Native+American+Sin+and+Punishment

**NATIVE AMERICAN SINS AND PUNISHMENTS**
Written by: Donnie Palmer ==== Background Information

Native American mythology do not share a single, unified body of mythology. But they all share similar characteristics that they display or teach to the people. This characteristic that is taught is to always respect nature, share power, and share responsibilities. If they fail to do so they risk upsetting the ordered relations of the universe and thereby will cause disorder, suffering, disease, misfortune, and death among the people. Also since they had such a respect toward nature, most of thier myths that they have include or are about animals.  What was a Sin?? Since the Native American mythology taught about respecting the land and one another they never had a set way of what a sin was and their punishments would be. But since they concentrated on respecting nature and each other, they did have a way to sin, but it was not as well written out as other mythologies have done. Their way to sin was to show some type of disrespect to nature or those around, such as being arrogant or a showoff.

Myths with examples of sins

 //These myths have been taken from Cherokee and Ojibwa, texts //.


 * [[image:Autumn_Trees_1895DB.jpg width="256" height="329" align="right" link="http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/Autumn_Trees_1895DB.JPG"]](3) __**Why the Trees Lose Their Leaves-**__ The animals and plants had always shared everything, and every year the birds would fly south for the cold season. One year as the cold season approched, a sparrow became injured and was not strong enough to make the trip to the south. Knowing the cold season was approching fast he went to the different trees to ask if he could take shelter in their leaves. But all the trees that he asked denied him to take shelter; until he approched the pine tree who welcomed him to take shelter but told him he did not have big leaves. The sparrow took the shelter offered by the pine and survived the cold season, reuniting with his family. The creator had seen and heard how the other trees refused the sparrow shelter, so he told the trees that all shall lose their leaves when the cold season approches execpt for the pine who welcomed the sparrow. From that point on all the trees lost their leaves except for the pine whose would always remain green. //** ( When the trees refused to share with their warmth of their leaved with the sparrow they sinned **// //**, and so thier punishment was that they would lose their leaves every coldseason.) **//

 >
 *  (3) __**How the Beaver Got His Tail -**__ Once the beaver had a gorgeous tail, one that he though was the best ever. So one day while on a walk he encountered many different animals such as the bird and the muskrat; and when he encounter them he bragged to them about how big and fluffy his tail was. Well every time he did the bird and the muskrat would respond to him with short sassy comments, making the beaver feel insulted both times. Feeling insulted he went to let out his frustration by cutting down trees, but while cutting down one tree he was Feeling insulted he went to let out his frustration by cutting down trees but the entire time the only thing he was thinking about was how wonderful his tail was and how rude the other animals were. Only thinking about his tail, he cut a tree on the wrong angle and it landed on his tail flattening it. So now instead of having his beautiful tail, he now had a flat tail . **//(the sin that is seen in this myth is that being arrogant, and boastful the thing that you're arrogant and boastful about you will eventually use- the beaver was boating to all the others about his gorgeous tail and then it was flattened.) //**
 * [[image:300px-Coyotewithpossuminpersimmontree.png width="290" height="275" align="right" caption="The Coyote and Opossum appear in the stories of many different tribes." link="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Coyotewithpossuminpersimmontree.png"]](3)//__**Why the Possums Tail is Bare-**__// Along time ago, the possum had a long, bushy tail. This tail was one he was very proud of, and would show it off every chance he could get to the other animals. A great council was to be held with a dance, and when he was invited he told the rabbit(who was delivering the invites) to have a seat where all the animals could see him because of his beautiful tail. The rabbit delivering the invitations had told him to not worry he would have the best seat and that he would set up an appointment with the best barber the cricket, so that his tail would look its best. Well after talking to the possum the rabbit had went to the cricket and told him what to do. That next day possum went to cricket to have his tail done, and the cricket carefully combed it, but also secretly cut his hair to the roots. He tied ribbons around his tail, and told possum not to untie them until the dance. Well when poosum made it to the dance, he started to sing about his beautiful tail and revieled his tail. But when he untied the ribbons all his fur had fallen off, and all the animals began to laugh. When he saw his tail the possum became really embarassed and fell to the ground and played dead. From that point on, the possum would forever have a bare tail. //**( When the Possum bragged and was very stuck-up about his tail he had sinned, so as a punishment it seemed fit that he should lose what he was bragging about his tail)**//

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Bibliography
__**Information-**__
 * 1) "Common Themes of Native American Origin Myths." //DISCovering Multicultural America//. Online ed. Detroit: Gale, 2003. //Student// //Resource Center// //- Gold//. Web. 8 Jan. 2010. <http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=wall41812>.
 * 2) Native American Mythology." //Myths and Legends of the World//. Ed. John M. Wickersham. New York: Macmillan, 2000. //Student// //Resource Center// //- Gold//. Web. 8 Jan. 2010. <http://find.galegroup.com/gps/start.do?prodId=IPS&userGroupName=wall41812>.
 * 3) //First People//. Turtle Island. Web. 10 Jan. 2010. <http://www.firstpeople.us/>."Native American Legends." //Native American Legends//. //Http://www.firstpeople.us///. Web. 7 Jan. 2010. [].//


 * __Pictures-__**


 * 1) Foresman, Pearson S. Drawing of Beaver//. Digital image.// Wikipedia//. Pearson Scott Foresman. Web. 14 Jan. 2010. [|http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:]//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Beaver_(PSF).jpg&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beaver_(PSF).jpg&usg=__88OLkjL4w8aObUgy1rGbNzze28g=&h=740&w=886&sz=187&hl=en&start=16&um=1&tbnid=0kFz5XYLg4RVOM:&tbnh=122&tbnw=146&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBeaver%2Bdrawing%26hl%3Den%26um%3D1.
 * 2) Haney, Enoch K. //The Earth and I are One//. Digital image. //Art of the Oaklahoma State Capital//. Kerr-McGee. Web. 10 Jan. 2010. [].
 * 3) Maguire, John E. //Autumn Trees//. Digital image. //Portal to the Past//. Web. 14 Jan. 2010. <http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/Autumn_Trees_1895DB.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/heritage_home/heritage_people/heritage_local_artists/johnmaguire/maguire_paintings.htm%3Fidcall%3D33%26imagesize%3Dlarge%26textsize%3Dundefined&usg=__S5PrkdelSnT4wh44sJbV0dUphN0=&h=500&w=349&sz=28&hl=en&start=42&um=1&tbnid=zMWnK60rLe_qKM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=91&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dautumn%2Btrees%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D40%26um%3D1>.