Throughout history, and all over the world, mythology has been developed as a way of explaining the unknown and coping with one’s existence. Why does the sun shine? Well, seemingly, to generations past, something is controlling the universe, so there must be a god in charge of the sun and many other natural phenomenon. During the creation of Native American myths, “there was much in the way of free-range food, but hunting wasn't as easy as getting up in the morning, taking a stroll and shooting a few passing bison with your bow” (Godchecker). Times were tough, “even Plains societies who lived off the prolific buffalo fell under the threat of starvation at times” (Godchecker). Finally, “when herds were found, the people were grateful and thanked the Gods profusely” (Godchecker). In Native American myths, “animals had powerful spirits and it was necessary to thank them and placate them if you wanted to make a meal of them” (Godchecker). They believed “you could see into the souls of the BEAVER, BADGER and Buffaloes as they went about their business,” or “feel the THUNDER-BIRD fixing the weather, and revel in the rascality of RAVEN, MANABOZHO and COYOTE with their tantalising tricks” (Godchecker). How can there be any doubt as to whether or not the Native American legends can be considered myths? Essentially, there are three typical characteristics of mythology. Classic myths often include gods or supernatural heroes, are “closely linked to religion,” and “generally take place in a primordial age, when the world had not yet achieved its current form” (“Mythology” Wikipedia). Furthermore, myths provide an explanation for the existence of life and how the world came to be. Classic myths are often include gods or supernatural heroe... ... middle of paper ... ...ura, and Arnold Krupat. “Native American Trickster Tales.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Julia Reidhead. 7th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W.Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. 72-74. Franklin, Wayne, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. “The Iroquois Creation Story.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Julia Reidhead. 7th ed. Vol. A. New York: W.W.Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. 18-21. "Mythology." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 2011. . "Native American Mythology: Introduction." Godchecker.com - Your Guide To The Gods. Web. 22 Jan. 2011. . "Native American Mythology." Myths Encyclopedia - Myths and Legends of the World. Web. 22 Jan. 2011. .
In her book American Indian Stories, Zitkala-Sa's central role as both an activist and writer surfaces, which uniquely combines autobiography and fiction and represents an attempt to merge cultural critique with aesthetic form, especially surrounding such fundamental matters as religion. In the tradition of sentimental, autobiographical fiction, this work addresses keen issues for American Indians' dilemmas with assimilation. In Parts IV and V of "School Days," for example, she vividly describes a little girl's nightmares of paleface devils and delineates her bitterness when her classmate died with an open Bible on her bed. In this groundbreaking scene, she inverts the allegation of Indian religion as superstition by labeling Christianity.
It was approaching dusk as the conspicuous line of dark vans entered the reservation. These vehicles served the purpose of furnishing transportation for about 30 members of a Cleveland area youth group, whose mission was “to bring good news to the badlands';. In short, the group was ministering to the Indian children of the Pine Ridge Reservation, which was in close vicinity to the natural wonder found in the foothills of “the badlands';. The trip became a tradition for my church and I traveled there on three separate occasions. Each year, the team received a welcoming that could be described as anything but inviting. In fact, the first year the trip fell on the Fourth of July and as we drove in, our vehicles were bombarded with fireworks. I could never really grasp why we were so despised. After all, our intentions were commendable. The matter became clearer after I read Zitkala-sa’s “American Indian Stories';. Within this text, a Native American expresses her beliefs that actions similar to ours serve merely in altering culture.
The first similarity between The Iroquois Myth and Hebrew/Christian Myth is the concept of man, woman and punishment. In the Iroquois Story one of the Sky Women became pregnant with twins, which caused her husband to become very angry. As punishment he removed a tree that was located in the center of the island which resulted in a hole. Sky Woman peered into the hole and the husband pushed her. She fell toward the water below, but animals witnessed her falling and saved her. The concept of man, woman and punishment is also portrayed in the Hebrew/Christian Myth. The Lord created Adam and Eve who reside in the Garden of Eden. The Lord warned Adam and the woman not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil or they would die. The woman and man sin by eating fruit Different cultures have provided numerous myths regarding the creation of the world. Two examples of these myths are The Iroquois Myth and the Hebrew/Christian Myth. There are several similarities and differences between The Iroquois Myth and Hebrew/Christian Myth but will only discuss two of each. In addition to comparison and contrast of
I have decided to discuss the topic of Spirituality in Native Americans. To address this topic, I will first discuss what knowledge I have gained about Native Americans. Then I will discuss how this knowledge will inform my practice with Native Americans. To conclude, I will talk about ethical issues, and dilemmas that a Social Worker might face working with Native American people.
Due to the wide range of habitats in North America, different native religions evolved to match the needs and lifestyles of the individual tribe. Religious traditions of aboriginal peoples around the world tend to be heavily influenced by their methods of acquiring food, whether by hunting wild animals or by agriculture. Native American spirituality is no exception. Traditional Lakota spirituality is a form of religious belief that each thing, plant and animal has a spirit. The Native American spirituality has an inseparable connection between the spirituality and the culture. One cannot exist without the other.
As I was reading and learning about the Native American folklore, I began to see how their culture developed. Each folklore in Native American history plays a role in how we know the native americans to be today.
