World was inhabited by insect-like creatures. These creatures continuously argued to understand the meaning of life. These creatures then fell victim to the sorcerer's, upsetting Tawa so Tawa created ‘Spider Grandmother’. Spider Grandmother led the insect-like creatures to the Second World. The insects grew hair and fur on their bodies and took places as dogs, wolves, or bears. Then, the Spider Grandmother brought them to a moist and lightened Third World, where they transformed into human beings. In the Third World, the humans learned to make pots, weave baskets, harvest, and plant corn. Next, the Hummingbird came to tell the humans of a new world, where the spirit of Masawu, owner of the living and dead and the fire caretaker, lived and ruled. The Hummingbird then taught the humans how to use fire, in order to make pottery and cook meat. Eventually, the humans were led astray by the sorcerers, better known as powakus. This resulted in men to gamble and the women to revolt. The rain ceased, …show more content…
the corn did not grow. Once again the Spider Grandmother warmed them and said that the people with good hearts would leave to an upper, better world. In the Fourth World, both good and evil are present, with much tension with each other. In the Fourth World people encountered Masawu, who told them that he was now their ‘god’ and if they worshipped him, their dead would be safely sent to the Underworld. The grandsons of Spider Grandmother hurled discs into the sky, creating the Sun and the Moon. The mockingbird then divided the different tribes. Therefore, the Hopi people were promised that would survive longer than the other tribes. In comparison we look at the African religion The Yoruba divide the cosmos into parts, Orun and Aiye. Orun is heaven, or the sky, and is the abode of the High God, known by two names, Olorun and Olodumare. Aiye is the world of human habitation. In this second world live people and animals and "the children of the world," are known as omowaiye. This group is eventually responsible for sorcery and witchcraft. It is clear, then, that both heaven and earth contain many sources of the power. Moreover, it is possible to understand it by seeing it as organized according to three main elements located at three levels. Olorun is the chief source of power. He is also the most remote, and in the world of worship, he is never approached directly. The orisa represents a level of power that is approachable through ritual action and so provides one crucial and important focus for the religion. The ancestors exist at yet another level of power. On the level of family worship, they assume an important place in religious activity. All these sources of power have an intricate relationship to each other. The ceremonies of both Native American and the African share differences and similarities.
In Native American culture, the ceremonies and performed in kivas. One ceremony is the Whirling Log Sand Painting. In the Navajo tradition, healing requires the ritual restoration of hozo, or the beat of the harmony of the world. Following the sand, painting is destroyed. Another ceremony found in Native American cultures is the corn dance. The intention is for the rain to come down from the sky and nourish the sprouting of the corn. In African ceremonies the use of drums is common. The drums evoke the passion of the different dancers by the spirits and their ancestors. Masks are used to represent the ancestors that are called by the drum into the bodies of
men. Third, the discussion of myths between these two cultures are presented. In Native American myths, such as the Whirling Log myth, can be described as easy to follow and understand. They are oral and very descriptive. Now in African cultures, they have many gods that served different purposes, similar to the Native American culture.
The Native Americans For at least fifteen thousand years before the arrival of Christopher Columbus and Thomas Hariot, Native Americans had occupied the vastness of North America undisturbed by outside invaders (Shi 2015 pg. 9). Throughout the years leading up to Columbus’s voyage to the “New World” (the Americas) and Hariot’s journey across the sea, the Indians had encountered and adapted to many diverse continents; due to global warming, climatic and environmental diversity throughout the lands (2015). Making the Native Americans culture, religion, and use of tools and technology very strange to that of Columbus’s and Hariot’s more advanced culture and economy, when they first came into contact with the Native Americans. To start with,
The regions in native America were very different and somewhat similar. There were many different ways of showing how devoted they were to their religion, their artwork, and the way that they spent their time. The three regions within native America before 1300 were South America, North America, and Mesoamerica. Each one of these regions were very different.
Native Americans chose to live off the land such as animals and the trees for houses from the time of early civilization in the Americas to when Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic. In Thomas Morton’s writing he said “they gather poles in the woods and put eh great end of them in the ground, placing them in form of a circle.”
In his essay, “The Indians’ Old World,” Neal Salisbury examined a recent shift in the telling of Native American history in North America. Until recently, much of American history, as it pertains to Native Americans; either focused on the decimation of their societies or excluded them completely from the discussion (Salisbury 25). Salisbury also contends that American history did not simply begin with the arrival of Europeans. This event was an episode of a long path towards America’s development (Salisbury 25). In pre-colonial America, Native Americans were not primitive savages, rather a developing people that possessed extraordinary skill in agriculture, hunting, and building and exhibited elaborate cultural and religious structures.
