fandomhigh | World Mythology, Monday, Period 3

"Today we're visiting with the myths to be found in the Native American cultures." Ghanima grabbed her handouts from the front desk and began walking up and down the rows, dropping papers on desks. "For me to try and cover the history and mythology of every tribe in a single day would be impossible, not to mention insulting to the cultures involved. A thoughtful, anthropologically sound approach to these stories would take up an entire semester, not a class period."

"Among all tribes there is a strong sense that behind all individual spirits and personifications of the divine, there is a single creative life-force, sometimes called ‘the Great Mystery’, which expresses itself throughout the universe, in every human, animal, tree and grain of sand. Every story, too, is a working out of this life-force. One aspect of this outlook is the major role played in the stories by animals, who often speak to humans and assist them. Most tribes thought of individual members of a species as expressions of the spiritual archetype of that species, which in turn embodied a particular spirit power."

"Another key feature of the Native American spiritual outlook is found in the powers ascribed to the Four Directions, which occur either literally or in symbolic form throughout the stories. These are often represented by particular colours, or by animals. The Four Directions have to be in balance for all to be well with the world, and often a central point of balance is identified as a fifth direction; for example, four brothers represent the outer directions, and their sister the center."

"Native American myths include all the types found worldwide, such as stories of creation, and of heroic journeys. However, they are particularly rich in ‘trickster’ myths, similar to the ones we studied recently regarding Anansi. Notable examples are Coyote and Iktome. The trickster is an ambiguous figure who demonstrates the qualities of early human development, both cultural and psychological, that make civilization possible, and yet which cause problems. He is an expression of the least developed stage of life, which is dominated by physical appetites."

"Today we're talking about the Woman Who Fell From The Sky and a version of the story of Sedna," she said, quickly ~~handwavily~~ going over both myths, "and we will discuss the differences, similarities, and how they relate to other creation myths you may know."

World Mythology, Monday, Period 3

OOC