In ancient times nature surrounded everything. The Iroquois Indians only knew nature, it is what they were taught. Their storytellers used myths or traditional stories explaining a phenomenon and fables or stories using animals to convey a moral. In the Iroquois nation’s creation myth “The World on the Turtle’s Back” and the fable “ Coyote and Buffalo” by Mourning Dove, both use cultural beliefs, a series of supernatural events, and colorful archetypes to prove to origin of the earth.
Native American oral tradition are stories that are passed down from generation to generation. Instead of being written down, they are transmitted orally through Native language. Their oral traditions record the culture, beliefs and history of the Native Americans. Oral traditions reflect the belief that the natural world has humans and animals as well as respecting speech as a powerful literary form. They also provide explainations about the world and its orgins and teach moral lessons while conveying practical information. In addition to all of this, Native American oral traditions can change. An example of oral tradition is shown in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Towards the end of the book Junior is describing a lake
Storytelling is the means by which Native American tribes pass down history, traditions, and spirituality from generation to generation. This rich cultural tradition was all but eradicated after Europeans flooded into North America to claim tribal lands by right of conquest. But in recent years, Native American storytelling has begun to emerge once again to strengthen the culture that was all but lost. As this valuable tradition carries on, it continues to enrich the lives of Native Americans in the twenty-first century.
Many Native American tribes share different spiritual and cultural views on the aspect of life. Belief in God and the things he created depend on what tribe you belong to. Tribes like the Onondaga and the Modoc have several stories that inform us regarding their religious customs and beliefs. The origin myths were written to point out the beliefs among tribes. “The Earth on Turtle’s Back” and “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” provides us with examples of what the Onondaga and Modoc tribes believed in. Since September, we have been learning about the different views of God that tribes have and all the different customs that take place within their cultures. The origin myths that have been chosen along with the “Song of the Hiawatha” and the Part- Time Indian teach us the cultural aspect of the Native Americans.
In American Indian Stories, University of Nebraska Press Lincoln and London edition, the author, Zitkala-Sa, tries to tell stories that depicted life growing up on a reservation. Her stories showed how Native Americans reacted to the white man’s ways of running the land and changing the life of Indians. “Zitkala-Sa was one of the early Indian writers to record tribal legends and tales from oral tradition” (back cover) is a great way to show that the author’s stories were based upon actual events in her life as a Dakota Sioux Indian. This essay will describe and analyze Native American life as described by Zitkala-Sa’s American Indian Stories, it will relate to Native Americans and their interactions with American societies, it will discuss the major themes of the book and why the author wrote it, it will describe Native American society, its values and its beliefs and how they changed and it will show how Native Americans views other non-Natives.
Kind and selfish, deep and shallow, male and female, and foolish and wise aren’t always words that are associated with each other, quite the opposite in fact. However, when it comes to the trickster tales of Native Americans, each word is associated with the other and describes more or less the same person or animal. To Native American people a trickster affects the world for an infinite number of reasons, including instruction and enjoyment. A trickster, like the name implies, is a cunning deception. A trickster can be a hero. However, at the same time he could introduce death. How is that heroic? Why would a group of people want to remember a person that brings punishments such as death? The function the trickster tales have/ had on Native American communities is still powerful today quite possibly because of their context, the lessons they reap, and the concerns they address. As the tales are told, the stories unravel showing the importance of a trickster and the eye-opening experiences they bring.
Mythology is defined as a collection of interrelated stories of a given culture. Myths are intended to explain and describe the mysteries of nature and give understanding about the world that surrounds us. Each culture has their own mythology that reflects their values and beliefs. Myths were also generated to tell the story of the first people to inhabit the earth. The Egyptian mythology elevated these people to the level of Gods and Goddesses by giving them supernatural and special powers. These myths of creation were passed from one generation to the next, either orally or by hieroglyphs painted in sacred temples, pyramids, and sanctuaries.
A myth is known as the dramatic of culturally important truths in narrative form. Myths represent dramatized shared visions of the world for people that told them. In this essay I will be discussing the functions of a Native American myth in relation to the myth, “ The World On a Turtle's Back.” Some of those functions are; to instill awe; to explain the world; to support customs and rituals; and lastly to guide people.
The different categories of mythology are explanatory myths and adventure myths. Explanatory myth will break down into smaller sub divisions called Cosmogony, nature myths, and eschatological myths. Explanatory myths these are myths that nature or certain events and customs of different cultures. Cosmogony is a big word for creation myths. Creation myths explain the origin of the universe. They use primal gods and animals to tell the story. There are different types of creation myths as well. The first is the single stage creation where a god existed ex nihilo. Which means a god existed in a vast space and created the universe out of nothing. The other is multi stage creation. In this the universe is created by one god. His children then continue to create the rest of the world. Nature myths have to do with animals and everyday phenomena like the rising and setting of the sun. The last explanatory myth is eschatological. This tells how death and other bad things came into the world and how the world is going to end. The next category of mythology is adventure myths. These are myths that involve humans. These are stories of major events in history that parts have been embellished or forgotten and made up. Now that you know the different categories of mythology we will look at the different regions where the stories came from.