Native American Origin Legend

The Native American Origin Legends Native American myths all come from different tribes and many different religions, they have made up over the years. Their stories are mostly about how the world came to be and why creatures don’t all look the same. “When Grizzlies Walked Upright”, “The Earth on Turtle’s Back”, and “The Navajo Origin Legend”, are all Native American stories have different perspectives on how the world came to be. The stories told by the Natives were based on what their beliefs, and religion represented. Their customs also played a big role on how and what story they would put on a new discovered creature. “When Grizzlies Walked Upright”, is a story about creation of how a god lived in a volcano with his daughter. When the
god came down to earth he spread seeds all over the ground making new ground were ever he stepped. On a most unexpected occasion the wind blew the daughter of the volcano and into the hands of some grizzlies who could speak English and walk upright. They took her in and forced her to marry one of the grizzlies, which then they had two kids who had a little bit of both in them. When the god found out he cursed the grizzlies and enabled them from ever speaking English and walking upright. Another story about creation would be “The Earth on Turtle’s Back” similar to “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” this story is about how a woman, mother nature had a dream about how the tree grew big and strong. The husband did not dismiss it, but took it as a sign. He ordered for it to be pulled out, unfortunately no one could. The god then gave it a try pulling it from the bottom and taking the whole tree out of the ground. The curios woman leans forward to see the big hole the tree had left. As she leans forward little by little to see the big opening, somehow manages to fall through. Luckily she was caught by some swan before splashing on the ocean floor. A great idea was shouted when they suggested to get land from the deepest part of the ocean. They all tried to help, but failed until a Muskrat tried and brought up the sand barely surviving. He then place his paw in the turtle who volunteered to carry the land. Then just like that landscapes appeared and trees where made along with another animals, creating a new world. The next story unlike the other ones, not a world creation story, but a human one. “The Navajo Origin Legend” is the story of how men and women were created. Once there was gods who danced around a buckskin that included two corn ears, one yellow another white. It also had eagle feather, one yellow another white, from a yellow eagle and a white eagle. They danced around them until the wind blew and created the first man and woman. For “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” the symbol would be the seeds how a little like the sand from “Earth on Turtle’s Back” could create such amazing and beautiful life.
Like both of the symbols are small and harmless, but bring the most unexpected life to earth just like the corn and feathers from “The Navajo Origin Legend”. These stories all have in common that with a little powerless thing life can be sprung. Their differences would only be that on the first story what brought life was a seed, on the second story it was nothing else but a handful of sand that brought life and landscape to life. Last but not least on the third story land was not created, nor was it destroyed, but it simple explain how the human being itself was created from just corn ears and eagle feathers. Unlike on “Earth on Turtle’s Back” the grizzlies were beast and took the girl all for themselves. The archetype for “Earth on Turtle’s Back” would be Mother Nature as she was a woman and curios. For “The Navajo Origin Legend” their archetype would be the creator because of how it build and created humans.
Native Americans made new stories on what they saw and they made them on how they saw fit. Their stories along with their beliefs were all tied up to their religions. Whatever they saw and how ever they saw meant a lot on how their stories would be told and express over the years. Stories like this entertain us and gives us a small idea of how the world back then was
seen. Citations
Earth on Turtle’s Back
The Navajo Origin Legend http://www.native-languages.org/legends.htm When Grizzlies Walked Upright