Assignment Prompt & Instructions
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**files (5)**
– ## TrickstersLessonsCreationMyth.docx
– ## TrickstersinNativeAmericanLiterature.docx
– ## NativeAm.LectureNotes.docx
– ## NativeAm.HowtheWorldWasMade.pdf
– NativeAmericanTricksterTalesprintversion.pdf
**## TrickstersLessonsCreationMyth.docx**
**Tricksters Lessons Learned**
**Download the print version of Trickster Tales or click on the link to access the Trickster Tales. Read two (2) tales and post your response to the following discussion question.**
·
**What do you think these trickster stories say about the uses and character of cunning intelligence? Can intelligence be both evil and good? When and Why?**
**Identify the Native American tales you are responding to in this discussion and submit a 100-150 word response. Use examples from both tales to support your response.**
**Native American Creation Myth**
**Native American Creation Myths are traditional stories told that explain the origins of the world, life, and humanity, often featuring supernatural beings and deeply connected to the natural environment. Each tribe has its own unique creation narrative reflecting its culture and beliefs. Download and read the above Cheyenne myth, "How the World Was Made."**
**Submit a 100-150 word response to**
**one (1) of the following questions:**
**1. What important life lessons or moral values can be drawn from this creation story?**
**2. What similarities and/or differences exist between Western religion creation myths and the Cheyenne myth?**
[http://arcadiasystems.org/academia/printtrickster.html](http://arcadiasystems.org/academia/printtrickster.html)
**## TrickstersinNativeAmericanLiterature.docx**
**Tricksters in Native American Literature**
The trickster is the embodiment of lawlessness and paradox. He is a divine buffoon, a hero who breaks taboos, a rebel, a coward, and a creator. Trickster helps establish social rules, and he deliberately flouts them. He is commonly depicted as deceitful and humorous. He is amoral, rather than immoral, and he has a voracious appetite for food and sex. In his traditional and mythic incarnations, he is almost always male. As the supreme boundary crosser, the trickster is always
_between_ classifications– between what is human and what is animal, between what is cultural and what is natural.
Native American tricksters tend to be associated with animal spirits (such as Coyote, Rabbit, or Raven). Their tales are both sacred myths and simple folk tales. The most common incarnation of the Plains trickster, however, is Coyote.
Although he is clever, the trickster's desires sometimes land him in a lot of trouble. He is often the butt of his own tricks, and even in his creative acts, he is often crude and immature. In hunting cultures, the trickster is often depicted as a clever but foolish animal, led by his appetites.
As found among the North American Indians, Trickster is both, at the same time, creator and destroyer, giver and negator. He dupes others and is always duped himself. He wills nothing consciously. He is constrained to behave as he does from impulses over which he has no control. He knows neither good nor evil, yet he is responsible for both. He possesses no values, moral or social, and is at the mercy of his passions and appetites, yet through his actions, all values come into being. Not all mythologists would agree that tricksters "will nothing consciously" and have "no control." The trickster is often the wise fool.
Trickster tales have different functions in various societies. Certainly, the stories are told because they are funny and entertaining; but they are also in some sense sacred. Tricksters always function within some sort of "sacred context" because Native Americans needed laughter to survive. Trickster stories also have something to say about how culture gets created, and about the nature of intelligence. Trickster represents a certain flexibility of mind and spirit, a willingness to defy authority and invent clever solutions that keep culture from becoming too stagnant.
**## NativeAm.LectureNotes.docx**
**Native American Literature**
**It is important to remember that the Native Americans practiced an oral tradition, which means stories were passed down from generation to generation through verbal communication. Because of the oral communication of the myths and stories, reliability is questioned. Nevertheless, Native American myths embody the basic belief and values of the people who created them. These beliefs and values can be organized in three areas:**
·
**Beliefs about the nature of the physical world**
·
**Beliefs about social order and appropriate behavior**
·
**Beliefs about human nature and the problem of good and evil**
**Myths are “the dramatic representation of culturally important truths in narrative form.” Myths represent or dramatize shared visions of the world for the people who hold them and articulate the fundamental truths about the shape of the universe and the nature of humanity.**
**Characteristics of Myths and Legends**
·
**Myths involve the primal world—first, original**
·
**Beings are animals spirits in more or less human form**
·
**Mythic age flows into age of transformation**
·
**Culture hero or transformer orders the world**
·
**Other beings become landmarks**
**Figures in Native American literature**
·
**Culture heroes**
·
**Dramatize prototypical events and behaviors**
·
**Show how to do what is right and how we become the people we are**
·
**Shape the world and give it its character by theft of sun, fire, or water**
·
**Often of divine birth**
·
**Trickster heroes**
·
**Provide for disorder and change**
·
**Enable us to see the seamy underside of life**
·
**Remind us that culture is finally artificial**
·
**Are over-reachers who gets their deserved reward, usually unpleasant**
·
**Themes**
·
**Formation of the world through struggle and robbery**
·
**Movement from a sky world to a water world by means of a fall**
·
**Fortunate fall: creation story**
·
**Earth-diver myth**
·
**Flood that occurred after creation of the universe**
·
**Recreation of the present world out of mud brought up from under the water by the earth-diver**
·
**Theft of fire**
·
**Emergence Myths**
·
**Ascent of beings from under the surface of the earth to its surface**
·
**Ascent from a series of underworlds**
·
**Migration myths: accompany emergence myths**
**## NativeAm.HowtheWorldWasMade.pdf**
Reader's Guide
Background
The Cheyenne, a Native American people, have inhabited the North
American continent for centuries. During the seventeenth century, the
Cheyenne migrated from the Great Lakes region to the central plains.
