Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Marriage between people and different species (particularly bears) is a common theme. In some stories, animals foster human children. Although most Native North American myths are profound and serious, some use light-hearted humor – often in the form of tricksters – to entertain, as they subtly convey important spiritual and moral messages.
The wolf holds great importance in the cultures and religions of many nomadic peoples, such as those of the Eurasian steppe and North American Plains. Wolves have sometimes been associated with witchcraft in both northern European and some Native American cultures: in Norse folklore, the völva Hyndla and the gýgr Hyrrokin are both portrayed ...
Ojibwe religion is the traditional Native American religion of the Ojibwe people. It's practiced primarily in north-eastern North America, within Ojibwe communities in Canada and the United States. The tradition has no formal leadership or organizational structure and displays much internal variation.
According to Miwok mythology, the people believed in animal and human spirits, and spoke of animal spirits as their ancestors. Coyote in many tales figures as their ancestor, creator god, and a trickster god. The Miwok mythology is similar to other Native American myths of Northern California.
Together, they created the Earth just as Kishelamàkânk had dreamt it. One of their final acts was creating a special tree. From the roots of this tree came the first man, and when the tree bent down and kissed the ground, woman sprang from it. All the animals and humans did their jobs on the Earth, until eventually a problem arose.
Native American religions were prevalent in the pre-Columbian era, including state religions.Common concept is the supernatural world of deities, spirits and wonders, such as the Algonquian manitou or the LakotaŹ¼s wakan, [19] [20] [9] as well as Great Spirit, [21] Fifth World, world tree, and the red road among many Indians.
Non-humans, and ecosystems are viewed as having great worth and importance, in addition to humans. [5] One such relationship in Anishinaabe homeland (what is now known as the Great Lake region) is between nmé (lake sturgeon), manoomin (wild rice), nibi (water), and humans. [7] Similar relationships are exemplified in stories.
Animals figure significantly in Choctaw mythology, as they do in most Native American myth cycles. For example, in Choctaw history, solar eclipses were attributed to black squirrels, and maize was a gift from the birds. [9] Heloha (thunder) and Melatha (lightning) were responsible for the dramatic thunderstorms.