The session covered:
North America-
The myths of the people of the First Nations, this was an oral tradition so information was transcribed.
In the previous session we covered the Huron and Iroquois myths, they were located north of Lake Erie, around the USA/Canada Border.
The Maidu people were located in what is now known as California. If you have access to the internet for browsing there is a web site which covers this legend in detail http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TheCreation-Maidu.html, there are other sites available. It starts with a dark water filled world with two ‘persons’ floating on a raft, Turtle and Father-of-the-Secret-Society. The Earth-Initiate came down from the sky onto the raft, his face is never seen but his body shines like the sun. Similar to the Sky Father in other myths. From here the land is created by tiny amounts of mud brought up from the sea bed by Turtle. The Earth-Initiate calls his sister the sun and his brother the moon, he called the stars and they appeared. Humans were made from the red earth. Life is made to be easy but when the Earth-Initiate went back above the Coyote brought hard work. When people die they go to the spirit house in the West.
Tuscarora people are one of the 6 nations of the Iroquois from where North Carolina is now. It explains how the Sky Holder made the world and the plants and animals. A long time later he created 6 pairs of humans and told each pair where to live. The Sky Holder took the Tuscaroras further south towards the Roanoke River, and stayed with them and taught them. They were the preferred people as he did not stay with any of the others.
Haida people were located along the coast of what is now British Columbia. The Raven is the central figure who created rocks out of the water so he could rest. These became the Queen Charlotte Islands. The Raven made two women from sea shells and only later was a man created by throwing limpet shells at one of the women.
These myths have the common themes such as the ocean/water similar to the primeval sea, a mother earth type figure, sky spirits, good/evil. There are similarities between the North America and Australia myths where people are seen to have animal ancestors.
Last Updated on March 22, 2017