Their life on the plains was firmly linked with nature in general-and
with the buffalo in particular. They came to depend upon the buffalo
for their livelihood, and they made use of virtually every part of the
animal: its flesh, its hide, and even its bones. Many Cheyenne religious
rituals, such as the Sun Dance, were designed to ensure the abun-
dance of buffalo.
This Cheyenne myth is in many ways a "typical" creation story. It
contains several common motifs, or recurring story features. Of spe-
cial interest is the "earth-diver" motif. In this motif, a god sends a
bird or animal to the depths of the ocean to bring back a bit of soil
from which the entire earth can be created. This motif occurs among a
variety of Native American peoples, but it occurs in remote parts of
the world as well, such as Siberia. The turtle, too, is a recurring figure
in the mythologies of many lands, from North America to China and
India.
Oral Response
Many cultures view the earth as a female figure. The ancient Greeks,
for example, personified the earth as a goddess called Gaia. The an-
cient Sumerians worshiped Ki, or Urash, the earth goddess. Today we
often speak of "Mother Earth" and "the Earth Mother." As a class,
discuss the feminine qualities of the earth. You may wish to record the
class's ideas in the form of a word cluster on the chalkboard.
Literary Focus
An origin myth is a story that explains how something began. Origin
myths provide explanations for mysteries that early peoples wanted to
understand: why there are seasons, why we have day and night, why
the moon has phases. Virtually every culture has an origin myth that
explains the greatest mystery of all: the creation of the world.
How THE WORLD
WAS MADE
A Cheyenne Myth
retold by
ALICE MARRIOTT AND CAROL K. RACHLIN
~
Do any of the details in this Cheyenne
creation myth remind you of other
stories you are familiar with?
In the beginning there was nothing, and Ma-
heo, the All Spirit. lived in the void. He
looked around him, but there was nothing
to see. He listened, but there was nothing
to hear. There was only Maheo, alone in
nothingness.
Because of the greatness of his Power,
Maheo was not lonesome. His being was a
Universe. But as he moved through the
endless time of nothingness, it seemed to
Maheo that his Power should be put to use.
What good is Power, Maheo asked himself.
if it is not used to make a world and people
to live in it?
With his Power, Maheo created a great
water. like a lake. but salty. Out of this salty
water, Maheo knew, he could bring all life
that ever was to be. The lake itself was life,
if Maheo so commanded it. In the darkness
of nothingness, Maheo could feel the cool-
ness of the water and taste on his lips the
tang of the salt.
"There should be water beings," Maheo
told his Power. And so it was. First the fish,
swimming in the deep water, and then the
mussels and snails and crawfish, lying on
the sand and mud Maheo had formed so his
lake should have a bottom.
Let us also create something that lives on
the water, Maheo thought to his Power.
And so it was. For now there were snow
geese, and mallards and teal and coots and
terns and loons living and swimming about
on the water's surface. Maheo could hear the
splashing of their feet and the flapping of
their wings in the darkness.
I should like to see the things that have
been created, Maheo decided.
And, again, so it was. Light began to grow
and spread, first white and bleached in the
east, then golden and strong till it filled the
middle of the sky and extended all around
the horizon. Maheo watched the light. and
he saw the birds and fishes. and the shellfish
lying on the bottom of the lake as the light
showed them to him.
How beautiful it all is, Maheo thought in
his heart.
Then the snow goose paddled over to
where she thought Maheo was, in the space
above the lake. "I do not see You,but I know
that You exist," the goose began. "I do not
know where You are, but I know You must
be everywhere. Listen to me. Maheo. This is
good water that You have made, on which
we live. Butbirds are not like fish. Sometimes
we get tired swimming. Sometimes we would
like to get out of the water."
"Then fly," said Maheo, and he waved his
arms, and all the water birds flew, skittering
along the surface of the lake until they had
speed enough to rise in the air. The skies
were darkened with them.
"How beautiful their wings are in the
light," Maheo said to his Power, as the birds
wheeled and turned, and became living pat-
terns against the sky.
The loon was the first to drop back to the
surface of the lake. "Maheo,"he said,looking
around, for he knew that Maheo was all
about him, "Youhave made us sky and light
to fly in, and You have made us water to
swim in. It sounds ungrateful to want some-
thing else, yet still we do. When we are tired
of swimming and tired of flying, we should
like a dry solid place where we could walk
and rest. Give us a place to build our nests,
please, Maheo."
"Sobe it," answered Maheo, "but to make
such a place I must have your help, all of
you. By myself, I have made four things: the
water, the light. the sky air, and the peoples
of the water. Now I must have help if I am
to create more, for my Power will only let
me make four things by myself."
