This week, as I was reading through the Mississippi Valley/Great Lakes unit, I quickly became intrigued by the differences in storytelling styles and tones as well as the content of the stories from the various tribes across this region. I focused mainly on the two stories of creation, one from the Winnebago people and the other from the Chitimachas. Possibly due to their geographic separation (the former were concentrated in Nebraska while the latter resided in Louisiana), their thoughts on the universe before the Earth existed as well as their perceptions of a great Creator, from His being to how He conceptualized the world, have some drastic differences.
For the Winnebagos, the form of the "Earth-maker" is not described at all. This story of creation simply discusses an empty universe, except for where the creator himself is sitting. First, he forms a small piece of earth to make the planet that we know today, then he throws some grass on it, taken from his mysterious seat. What is interesting to me is the next description of the first living creatures that he makes: the Earth-maker forms a man but calls him Tortoise. Was this a real tortoise, simply called Man because it was the most complex organism at the time, or was it a human being actually named Tortoise? Regardless of this fact, however, Tortoise acts in the same way the first humans did in the Chitimachas' tale of creation (see below).
In contrast, the Chitimachas described the figure (albeit invisible) of their Creator in more detail, as well as the order of events in the creation of the world. These details are laid out step by step, chronologically, in order to explain the ways of nature.
The tones that each of these tales have are dramatically different from each other. The story of the Earth-maker seems more abstract and is told in more of an existentialist style. The details are not fully fleshed out, and this gives the reader more room to interpret and expand on those that are on the page. On the other hand, the Chitimachas seem to have taken more of a didactic approach to their storytelling, using this tale as a way to explain exactly what happened in the creation of the Earth and why certain events happen--for example, why the Sun shines brighter than the Moon and why humans have a symbiotic relationship with the animals around them.
These are only a small subset of the many different beliefs from Native American tribes all across North America. It would be fascinating to explore other styles of storytelling from other tribes.
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Works Cited
"The Earth-Maker" and "Creation"
Myths and Legends of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes.
Edited by Katharine Berry Judson.
1914.
Showing posts with label Week 9. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Week 9. Show all posts
Friday, October 17, 2014
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Week 9 Storytelling: Creation
Life under the sea is all I have ever known. It may seem boring, but I am content--I love to explore the depths with my friends. I have fond memories from when we were young crawfish of taking turns diving and seeing who could touch the ocean floor first.
For as long as I can remember, I have been friends with the Creator. Maybe the immediate attachment was because there weren't many other creatures with which to socialize, or just because I have always been intrigued by the being that He is and want to get to know him better. Either way, I've developed a close relationship with Him.
One day, during the early days of the Earth, He asked me for a favor. He requested that I dig up some earth from the bottom of the ocean so that He could have land upon which to set His new creation, Man. Of course, I was honored and agreed. For the next few days, I used the diving skills that I had acquired in my youth to reach the sea floor and pinch some mud between my claws. When I brought this mud up, I was surprised to see that it automatically spread out, creating vast amounts of dry land. 'This Creator really is something,' I thought to myself in awe.
This land came to be known as Natchez, and the Creator's next step was to bring Man into existence in this area. At first, I was frustrated by the naivete and unruliness of these beings--they did not heed the warnings that the Creator gave them, and therefore caused Him much grief. To solve this problem, the Creator sent down a substance that would calm the humans and make them less rambunctious.
I continued observing through the ages as He taught Man how to survive in the bitter wilderness with the help of Woman and other animals He created. Gradually, I was happy to see that they began to show the respect and honor to the Creator that He deserved. The tribe lived happily for many years.
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Author's note: This week, I retold the story of Creation from the Chitimacha people of Louisiana. This story detailed the order of events in the creation of the Earth from the perspective of the Chitimacha: at first, the sea and fish were created, then the Great Mystery sent down humans after Crawfish dug up some dry land. Afterwards, the humans had to learn how to fend for themselves, and the Creator graciously teaches them through the wise words of their animal companions.
As I was reading the original story, I got the feeling that the humans did not respect the Creator very much at first, and I wanted to show a tone of reverence throughout. I told this story from the perspective of the Crawfish because he was one of the first things ever made, and therefore feels honored to be in the presence of the Creator. It is because of this, then, that he feels frustrated when the humans are disrespectful when they first come to Earth, and that he feels relieved and glad when they eventually learn that they would not be able to survive without Him.
For as long as I can remember, I have been friends with the Creator. Maybe the immediate attachment was because there weren't many other creatures with which to socialize, or just because I have always been intrigued by the being that He is and want to get to know him better. Either way, I've developed a close relationship with Him.
One day, during the early days of the Earth, He asked me for a favor. He requested that I dig up some earth from the bottom of the ocean so that He could have land upon which to set His new creation, Man. Of course, I was honored and agreed. For the next few days, I used the diving skills that I had acquired in my youth to reach the sea floor and pinch some mud between my claws. When I brought this mud up, I was surprised to see that it automatically spread out, creating vast amounts of dry land. 'This Creator really is something,' I thought to myself in awe.
