Have you ever wondered
about Native Americans stories of how the world and men were
created? For example, the Diegueño Indians of Southern
California believe that two brothers that
lived in the sea created ants that made land. From this land mass in
the sea, the rest of the land was developed and people were created.
As you can see, these creation stories are different from the common
creation story of
Christianity.
From the four
cardinal directions travel four Native Americans. A man from the Navajo
tribe travels from the Southern state of New Mexico. A man from the
Cherokee tribes travels from the East. A young woman from the Seneca
tribe travels from the North, near Lake Ontario. A man from the
Mohave tribe travels from the western state of California. His tribe
resides on the Colorado River today. These four tribal members all
travel to a secret location the Native Americans have kept from others
forever. This place is deep in the Rocky Mountains. It is the place
where these four people will tell their tribe's specific creation story
and spend time with each other. It is located on the Colorado River at
the Continental Divide. There is no name for this place, but for the
sake of these stories I will call it, "The Meeting Place."
The four stories
that I chose for my storybook are the Navajo Creation Myth, the
Cherokee Creation Myth, the Seneca Creation Myth and the Mohave
Creation Myth. I think all of these stories are very unique. The theme
related to the number four is present in many Native American
legends and myths, including creation tales. This is much like the use
of three in Christianity.
I will connect these four stories with my frametale. All four of the
stories will be told from the location in Colorado that the tribe
members traveled to from the four cardinal directions. The stories will
explore each tribal belief of creation.
The Meeting Place
is beautiful. It is at the center of the United States in the Rocky
Mountains. The rough Colorado River can be heard flowing rapidly
nearby. From the Meeting Place you can see for many miles in
every direction. The smell of cedar is strong and overtakes all other
smells. The four people meet in a tee-pee set up only for the most
important meetings. The tee-pee is very traditional, with a bare floor
and a small fire in the center. The four people sit in a circle close
to the fire. The four were very quiet, as they all strengthened
their spiritual connection before the ensuing tales would begin. The
spiritual connection was important for most tribes, and especially for
the four present.
“I’m glad we have
all gathered here to continue telling of our heritage and share our
creation stories,” said Running Bird in traditional Cherokee. His tribe
was moved to the Oklahoma territory in the 1830’s from the Southeastern
United States by the Indian Removal Act. Talequah, Oklahoma is the
headquarters for the Cherokee tribe today. “This is important for our
heritage to be preserved. We must continue these traditions or it will
be lost for future generations.” The next to speak was Sue, the elderly
woman from
the shores of Lake Ontario and member of the Seneca tribe. Originally
from the area around the current day state of New York, the tribe was
moved to land in Western Missouri in 1838, but some remained in the
area around the Great Lakes. Descendants of this tribe, called the
Seneca-Cayuga, are also located in Northeastern Oklahoma. The Navajo
man
said, "I am glad we can all come together in peace." This was
followed by the Mohave man expressing his thanks for the invitation in
his traditional language.
Coverpage
Native American Dancing.
Paul
Slaughter Photography
Tee-pee. Websource.