"Tell us how we can help You," said all
,'- eo stretched out his hand and beck-
~. "Let the biggest and the swiftest try
_ =- d land first," he said, and the snow
g~ e came to him.
~am ready to try," the snow goose said,
"– – she drove herself along the water until
=e hite wake behind her grew and grew
::: 2. sharp white point that drove her up
– the air as the feathers drive an arrow.
-re flew high into the sky, until she was
a dark spot against the clearness of the
-0 . Then the goose turned, and down she
ged, faster than any arrow, and dived
the water. She pierced the surface with
:::erbeak as if it were the point of a spear.
he snow goose was gone a long time.
~eo counted to four four hundred times
ore she rose to the surface of the water
and lay there floating, her beak half open as
e gasped for air.
"What have you brought us?"Maheo asked
er. and the snow goose sighed sadly. and
answered, "Nothing. I brought nothing
back."
Then the loon tried, and after him. the
mallard. Each in turn rose until he was a
speck against the light, and turned and dived
with the speed of a flashing arrow into the
water. And each in turn rose wearily, and
wearily answered, "Nothing," when Maheo
asked him what he had brought.
At last there came the little coot, paddling
across the surface of the water very quietly,
dipping his head sometimes to catch a tiny
fish, and shaking the water beads from his
scalp lock whenever he rose.
"Maheo," the little coot said softly, "when
I put my head beneath the water, it seems
to me that I see something there, far below.
Perhaps I can swim down to it-I don't
know. I can't fly or dive like my sisters and
brothers. All I can do is swim, but I will
swim down the best I know how, and go as
deep as I can. May I try, please, Mabeo?"
"Little brother," said Maheo, "no man can
do more than his best, and I have asked for
the help of all the water peoples. Certainly
you shall try. Perhaps swimming will be bet-
ter than diving, after all. Try, little brother,
and see what you can do."
"Hah-ho'" the little coot said. "Thank you,
Maheo," and he put his head under the water
and swam down and down and down and
down. until he was out of sight.
An American coot.
I:'i Why is it significant that such a humble
V creature plays such a large role in the
creation of the world?
The coot was gone a long, long, long, long
time. Then Maheo and the other birds could
see a little dark spot beneath the water's
surface, slowly rising toward them. It
seemed as if they would never see the coot
himself, but at last the spot began to have
a shape. Still it rose and rose, and at last
The box turtle.
I:'lCheyenne culture is firmly linked with
V nature. How is this demonstrated in the myth?
Maheo and the water peoples could surely
see who it was. The little coot was swimming
up from the bottom of the salty lake.
When the coot reached the surface. he
stretched his closed beak upward into the
light. but he did not open it.
"Giveme what you have brought," Maheo
said. and the coot let his beak fall open, so
a little ball of mud could fall from his tongue
into Maheo's hand. for when Maheo wanted
to, he could become like a man.
"Go, little brother," Maheo said. "Thank
you. and may what you have brought always
protect you."
And so it was and so it is, for the coot's
flesh still tastes of mud, and neither man
nor animal will eat a coot unless there is
nothing else to eat.
Maheo rolled the ball of mud between the
palms of his hands. and it began to grow
larger. until there was almost too much mud
for Maheo to hold. He looked around for a
place to put the mud. but there was nothing
but water or air anywhere around him.
"Come and help me again, water peoples,"
Maheo called. "I must put this mud some-
where. One of you must let me place it on his
back."
All the fish and all the other
water creatures came swim-
ming to Maheo. and he ;y:"v
"tried to find the right ;;>0~
one to carry the mud. !
The mussels and snails g
and crawfish were too g
small. although they ~
all had solid backs, 8
and they lived too
deep in the water for
the mud to rest on
them. The fish were
too narrow, and their
back fins stuck up
through the mud and cut it to pieces. Finally
only one water person was left.
"Grandmother Turtle," Maheo asked, "do
you think that you can help me?"
''I'm very old and very slow, but I will try,"
the turtle answered. She swam over to
Maheo. and he piled the mud on her rounded
back. until he had made a hill. Under Maheo's
hands. the hill grew and spread and flattened
out, until the Grandmother Turtle was hidden
from sight.
"Sobe it." Maheo said once again. "Let the
earth be known as our Grandmother. and let
the Grandmother who carries the earth be the
only being who is at home beneath the water,
or within the earth. or above the ground; the
only one who can go anywhere by swimming
or by walking as she chooses."
And so it was. and so it is. Grandmother
Turtle and all her descendants must walk
very slowly. for they carry the whole weight
of the whole world and all its peoples on their
backs.
Now there was earth as well as water, but
the earth was barren. And Maheo said to his
Power. "Our Grandmother Earth is like a
woman; she should be fruitful. Let her begin
to bear life. Help me~my Power."
When Maheo said that. trees
and grass sprang up to be-
come the' Grandmother's
hair. The flowers became
her bright ornaments.
and the fruits and the
seeds we~e the gifts
that the earth offered
back to Maheo.
The birds came to
rest on her hands
when they were tired,
and the fish came close
to her sides. Maheo
looked at the Earth
===.:.:::::l and he thought she was very beauti-
-…e most beautiful thing he had made
:.::=: should not be alone, Maheo thought.