Throughout this history of the world power has been spread out throughout the countries. In the course of history there has never been a time where every country has had the equal amount of power. As history unfolds many countries have tried to break away from the countries with power so they can gain their own independence. Whether that the country takes a violent approach or a non-violent approach the goal was still the same. There have been many countries who have fought for independence but two I am focusing on are when the Americans and Indians both fought for their independence.
People have been living in America for countless years, even before Europeans had discovered and populated it. These people, named Native Americans or American Indians, have a unique and singular culture and lifestyle unlike any other. Native Americans were divided into several groups or tribes. Each one tribe developed an own language, housing, clothing, and other cultural aspects. As we take a look into their society’s customs we can learn additional information about the lives of these indigenous people of the United States.
Analyze the major similarities and difference among European, Native American and African societies. What was the European impact on the peoples and the environment of the Americas and Africa during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?
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.
Native Americans and Europeans were the begging of the new world. Their differences are more than similarities, whether by the religion, culture, race, and gender. Native Americans and European spoke two different languages, and lived in two different ways. The reason why Native Americans were called Indians, because when Columbus landed in America he thought that he was in India, so he called them Indians. Native American were nomadic people, some of them were hunter and some were farmers. Europeans were much more developed than Native Americans, and had more skills. Also, there were differences in holding positions between Native American women and European women. The cultural differences led to a bloody bottle
“I will tell you something about stories, [t]hey aren't just for entertainment” (Silko, 2). Silko begins the novel with a poem on stories. The poem explains that the stories are everything the Pueblo people have, and is their biggest defense against the Western world. Storytelling provides moral guidance on how to live and connect to a past full of learnings. Throughout the book, there are several poems and stories about mythical creatures; these poems are orally passed down through generations to establish morality within the Pueblo people. The three main figures in their culture are the Thought Women, the Corn Mother and the Sun Father. The Thought Women is the creator of the world, everything she thinks of is created. The Corn Mother is equivalent to Mother Earth; she represents fertility, growth, and life. Lastly, the Sun Father represents masculinity, power, and light, and is the strong force of the universe. Silko uses these mythical figures to create stories with moral lessons from which the Pueblo people learn that they have to do their offerings in a specific manner and respect the earth. An example of this, is the myth about a Ck’o’yo medicine man; there was a time where he lured the Pueblo people in with his magic and convinced them that he would give them life just as the Corn Mother: “They thought this magic could give life to plants and animals. They didn’t know it was all just a trick” (Silko, 44). The Corn Mother became so angry with them for being fooled that she removed the rain clouds and all the plants from the people. This story serves to teach the Pueblo people that they should always follow the ceremonies based on their cultural values, and if they do
Native Mythology discovers facts and information about the culture of Native American Indians and Native Mythology. Native Americans have explanations for creation, life, and nature. Comparing and contrasting the three stories, The Earth on Turtle’s Back, When Grizzlies Walked Upright, and The Navajo Origin Legend, the beliefs and customs of Native Americans will be seen.
Perhaps one of the WASPs favorite stereotypes is to say a group of individuals in considered an inferior race. They did this as early as the Africans, and this idea continued all the way the immigrant groups. With the Irish immigrant group, to dehumanize them, the elite called them the “black Irish” to compare the Irish people to the Africans and say that they are basically dirty, unholy, inferior, and not human. Drawn as animalistic and ape-like the Irish in political cartoons were “low-browed and brutish” as well as crazy. The Irish were not the only group that natives depicted as having unnatural physical characteristics. WASPs also used the illustration of warts, boils, and hooves to draw attention to the inferior race of the Jews. Unlike
Native Americans were big believers in all things living and spiritual and viewed life and death as an inevitable circle. Some of the powwow ceremonies they conducted celebrated this circle with tribal drums, dancing, food, chanting and traditional healing rituals. They acted out ancient stories handed
What is culture? Culture is the study of conflict. The divergence between each Native American tribe is for one, they settled in different areas of the land. Second, they brought on different approaches like adapting to climate and high and low temperatures for example. Nonetheless, the indigenous people all had one thing in common and that was believing. Some tribes prayed by the sun and others had many gods and the rest believed in peace. Also, they discovered the smallest blessing as a gift from the gods and knew nothing better, but to share the gift with everyone. “ Black Hawk: the great spirit gave it to his children upon, and cultivate as far it, they have a right to the soil to the soil” (9). With that being stated, the Europeans made
Culture in the beliefs or customs of a particular group. This exists all around the world. The American and Indian cultures have lots of similarities and differences.While in America there are a mixture of different cultures, the Indian culture is unique and has its own values. Some examples of similarities and differences their democracy, racism, and marriages.