Reading quiz 2 Flashcards
(25 cards)
Holy Wind
-Navajo belief
- spiritual fort that inhabits every element of creation
god Quetzacoatl
possesses the sacred power of creation
native human origin stories teach that…
human beings/ancestors originated in the Americas
this contradicts the anthropological theories that the Americas were settled by people from Asia tens of thousands of years ago
Mayan creation narrative (Quiche Maya)
Popol: creator gods tried to make humans several times but failed the first 3 times: animals, mud, wood, then they got it right via cornmeal + water
some native creation stories do not describe the creation of humans but…
their emergence on the surface of the Earth
Zuni mythology
god called Awonawilona created the world from his breath/body. His ancestors were underground in dark conditions. 2 warrior gods were created to lead the ancestors out from under the earth to its surface (the Zuni people)
Navajo creation myths
describes the ancestors of humans emerging from the surface of the earth. Navajo lived a stressful life under the surface and they wanted to scape. after traveling through many worlds, they emerged on Earth. First man and First woman were born and helped create the world. Changing Woman created the first Navajo people from her own body
Rituals in Navajo religious practice
o Ancestors created a painting on the ground, depicting all that was going to exist in the world
o Through prayer and song, the real world came to be from this painting
o This world was perfectly balanced and ordered
navajo twin story
Changing woman gave birth to 2 heroic twins who vanquished monsters
in some native religions, ancestors -=
spiritual representations of what humans can hope to become
Kachinas
pueblo people (Hopi + Zuni) believed in ancestral spirits in the form of animals, plants, or humans. they represent the spiritually perfect beings that humans become after they die
humanity’s spiritual imperfection is represented by..
public dances and ceremonies by clowns (clowns led human beings as they emerged from the earth)
in many myths, lessons are taught through the exploits of …
the trickster
trickster lesson from Pima of Arizona
Bluebird was unattractive, so he bathed 4 times in blue lake and grew beautiful blue feathers. Coyote also wanted to be beautiful, but when he became blue, he was arrogant and had his head up in the air. so he tripped and fell into the dirt and now he is the color of dirt.
myths also account for the origins of activities such as
hunting and farming: for example, humans were given a special duty to raise corn
Cherokee belief of farming
goddess Corn Woman produced corn through treachery of her son and his playmate. she rubbed her body to make food, the boys thought she was a with, they attacked her, she instructed the boys to drag her injured body over the ground, corn grew. point= blood that causes death can produce life
stories of heroic twins
shows important degree of continuity among different traditions/tribes.
navajo: heroid twins prepare world for humanity
apache: similar tale
it is the story of all life that is holy and is good to tell, and of us two-leggeds sharing in it with the four-leggeds and the wings of the air and all green things; for these are the children of one mother and their father is one spirit.
Black Elk (Lakota Leader)
interconntededness externes to humanity’s relationship with animals
importance of balance: Modoc of Norca
Sky God’s daughter fell out of mount Shasta and she was adopted by Grizzly bears. she had a child with a Grizzly and it became a human. Sky god was angry and cursed grizzly bears to walk on all fours
often, the primary responsibility of humanity =
maintaining balance among all things
tale of local landscape are important of apache knowledge. example?
Big Cottonwood Trees Stand Here and There
*Apaches and Pima were fighting, the noise woke up an old lady. She thought the noise was her son-in-law cursing her daughter. She yelled at him, but the Pima heard her and killed her.
*As people pass this place, they are reminded of the social rule to not interfere with your son in law
architecture has sacred dimensions: Navajo
myth has instructions for building sacred dwelling known as Hogan. should be built as a representation of Navajo lands and cosmos. 4 posts are sacred mountains, roof is father sky, floor is mother earth
architecture has sacred dimensions: tribes of the Great Plains
Tipi: each tipi is an image of the universe and the lit fire in the center is the center of all existence. smoke escapes the top and carries messages to spirit world