– :r -e give her something of myself. so she
w that Iam near her and that I love
(- eo reached into his right side, and
_~~ out a rib bone. He breathed on the
::-= and laid it softly on the bosom of the
~-=. oman. The bone moved and stirred,
right and walked. The first man had
be.
:::e is alone with the Grandmother Earth as
::::::.ewas alone with the void," said Maheo.
– -= not good for anyone to be alone." So
– …__ fashioned a human woman from his
~- …; ,and set her with the man. Then there
::::.-e twO persons on the Grandmother Earth,
6.ildren and Maheo's. They were happy
-.=::' • er, and Maheo was happy as he
– ' ed them.
After a year, in the springtime, the first
child was born. As the years passed, there
were other children. They went their ways,
and founded many tribes.
From time to time, after that, Maheo real-
ized that his people walking on the earth had
certain needs. At those times, Maheo, with
the help of his Power, created animals to feed
and care for the people. He gave them deer for
clothing and food, porcupines to make their
ornaments, the swift antelopes on the open
plains, and the prairie dogs that burrowed in
the earth.
At last Maheo thought to his Power, Why,
one animal can take the place of all the others
put together, and then he made the buffalo.
Maheo is still with us. He is everywhere,
watching all his people, and all the creation he
has made. Maheo is all good and all life; he is
the creator, the guardian, and the teacher. We
are all here because of Mabeo.
–rst Thoughts
– – image is a picture created by words.
, a was your favorite image in this myth?
entifying Facts
hy does Maheo need the animals'
elp in order to complete the creation?
2. hat is Grandmother Turtle's role in
e creation?
3. hy does Maheo decide to create a hu-
man being? Describe how the first peo-
ple are created.
hat is the last thing Maheo creates?
Interpreting Meanings
1. An origin myth explains the beginnings
of things. What beginnings, or origins,
does this myth explain?
2. How would you characterize Maheo?
What is his attitude toward his crea-
tions, including the earth and its inhabit-
ants? Give three specific examples from
the myth to support }Lourviews.
3. In this myth, all of the animals work to-
gether to help Maheo create the world.
What does this suggest about the Chey-
ennes' view of nature?
4. How is the earth compared to a woman
How the World Was Made 15
in this myth? Find the descriptive lan-
guage that characterizes the earth as
feminine.
Applying Meanings
Think about Maheo's question, "What
good is Power … if it is not used to make
a world and people to live in it?" What do
you think is the proper use of power? Ex-
plain your thoughts.
Creative Writing Response
Writing a Poem Based on a Myth. "How
the World Was Made" is full of vivid im-
agery, or language that appeals to the
senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and
touch. Try writing your favorite part of this
myth in the form of a poem, using some of
the same imagery that occurs in the prose
version. Your poem does not have to
rhyme. If you wish, you may change the
emphasis of the poem, telling the creation
story from the point of view of one of the
animals, such as Grandmother Turtle. Ex-
change your first-draft poem with a class-
mate for revision ideas. Then read your
completed poem aloud to the class.
Critical Writing Response
Making Inferences. Myths and folktales
represent a culture's traditions, values,
and attitudes. Although this myth does not
directly tell you about the Cheyenne peo-
ple, you can make inferences, or educated
guesses, about some of their attitudes and
basic values concerning nature. How do
you think the Cheyenne felt about nature
and their relationship to it? Using the fol-
lowing chart as a starting point, write a
two- or three-paragraph essay about the
Cheyenne view of nature as illustrated by
the myth.
Example
Evidence from Myth Inference
Maheo's
reactions to
his creations
The role of
animals in the
creation of
the world
In the conclusion of your essay, describe
how the Cheyenne view of nature is similar
to or different from the view of nature held
in your own time and culture.
Language and Vocabulary
Native American Words in the English
Language
When European settlers first began colo-
nizing North America, they found many
places and things that they had no English
names for. Native American languages sup-
plied these names, and many American Eng-
lish words are direct "loans" from Native
American languages. Below is a list of just
a few of these words. Use a dictionary to
find the words' contemporary meanings
and the Native American language from
which each word was borrowed.
