Native American Essay: Cultures and Beliefs of Native Americans
Native American Essay
The society of Americans today is unaware of the cultures and beliefs of Native Americans, and how complex those cultures are. The creation myth, “The Earthdiver” written by the Mono culture, and the creation myth, “How the World Was Made” written by the Cherokee have similarities and differences that open the eyes of its audiences that are unknowledgeable of the topic. Native American folktales are stories on how certain Native American tribes contributed their beliefs and culture into one story. For example, the Mono Native American’s lived in New Mexico, were primarily nomads, and surrounded their culture around nature. The Cherokee were a large group of Native Americans that contained a nature-based culture, settled on the East Coast, and were successful in creating their own empire. Even though the creation myths “The Earthdiver” and “How the World Was Made” both emphasize nature completely, they differ in the steps and materials that were taken or used to create planet Earth. The creation myth, “The Earthdiver” contained many essential elements that displayed their culture. The key elements of their culture were the Prairie Falcon, water and the oceans, and lastly, death and the afterlife. These elements play the role of creating the Earth in the Mono Native American’s specific way. “The Earthdiver” presented the beliefs in how the Mono Native Americans thought the Earth was created. To begin with, the Prairie Falcon sent three different animals to the bottom of the ocean to gather sand to begin creating planet Earth. Two of the three animals failed to complete their assignment; they all died in the process, but the Prairie Falcon brought them back to life. The final animal retrieved the sand but he lost a majority of the sand on his way back to land, and then died. The Prairie Falcon used the ounce of sand from the deceased animal’s hand to create the Earth. The Cherokee Native Americans created “How the World Was
The society of Americans today is unaware of the cultures and beliefs of Native Americans, and how complex those cultures are. The creation myth, “The Earthdiver” written by the Mono culture, and the creation myth, “How the World Was Made” written by the Cherokee have similarities and differences that open the eyes of its audiences that are unknowledgeable of the topic. Native American folktales are stories on how certain Native American tribes contributed their beliefs and culture into one story. For example, the Mono Native American’s lived in New Mexico, were primarily nomads, and surrounded their culture around nature. The Cherokee were a large group of Native Americans that contained a nature-based culture, settled on the East Coast, and were successful in creating their own empire. Even though the creation myths “The Earthdiver” and “How the World Was Made” both emphasize nature completely, they differ in the steps and materials that were taken or used to create planet Earth. The creation myth, “The Earthdiver” contained many essential elements that displayed their culture. The key elements of their culture were the Prairie Falcon, water and the oceans, and lastly, death and the afterlife. These elements play the role of creating the Earth in the Mono Native American’s specific way. “The Earthdiver” presented the beliefs in how the Mono Native Americans thought the Earth was created. To begin with, the Prairie Falcon sent three different animals to the bottom of the ocean to gather sand to begin creating planet Earth. Two of the three animals failed to complete their assignment; they all died in the process, but the Prairie Falcon brought them back to life. The final animal retrieved the sand but he lost a majority of the sand on his way back to land, and then died. The Prairie Falcon used the ounce of sand from the deceased animal’s hand to create the Earth. The Cherokee Native Americans created “How the World Was