Native+American+Creation+and+Destruction+Myths

=** Native American Creation and Destruction Myths (Summited by S. Marsh) **=

Across the plethora of Native American Tribes we find many different creation and destruction myths. The story of creation for a tribe is highly influenced by the area of which they come from. The Native American tribes in the northeast for example have a very different idea of creation from the tribes in the south west. As there are many differences commonalities are also seen in these creation myths. Most Native American myth are based upon Earth-Diver form of creation and Creation from Emergence type myth. These myths were passed oraly over time and some have been influenced by new religion such as Christianity.

** Earth-Diver Creation **
Earth-Diver creations is a common form of creation myths. The main charcteristics of this myth is that a superior being sends sends an aquatic animal into the primal waters in search of earth. It was believed by many tribes that at one point the whole world was covered by water. The Iroquois Nation which is composed of the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca all believe in a creation that a creator fell from the sky and came upon a great tortoise. The Tortoise would send an animal to dive down into the primal waters and recover earth, sand, or clay. The elements that were found in the deeps of the water would be put on the tortoises back, then making the great tortoises the foundation of the new earth. The Iroquois inhabited much of upper New York and Onterio and there influnce can be found along the east coast. Other great eastern Tribes such as the Huron and Chippewa had Earth-Diver Creation myths. (1)

Creation by Emergence
Another popular trend found in native american myth is Creation by Emergence. "This type of myth describes the emergence of a people into this world from one or more under worlds" (Leeming 58).This type of creation myth is prevalent in the tribes of the western United States. Creation from emergence is shown in the creation myths of the Acoma, Apache, Hopi and Navajo indian tribes. As in the Acoma, apache and Navajo belief our existence started in an underworld. With help from a superior being we were able to be set free from the underworld and start to inhabit the world we live in today. Also in these emergence myth is the presence of a woman deity who helps bring upon the creation. For example the Acoma tribe believed in a female spirit named Tschinako, and the Hopi tribe believed in a spider woman of whom helped bring existence. (1)

**Supreme Creator**

Found throughout most Native American tribes is the belief in a supreme creator. "Native Americans have a belief in a Supreme Creator who is above all other spirit being, all powers of nature, and distant from people and daily existence" (Hirschifelder 58). This "Great Spirit" is an invisible deity whose name and gender is dependent on the tribes beliefs. This creator in general does not stay to help guide the people of the world they dreated yet leave the work to helpers lesser gods and the cultural heros of the tribe. (2)

Sources:

(1) Hirschberger, Arlene B. //Encyclopedia of Native American Religions.// New York, NY: Facts on File, 2000. Print. (2) Leeming, David Adams. //Dictionary of creation myths//. New York: Oxford UP, 1995. Print.

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