1. raccoon 6. moose
2. wigwam 7. pecan
3. hogan 8. hominy
4. coyote 9. chipmunk
5. toboggan 10. bayou
**NativeAmericanTricksterTalesprintversion.pdf**
This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/nativeamericantrickstertalesprintversion-pdf)
**NativeAmericanTricksterTalesprintversion.pdf**
This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/nativeamericantrickstertalesprintversion-pdf)
**## TrickstersLessonsCreationMyth.docx**
**Tricksters Lessons Learned**
**Download the print version of Trickster Tales or click on the link to access the Trickster Tales. Read two (2) tales and post your response to the following discussion question.**
·
**What do you think these trickster stories say about the uses and character of cunning intelligence? Can intelligence be both evil and good? When and Why?**
**Identify the Native American tales you are responding to in this discussion and submit a 100-150 word response. Use examples from both tales to support your response.**
**Native American Creation Myth**
**Native American Creation Myths are traditional stories told that explain the origins of the world, life, and humanity, often featuring supernatural beings and deeply connected to the natural environment. Each tribe has its own unique creation narrative reflecting its culture and beliefs. Download and read the above Cheyenne myth, "How the World Was Made."**
**Submit a 100-150 word response to**
**one (1) of the following questions:**
**1. What important life lessons or moral values can be drawn from this creation story?**
**2. What similarities and/or differences exist between Western religion creation myths and the Cheyenne myth?**
[http://arcadiasystems.org/academia/printtrickster.html](http://arcadiasystems.org/academia/printtrickster.html)
**## TrickstersinNativeAmericanLiterature.docx**
**Tricksters in Native American Literature**
The trickster is the embodiment of lawlessness and paradox. He is a divine buffoon, a hero who breaks taboos, a rebel, a coward, and a creator. Trickster helps establish social rules, and he deliberately flouts them. He is commonly depicted as deceitful and humorous. He is amoral, rather than immoral, and he has a voracious appetite for food and sex. In his traditional and mythic incarnations, he is almost always male. As the supreme boundary crosser, the trickster is always
_between_ classifications– between what is human and what is animal, between what is cultural and what is natural.
Native American tricksters tend to be associated with animal spirits (such as Coyote, Rabbit, or Raven). Their tales are both sacred myths and simple folk tales. The most common incarnation of the Plains trickster, however, is Coyote.
Although he is clever, the trickster's desires sometimes land him in a lot of trouble. He is often the butt of his own tricks, and even in his creative acts, he is often crude and immature. In hunting cultures, the trickster is often depicted as a clever but foolish animal, led by his appetites.
As found among the North American Indians, Trickster is both, at the same time, creator and destroyer, giver and negator. He dupes others and is always duped himself. He wills nothing consciously. He is constrained to behave as he does from impulses over which he has no control. He knows neither good nor evil, yet he is responsible for both. He possesses no values, moral or social, and is at the mercy of his passions and appetites, yet through his actions, all values come into being. Not all mythologists would agree that tricksters "will nothing consciously" and have "no control." The trickster is often the wise fool.
Trickster tales have different functions in various societies. Certainly, the stories are told because they are funny and entertaining; but they are also in some sense sacred. Tricksters always function within some sort of "sacred context" because Native Americans needed laughter to survive. Trickster stories also have something to say about how culture gets created, and about the nature of intelligence. Trickster represents a certain flexibility of mind and spirit, a willingness to defy authority and invent clever solutions that keep culture from becoming too stagnant.
**## NativeAm.LectureNotes.docx**
**Native American Literature**
**It is important to remember that the Native Americans practiced an oral tradition, which means stories were passed down from generation to generation through verbal communication. Because of the oral communication of the myths and stories, reliability is questioned. Nevertheless, Native American myths embody the basic belief and values of the people who created them. These beliefs and values can be organized in three areas:**
·
**Beliefs about the nature of the physical world**
·
**Beliefs about social order and appropriate behavior**
·
**Beliefs about human nature and the problem of good and evil**
**Myths are “the dramatic representation of culturally important truths in narrative form.” Myths represent or dramatize shared visions of the world for the people who hold them and articulate the fundamental truths about the shape of the universe and the nature of humanity.**
**Characteristics of Myths and Legends**
·
**Myths involve the primal world—first, original**
·
**Beings are animals spirits in more or less human form**
·
**Mythic age flows into age of transformation**
·
**Culture hero or transformer orders the world**
·
**Other beings become landmarks**
**Figures in Native American literature**
·
**Culture heroes**
·
**Dramatize prototypical events and behaviors**
·
**Show how to do what is right and how we become the people we are**
·
**Shape the world and give it its character by theft of sun, fire, or water**
·
**Often of divine birth**
·
**Trickster heroes**
·
**Provide for disorder and change**
·
**Enable us to see the seamy underside of life**
·
**Remind us that culture is finally artificial**
·
**Are over-reachers who gets their deserved reward, usually unpleasant**
·
**Themes**
·
**Formation of the world through struggle and robbery**
·
**Movement from a sky world to a water world by means of a fall**
·
**Fortunate fall: creation story**
·
**Earth-diver myth**
·
**Flood that occurred after creation of the universe**
·
**Recreation of the present world out of mud brought up from under the water by the earth-diver**
·
**Theft of fire**
·
**Emergence Myths**
·
**Ascent of beings from under the surface of the earth to its surface**
·
**Ascent from a series of underworlds**
·
**Migration myths: accompany emergence myths**
**## NativeAm.HowtheWorldWasMade.pdf**
Reader's Guide
Background
The Cheyenne, a Native American people, have inhabited the North
American continent for centuries. During the seventeenth century, the
Cheyenne migrated from the Great Lakes region to the central plains.
Their life on the plains was firmly linked with nature in general-and
with the buffalo in particular. They came to depend upon the buffalo
for their livelihood, and they made use of virtually every part of the
animal: its flesh, its hide, and even its bones. Many Cheyenne religious
rituals, such as the Sun Dance, were designed to ensure the abun-
dance of buffalo.
