What Are The Beliefs Of The Puritans And Native Americans

Looking for Guidance: From the Perspective of the Puritans and the Native Americans People have always looked at the vastness of the Earth and the universe and have wondered from where it all came, including where mankind itself originated. Many people of the past have attributed their creation to supernatural powers, such as higher spirits or a god, and have recorded their coming into existence in a story. In the case of the Puritans, their creation myth is found in Genesis, while on the other hand, the Native Americans recount their creation in multiple tales. Two of these Native American stories are “The Earth on Turtle’s Back” coming from the Onondaga tribe and “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” coming from the Modoc. As well as giving an
explanation behind the existence of man, these stories also tell how a group relates to their creator. In both Puritans works and in Native American stories, a common theme is turning to a creator for direction. Looking for guidance, both the Puritans and Native Americans turn to their creators, one looking to their god while the other turns to nature and the beings that existed before them. Puritans and Native Americans turn to their creators for a way of life out of the relationship they share with their maker. In the case of the Puritans, their god is an angry and punishing creator, seen in Genesis and the famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by the Puritan minster Jonathan Edwards; this makes him less relatable and a figure that must be obeyed. In Genesis, God exudes hate for disobedience, first by banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and then by cursing Cain and making him a fugitive marked to be killed; through these two examples, a fear of God is generated. Trying to create the same affect, Winthrop preaches, “The God that holds you…abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked…he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else but to be cast into the fire” (Edwards 4). For Puritans, their creator was a figure that had to be pleased; to do that, Puritans turn to God for guidance in their day-to-day activities, being frequent churchgoers and living the way they felt God wanted. On the other hand, there is no single creator in “The Earth on Turtle’s Back,” unlike in Genesis, and instead the Native American Onondaga tribe claims to come from nature, which they turn to out of respect, not fear. Looking at the story behind their existence, the Onondaga come from the seeds of Skyland’s tree and the animals who helped make Earth. With all of those characters being from nature, the Onondaga have a respect for animals and their natural surrounding and lead a life that integrates themselves with nature. The Modoc in “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” do not have themselves originating from a single higher being either, but rather nature as well. The Modoc see the bears as the parents of their race. Relating to the bears, the Modoc do not necessarily fear the bear as their creator, but respect it, just like the Onondaga respect nature; this is clearly shown in their creation myth, as they “would never kill a grizzly bear” (Modoc 2). Their lives, too, reflect the respect they have for nature, as they lives the same life as the Onondaga, where they try to avoid hurting nature, particularly the bear, and try to work with nature instead. While both groups turn to their creators for their ways of life, what sets them apart is the view they share of who made them. Native Americans and Puritans share a feeling of dependence on their respective creators as well.
With Puritans, this feeling of dependence can first be seen in Genesis and then later with voyage to America, retold in Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford. In Genesis, the Puritan belief that events happened because of the will of God is very apparent, particularly with the usage of the phrase “and it was so,” said frequently as God was creating the universe (Genesis 1:9-12); it depicts a god whose will created the universe and nothing could dispute his authority. Bradford, too, exemplifies this belief of God’s omnipotence in his Of Plymouth Plantation, where everything that went well on the Puritans’ voyage to America was attributed to God; for instance, upon landing “they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven who had delivered them over the vast and furious ocean” (Bradford 3). The Puritans immediately give credit to their god, rather than considering that their own efforts may have played a role in a good outcome. Contrasting the Puritans who turn to God are the Native Americans, who turned to nature when in need; the Onondaga creation story reflects the need they have for the earth and nature. When the Sky Spirit falls from the sky, she cannot survive on her own, which is noticed by all the animals. She needed earth to survive, and more importantly, the animals to help her. Hence, the Onondaga and other Native Americans look at nature and the animals
for their sustenance. In “When Grizzlies Walked Upright” the Modoc also show their reliance on nature though the story of the Sky Chief’s daughter. When the daughter of the Sky Chief was told to tell the Wind Spirit to stop blowing, she was cautioned that the wind could harm her. Nature has a will of its own and thus the Modoc and other Native Americans look to nature and depend on it being favorable for them to live. With the different needs both Puritans and Native Americans have, they both depend on their creators provide for them accordingly. The Puritans and Native Americans look their creators as a guide morally too.
Puritan values can be seen explicitly coming from God and being controlled by him as well, in both Genesis and John Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity.” When Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden in Genesis, they are explicitly commanded by God, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it” (Genesis 2:17); only when the two do eat from it do they gain knowledge of what is morally correct, and so from the beginning of Puritan history, God has played a role in controlling morals. In “A Model of Christian Charity” as well, Winthrop outlines the moral code for the Puritan settlers coming to America, with rules such treating other with justice and mercy; according to Winthrop, such rules are from God and need to be obeyed to avoid a “shipwreck” for their new colony (Winthrop 6). With the risk of God ruining the colony unless they act as God has said, it is again apparent the control God has over the moral conduct of Puritans. However, unlike the Puritans, who need God to outline their conduct, the Onondaga in their creation story, turn to nature for their principles, particularly their animals. Their creation story emphasizes the helping nature of the animals, such as the swans that catch the Sky Spirit, the turtle who hold the earth and that the myth is named after, and the muskrat, who is explicitly extolled for her determination, despite her lacking strength.
For the Onondaga, their creators in nature set the precedent for how a Native American should live life: with kindness and determination. Likewise, the Modoc have a moral code outlined in their story too, also coming from the animals. The only animal mentioned is the bear, and similar to the Onondaga tale, this animal takes care of the Sky Chief’s daughter. The bear that found the girl is said to have carried her home and “brought her up with [his] family of cubs” (Modoc 2). The tale goes on, “The little red-haired girl and the cubs ate together, played together, and grew up together” (Modoc 2). From here, the Modoc see the value of being caring person and have acceptance for other, just as the bears did with the girl. With their makers in mind, both the Native Americans and the Puritans derive their moral codes from their creation stories. In need of direction with their lives, the Native Americans and the Puritans turn to their creators. In the case of the Puritans, they turn to their God as a result of fear, unlike the Native Americans who turn to nature because of their respect for its role in their creation. Part of these groups turning to their creator is the dependence they feel, where God controls everything for the Puritans and directly influences their lives while nature provides the sustenance and good conditions for living with the Native Americans. Moral conduct also stems from their creators, where the Puritans believe that God has control over what is right and wrong, while on the other hand, the Native Americans find lessons in the animals in their stories. With different creators and both groups believing a different story behind their creation, it is not hard to believe the conflict the Native Americans and Puritans had when they met. However, looking at their myths, a parallel between them can be seen with how both groups were equally dependent on their maker for guidance.