This land came to be known as Natchez, and the Creator's next step was to bring Man into existence in this area. At first, I was frustrated by the naivete and unruliness of these beings--they did not heed the warnings that the Creator gave them, and therefore caused Him much grief. To solve this problem, the Creator sent down a substance that would calm the humans and make them less rambunctious.
I continued observing through the ages as He taught Man how to survive in the bitter wilderness with the help of Woman and other animals He created. Gradually, I was happy to see that they began to show the respect and honor to the Creator that He deserved. The tribe lived happily for many years.
Crawfish on land, observing Man's interactions. Source: LA Tech.
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Author's note: This week, I retold the story of Creation from the Chitimacha people of Louisiana. This story detailed the order of events in the creation of the Earth from the perspective of the Chitimacha: at first, the sea and fish were created, then the Great Mystery sent down humans after Crawfish dug up some dry land. Afterwards, the humans had to learn how to fend for themselves, and the Creator graciously teaches them through the wise words of their animal companions.
As I was reading the original story, I got the feeling that the humans did not respect the Creator very much at first, and I wanted to show a tone of reverence throughout. I told this story from the perspective of the Crawfish because he was one of the first things ever made, and therefore feels honored to be in the presence of the Creator. It is because of this, then, that he feels frustrated when the humans are disrespectful when they first come to Earth, and that he feels relieved and glad when they eventually learn that they would not be able to survive without Him.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Week 9 Reading Diary: Mississippi Valley/Great Lakes
This week, I am reading tales from the Native American tribes of the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes area. I chose this unit because I originally hail from the Great Lakes area and grew up with knowledge of the tribes that were there, but had never really read much of their stories and folklore. I am interested to see the themes present in this unit and how they relate to the cultures that I have learned about in the past.
The Earth Maker: This account of the creation of the Earth from the Winnebago tribe was intriguingly abstract. At times, I had to stop to re-read sentences because, though the language is simple, the ideas are hard to visualize. In a sense, the process of the creation of the Earth is similar to that detailed in the Bible: at first, there was nothing, then the land was created. After that, the creator made plants to grow upon the earth and creatures to roam the land. I was confused when the story said that the creator made a man and called him Tortoise, then later created the "two-legged walkers." Was this creature a man in the sense that we know the word, i.e., a human being, or was he actually a tortoise? If he were a human, I wouldn't think that he would be separated from the other two-legged walkers for any reason. I will look into Winnebago lore further to explore this.
Creation: It is interesting to compare stories about the same types of events and ideas between different tribes. This tale comes from the Chitimacha tribe from present-day Louisiana. The first paragraph describing the Creator of All Things certainly paints an odd picture: if its body were to become visible, one would probably see a headless body that could see and hear. The rest is fairly straightforward; this seems like a storytelling strategy that people have passed down through the ages: using folklore to explain certain events and behaviors, such as why the tribe hunts animals (to punish them for past transgressions) and why the Sun shines brighter than the Moon (because the Moon "forgot the sacred bathing").
Gifts of the Sky God: In the same didactic tone, the Chitimacha describe how humans received different gifts from above. What I don't fully comprehend is how these gifts correspond with the animals that brought them (or if there is even supposed to be a correlation). This is another aspect of culture I will have to investigate further.
The Earth Maker: This account of the creation of the Earth from the Winnebago tribe was intriguingly abstract. At times, I had to stop to re-read sentences because, though the language is simple, the ideas are hard to visualize. In a sense, the process of the creation of the Earth is similar to that detailed in the Bible: at first, there was nothing, then the land was created. After that, the creator made plants to grow upon the earth and creatures to roam the land. I was confused when the story said that the creator made a man and called him Tortoise, then later created the "two-legged walkers." Was this creature a man in the sense that we know the word, i.e., a human being, or was he actually a tortoise? If he were a human, I wouldn't think that he would be separated from the other two-legged walkers for any reason. I will look into Winnebago lore further to explore this.
Creation: It is interesting to compare stories about the same types of events and ideas between different tribes. This tale comes from the Chitimacha tribe from present-day Louisiana. The first paragraph describing the Creator of All Things certainly paints an odd picture: if its body were to become visible, one would probably see a headless body that could see and hear. The rest is fairly straightforward; this seems like a storytelling strategy that people have passed down through the ages: using folklore to explain certain events and behaviors, such as why the tribe hunts animals (to punish them for past transgressions) and why the Sun shines brighter than the Moon (because the Moon "forgot the sacred bathing").
Gifts of the Sky God: In the same didactic tone, the Chitimacha describe how humans received different gifts from above. What I don't fully comprehend is how these gifts correspond with the animals that brought them (or if there is even supposed to be a correlation). This is another aspect of culture I will have to investigate further.
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