This Cheyenne myth is in many ways a "typical" creation story. It
contains several common motifs, or recurring story features. Of spe-
cial interest is the "earth-diver" motif. In this motif, a god sends a
bird or animal to the depths of the ocean to bring back a bit of soil
from which the entire earth can be created. This motif occurs among a
variety of Native American peoples, but it occurs in remote parts of
the world as well, such as Siberia. The turtle, too, is a recurring figure
in the mythologies of many lands, from North America to China and
India.
Oral Response
Many cultures view the earth as a female figure. The ancient Greeks,
for example, personified the earth as a goddess called Gaia. The an-
cient Sumerians worshiped Ki, or Urash, the earth goddess. Today we
often speak of "Mother Earth" and "the Earth Mother." As a class,
discuss the feminine qualities of the earth. You may wish to record the
class's ideas in the form of a word cluster on the chalkboard.
Literary Focus
An origin myth is a story that explains how something began. Origin
myths provide explanations for mysteries that early peoples wanted to
understand: why there are seasons, why we have day and night, why
the moon has phases. Virtually every culture has an origin myth that
explains the greatest mystery of all: the creation of the world.
How THE WORLD
WAS MADE
A Cheyenne Myth
retold by
ALICE MARRIOTT AND CAROL K. RACHLIN
~
Do any of the details in this Cheyenne
creation myth remind you of other
stories you are familiar with?
In the beginning there was nothing, and Ma-
heo, the All Spirit. lived in the void. He
looked around him, but there was nothing
to see. He listened, but there was nothing
to hear. There was only Maheo, alone in
nothingness.
Because of the greatness of his Power,
Maheo was not lonesome. His being was a
Universe. But as he moved through the
endless time of nothingness, it seemed to
Maheo that his Power should be put to use.
What good is Power, Maheo asked himself.
if it is not used to make a world and people
to live in it?
With his Power, Maheo created a great
water. like a lake. but salty. Out of this salty
water, Maheo knew, he could bring all life
that ever was to be. The lake itself was life,
if Maheo so commanded it. In the darkness
of nothingness, Maheo could feel the cool-
ness of the water and taste on his lips the
tang of the salt.
"There should be water beings," Maheo
told his Power. And so it was. First the fish,
swimming in the deep water, and then the
mussels and snails and crawfish, lying on
the sand and mud Maheo had formed so his
lake should have a bottom.
Let us also create something that lives on
the water, Maheo thought to his Power.
And so it was. For now there were snow
geese, and mallards and teal and coots and
terns and loons living and swimming about
on the water's surface. Maheo could hear the
splashing of their feet and the flapping of
their wings in the darkness.
I should like to see the things that have
been created, Maheo decided.
And, again, so it was. Light began to grow
and spread, first white and bleached in the
east, then golden and strong till it filled the
middle of the sky and extended all around
the horizon. Maheo watched the light. and
he saw the birds and fishes. and the shellfish
lying on the bottom of the lake as the light
showed them to him.
How beautiful it all is, Maheo thought in
his heart.
Then the snow goose paddled over to
where she thought Maheo was, in the space
above the lake. "I do not see You,but I know
that You exist," the goose began. "I do not
know where You are, but I know You must
be everywhere. Listen to me. Maheo. This is
good water that You have made, on which
we live. Butbirds are not like fish. Sometimes
we get tired swimming. Sometimes we would
like to get out of the water."
"Then fly," said Maheo, and he waved his
arms, and all the water birds flew, skittering
along the surface of the lake until they had
speed enough to rise in the air. The skies
were darkened with them.
"How beautiful their wings are in the
light," Maheo said to his Power, as the birds
wheeled and turned, and became living pat-
terns against the sky.
The loon was the first to drop back to the
surface of the lake. "Maheo,"he said,looking
around, for he knew that Maheo was all
about him, "Youhave made us sky and light
to fly in, and You have made us water to
swim in. It sounds ungrateful to want some-
thing else, yet still we do. When we are tired
of swimming and tired of flying, we should
like a dry solid place where we could walk
and rest. Give us a place to build our nests,
please, Maheo."
"Sobe it," answered Maheo, "but to make
such a place I must have your help, all of
you. By myself, I have made four things: the
water, the light. the sky air, and the peoples
of the water. Now I must have help if I am
to create more, for my Power will only let
me make four things by myself."
"Tell us how we can help You," said all
,'- eo stretched out his hand and beck-
~. "Let the biggest and the swiftest try
_ =- d land first," he said, and the snow
g~ e came to him.
~am ready to try," the snow goose said,
"– – she drove herself along the water until
=e hite wake behind her grew and grew
::: 2. sharp white point that drove her up
– the air as the feathers drive an arrow.
-re flew high into the sky, until she was
a dark spot against the clearness of the
-0 . Then the goose turned, and down she
ged, faster than any arrow, and dived
the water. She pierced the surface with
:::erbeak as if it were the point of a spear.
he snow goose was gone a long time.
~eo counted to four four hundred times
ore she rose to the surface of the water
and lay there floating, her beak half open as
e gasped for air.
"What have you brought us?"Maheo asked
er. and the snow goose sighed sadly. and
answered, "Nothing. I brought nothing
back."
Then the loon tried, and after him. the
mallard. Each in turn rose until he was a
speck against the light, and turned and dived
with the speed of a flashing arrow into the
water. And each in turn rose wearily, and
wearily answered, "Nothing," when Maheo
asked him what he had brought.
