Myths about North American Indians

In the myth of North American Indians, the great god and divine power are contained in every creature in nature. Flowers, trees, birds and animals in nature all have their own souls, and they are endowed with mysterious power in the dark. The creation myths of various ethnic groups in India reveal the original reason why all things contain gods. In those myths, the world and human beings were either created by animals with divine power or by gods with the help of animals. In Iroquois mythology, "Arvinhay Tasika, the mother of human ancestors, fell from the upper boundary where animals lived, and with the help of some animals (beavers, muskrats, otters and turtles), she was placed in the Yinghai Sea; Among them, muskrats dive to the bottom of the water, pick up a mass of soil and put it on the turtle's back; Because of the origin of land, the mud mass is getting bigger and bigger. " In Akomawi mythology, coyotes and eagles created the world together. "Coyotes created mountains, but they were not high enough, and eagles piled up ridges again. The eagle flew over it, its feathers fell to the ground, took root and sprouted, and grew clusters of trees. The tiny cilia became shrubs and other plants. " The coyote and the fox made a man, and then he went to the west to make a fire. In Arjuna mythology, after the world was washed away by the flood, Michael sent muskrats to find enough soil to rebuild the earth, and later married them and gave birth to human beings. The protagonists of these creation myths are all animals, not indomitable gods or heroes like Pangu, Nu Wa and Prometheus. Animals themselves are gods. They created the world, created human beings, and then they lived in nature, among people, and lived with people day and night.

In many Indian myths, people and everything with gods not only exist, but also can be deformed and interchanged. Northwest Indians have a myth called "crows steal the sun". It is said that a long time ago, there was no light in the world, and the sun and the moon were hidden at home by an old man who lived on the top of the mountain. Crow hears people's complaints and wants to do something good for the world. So when the old man's daughter was drinking water, the crow turned into a tiny pine needle, entered the girl's stomach and became a human figure. Ten months later, the girl gave birth to a fat boy in vain. The boy is growing fast and healthy. One night, the old man and his daughter fell asleep, and the child climbed out of the chimney with the moon and the sun. After the old man found it, he pursued it, and the child, running all the way, stumbled repeatedly. Finally, he had to throw the sun and moon into the sky, showing his true colors and flying away. In this myth, crows have all the characteristics of human beings. They can not only think and talk like human beings, but also change invisibly. The slinkers have a myth about their ancestor "Avery": Avery's mother gave birth to him because she swallowed bird's nest. Avery can become a bird and fly in the sky with a bird's skin, while her mother can swim in the sea with a duck's skin. In Aleutian mythology, people can be transformed into swallows, bears, beavers and raptors. The nature in North American Indian mythology is not dead, it is full of vitality, and all life has soul and divine power. In this unpredictable, mysterious and unknown world, people and everything are transformed into each other. You have me and I have you.

The blending of man and everything is also vividly manifested in the copulation and fertility of man and other species. There are many stories about "husband bear" and "husband dog" in northwest Indian mythology. The story of a bear husband tells the story of an Indian woman who was taken away by a black bear and forced to marry the son of a black bear leader and give birth to two children. A few years later, the woman was rescued, and her two children returned with her and remained in human form forever. They are strong and become heroes in the clan. In the myth of a dog husband, a young woman's pet dog became human and had sex with a woman. Later, the woman gave birth to five puppies. After many twists and turns, all five puppies became people. When they grow up, they become good warriors in the tribe because of the power of God and the quality of dogs. These two myths emphasize the equal relationship between man and animals. Humans appreciate the survival ability of animals in nature and fear the soul and divine power of animals. At the same time, human beings are also eager to have special essence and strength like some animals.

Cherokee Indians have a myth about cedar: Once upon a time, Cherokee people only lived on the earth, and they thought life would be better without night. So, the creator took back the night. However, it didn't take long for the weather to get hotter and hotter, making it difficult for people to sleep, becoming more irritable and quarreling with each other. People found that their choice was wrong, so they asked the creator to take back the day and leave only the night. The creator loves human beings and thinks that maybe human beings are right, so he agrees to their demands. Before long, the weather became colder and colder, plants stopped growing, people were hungry and cold, and many people died. Only then did people realize that they had made another big mistake and begged the creator to alternate day and night again, so that people's lives could be restored to balance. The creator made a tree and put the souls of people who died in the long night into it. This tree is called Cedar.

There is a myth of elk and hunter among Wasikou people: the patron saint of young people is a god elk, who often helps him, but in order to show his ability, he is not allowed to kill creatures. Later, the young man became an excellent hunter, but he never hit anything he needed. However, this restraint of young people is always scolded and laughed at by his father. Later, the young man changed. He killed more and more people and even killed his patron saint. The god moose pretended to fall into the lake, and when the hunter dragged it in the water, it sank with the moose. At the bottom of the lake, the hunter saw many animals he killed. They all became people.

Groaning and complaining. The Elk God said to him, "You have lost your way. I have decided to leave you and never be your patron saint again. " After returning home, the hunter slept for five days and nights. After waking up, he spoke the last sentence of his life in despair: "My patron saint abandoned me. So, I deserve to die, too