Bible vs. Native American Creation Stories from the Southwestern United States
Bible vs. Native American Creation Stories from the Southwestern United States
Human curiosity is shared between both the Biblical creation story and the Native American myths .Both the Bibles account of creation and the Native American myths tell about an intelligent creator that created complicated beings. Creators in both of the stories have a dwelling in the sky. In Genesis, the creator God dwells in heaven. In Native American stories, the creator lives in the sky and is known as the Sky God. However much these two stories have in common, their differences are considerably stronger. One story places human above nature, while the other place animals above humans. The creation of humans is different, and the worlds in which human life began are unalike.
The Bible and the Native Americans both value the importance of human life inversely. In the Bible, it is understood that God places the humans above nature,”…and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth…” (53). The Native American myths say that the animals ruled over the humans, because in each myth the animals were the ones that could talk and reason and think for themselves. In the intro to the Native American Stories, it is stated, “Generally, these creation myths hold that life began below ground and that the first creatures were prehumen, insect-like beings. They developed physically and socially into recognizable ancestors…” (90). The Bible states the importance of human authority, while Native American myths find more intelligent life elsewhere.
Additional information that shows how unlike these stories are is how the human form looked when first created. The Native American myths tell of humans that were first created in a form/shape other than what anyone today would expect. The Zuni Emergence Myth says, “Their hands and feet were webbed and they had tails and no mouths or exits” (93). However, when God
Human curiosity is shared between both the Biblical creation story and the Native American myths .Both the Bibles account of creation and the Native American myths tell about an intelligent creator that created complicated beings. Creators in both of the stories have a dwelling in the sky. In Genesis, the creator God dwells in heaven. In Native American stories, the creator lives in the sky and is known as the Sky God. However much these two stories have in common, their differences are considerably stronger. One story places human above nature, while the other place animals above humans. The creation of humans is different, and the worlds in which human life began are unalike.
The Bible and the Native Americans both value the importance of human life inversely. In the Bible, it is understood that God places the humans above nature,”…and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth…” (53). The Native American myths say that the animals ruled over the humans, because in each myth the animals were the ones that could talk and reason and think for themselves. In the intro to the Native American Stories, it is stated, “Generally, these creation myths hold that life began below ground and that the first creatures were prehumen, insect-like beings. They developed physically and socially into recognizable ancestors…” (90). The Bible states the importance of human authority, while Native American myths find more intelligent life elsewhere.
Additional information that shows how unlike these stories are is how the human form looked when first created. The Native American myths tell of humans that were first created in a form/shape other than what anyone today would expect. The Zuni Emergence Myth says, “Their hands and feet were webbed and they had tails and no mouths or exits” (93). However, when God