At last there came the little coot, paddling
across the surface of the water very quietly,
dipping his head sometimes to catch a tiny
fish, and shaking the water beads from his
scalp lock whenever he rose.
"Maheo," the little coot said softly, "when
I put my head beneath the water, it seems
to me that I see something there, far below.
Perhaps I can swim down to it-I don't
know. I can't fly or dive like my sisters and
brothers. All I can do is swim, but I will
swim down the best I know how, and go as
deep as I can. May I try, please, Mabeo?"
"Little brother," said Maheo, "no man can
do more than his best, and I have asked for
the help of all the water peoples. Certainly
you shall try. Perhaps swimming will be bet-
ter than diving, after all. Try, little brother,
and see what you can do."
"Hah-ho'" the little coot said. "Thank you,
Maheo," and he put his head under the water
and swam down and down and down and
down. until he was out of sight.
An American coot.
I:'i Why is it significant that such a humble
V creature plays such a large role in the
creation of the world?
The coot was gone a long, long, long, long
time. Then Maheo and the other birds could
see a little dark spot beneath the water's
surface, slowly rising toward them. It
seemed as if they would never see the coot
himself, but at last the spot began to have
a shape. Still it rose and rose, and at last
The box turtle.
I:'lCheyenne culture is firmly linked with
V nature. How is this demonstrated in the myth?
Maheo and the water peoples could surely
see who it was. The little coot was swimming
up from the bottom of the salty lake.
When the coot reached the surface. he
stretched his closed beak upward into the
light. but he did not open it.
"Giveme what you have brought," Maheo
said. and the coot let his beak fall open, so
a little ball of mud could fall from his tongue
into Maheo's hand. for when Maheo wanted
to, he could become like a man.
"Go, little brother," Maheo said. "Thank
you. and may what you have brought always
protect you."
And so it was and so it is, for the coot's
flesh still tastes of mud, and neither man
nor animal will eat a coot unless there is
nothing else to eat.
Maheo rolled the ball of mud between the
palms of his hands. and it began to grow
larger. until there was almost too much mud
for Maheo to hold. He looked around for a
place to put the mud. but there was nothing
but water or air anywhere around him.
"Come and help me again, water peoples,"
Maheo called. "I must put this mud some-
where. One of you must let me place it on his
back."
All the fish and all the other
water creatures came swim-
ming to Maheo. and he ;y:"v
"tried to find the right ;;>0~
one to carry the mud. !
The mussels and snails g
and crawfish were too g
small. although they ~
all had solid backs, 8
and they lived too
deep in the water for
the mud to rest on
them. The fish were
too narrow, and their
back fins stuck up
through the mud and cut it to pieces. Finally
only one water person was left.
"Grandmother Turtle," Maheo asked, "do
you think that you can help me?"
''I'm very old and very slow, but I will try,"
the turtle answered. She swam over to
Maheo. and he piled the mud on her rounded
back. until he had made a hill. Under Maheo's
hands. the hill grew and spread and flattened
out, until the Grandmother Turtle was hidden
from sight.
"Sobe it." Maheo said once again. "Let the
earth be known as our Grandmother. and let
the Grandmother who carries the earth be the
only being who is at home beneath the water,
or within the earth. or above the ground; the
only one who can go anywhere by swimming
or by walking as she chooses."
And so it was. and so it is. Grandmother
Turtle and all her descendants must walk
very slowly. for they carry the whole weight
of the whole world and all its peoples on their
backs.
Now there was earth as well as water, but
the earth was barren. And Maheo said to his
Power. "Our Grandmother Earth is like a
woman; she should be fruitful. Let her begin
to bear life. Help me~my Power."
When Maheo said that. trees
and grass sprang up to be-
come the' Grandmother's
hair. The flowers became
her bright ornaments.
and the fruits and the
seeds we~e the gifts
that the earth offered
back to Maheo.
The birds came to
rest on her hands
when they were tired,
and the fish came close
to her sides. Maheo
looked at the Earth
===.:.:::::l and he thought she was very beauti-
-…e most beautiful thing he had made
:.::=: should not be alone, Maheo thought.
– :r -e give her something of myself. so she
w that Iam near her and that I love
(- eo reached into his right side, and
_~~ out a rib bone. He breathed on the
::-= and laid it softly on the bosom of the
~-=. oman. The bone moved and stirred,
right and walked. The first man had
be.
:::e is alone with the Grandmother Earth as
::::::.ewas alone with the void," said Maheo.
– -= not good for anyone to be alone." So
– …__ fashioned a human woman from his
~- …; ,and set her with the man. Then there
::::.-e twO persons on the Grandmother Earth,
6.ildren and Maheo's. They were happy
-.=::' • er, and Maheo was happy as he
– ' ed them.
After a year, in the springtime, the first
child was born. As the years passed, there
were other children. They went their ways,
and founded many tribes.
From time to time, after that, Maheo real-
ized that his people walking on the earth had
certain needs. At those times, Maheo, with
the help of his Power, created animals to feed
and care for the people. He gave them deer for
clothing and food, porcupines to make their
ornaments, the swift antelopes on the open
plains, and the prairie dogs that burrowed in
the earth.
At last Maheo thought to his Power, Why,
one animal can take the place of all the others
put together, and then he made the buffalo.
Maheo is still with us. He is everywhere,
watching all his people, and all the creation he
has made. Maheo is all good and all life; he is
the creator, the guardian, and the teacher. We
are all here because of Mabeo.
–rst Thoughts
– – image is a picture created by words.
, a was your favorite image in this myth?
entifying Facts
hy does Maheo need the animals'
elp in order to complete the creation?
2. hat is Grandmother Turtle's role in
e creation?
3. hy does Maheo decide to create a hu-
man being? Describe how the first peo-
ple are created.
hat is the last thing Maheo creates?
Interpreting Meanings
1. An origin myth explains the beginnings
of things. What beginnings, or origins,
does this myth explain?
2. How would you characterize Maheo?
What is his attitude toward his crea-
tions, including the earth and its inhabit-
ants? Give three specific examples from
the myth to support }Lourviews.
3. In this myth, all of the animals work to-
gether to help Maheo create the world.
What does this suggest about the Chey-
ennes' view of nature?
4. How is the earth compared to a woman
How the World Was Made 15
in this myth? Find the descriptive lan-
guage that characterizes the earth as
feminine.
Applying Meanings
Think about Maheo's question, "What
good is Power … if it is not used to make
a world and people to live in it?" What do
you think is the proper use of power? Ex-
plain your thoughts.
Creative Writing Response
Writing a Poem Based on a Myth. "How
the World Was Made" is full of vivid im-
agery, or language that appeals to the
senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and
touch. Try writing your favorite part of this
myth in the form of a poem, using some of
the same imagery that occurs in the prose
version. Your poem does not have to
rhyme. If you wish, you may change the
emphasis of the poem, telling the creation
story from the point of view of one of the
animals, such as Grandmother Turtle. Ex-
change your first-draft poem with a class-
mate for revision ideas. Then read your
completed poem aloud to the class.
Critical Writing Response
Making Inferences. Myths and folktales
represent a culture's traditions, values,
and attitudes. Although this myth does not
directly tell you about the Cheyenne peo-
ple, you can make inferences, or educated
guesses, about some of their attitudes and
basic values concerning nature. How do
you think the Cheyenne felt about nature
and their relationship to it? Using the fol-
lowing chart as a starting point, write a
two- or three-paragraph essay about the
Cheyenne view of nature as illustrated by
the myth.
Example
Evidence from Myth Inference
Maheo's
reactions to
his creations
The role of
animals in the
creation of
the world
In the conclusion of your essay, describe
how the Cheyenne view of nature is similar
to or different from the view of nature held
in your own time and culture.
Language and Vocabulary
Native American Words in the English
Language
When European settlers first began colo-
nizing North America, they found many
places and things that they had no English
names for. Native American languages sup-
plied these names, and many American Eng-
lish words are direct "loans" from Native
American languages. Below is a list of just
a few of these words. Use a dictionary to
find the words' contemporary meanings
and the Native American language from
which each word was borrowed.
1. raccoon 6. moose
2. wigwam 7. pecan
3. hogan 8. hominy
4. coyote 9. chipmunk
5. toboggan 10. bayou
**NativeAmericanTricksterTalesprintversion.pdf**
This file is too large to display. [View in new window](https://www.sweetstudy.com/files/nativeamericantrickstertalesprintversion-pdf)
**## TrickstersLessonsCreationMyth.docx**
**Tricksters Lessons Learned**
**Download the print version of Trickster Tales or click on the link to access the Trickster Tales. Read two (2) tales and post your response to the following discussion question.**
·
**What do you think these trickster stories say about the uses and character of cunning intelligence? Can intelligence be both evil and good? When and Why?**
**Identify the Native American tales you are responding to in this discussion and submit a 100-150 word response. Use examples from both tales to support your response.**
**Native American Creation Myth**
**Native American Creation Myths are traditional stories told that explain the origins of the world, life, and humanity, often featuring supernatural beings and deeply connected to the natural environment. Each tribe has its own unique creation narrative reflecting its culture and beliefs. Download and read the above Cheyenne myth, "How the World Was Made."**
**Submit a 100-150 word response to**
**one (1) of the following questions:**
**1. What important life lessons or moral values can be drawn from this creation story?**
**2. What similarities and/or differences exist between Western religion creation myths and the Cheyenne myth?**
[http://arcadiasystems.org/academia/printtrickster.html](http://arcadiasystems.org/academia/printtrickster.html)
**## TrickstersinNativeAmericanLiterature.docx**
**Tricksters in Native American Literature**
The trickster is the embodiment of lawlessness and paradox. He is a divine buffoon, a hero who breaks taboos, a rebel, a coward, and a creator. Trickster helps establish social rules, and he deliberately flouts them. He is commonly depicted as deceitful and humorous. He is amoral, rather than immoral, and he has a voracious appetite for food and sex. In his traditional and mythic incarnations, he is almost always male. As the supreme boundary crosser, the trickster is always
_between_ classifications– between what is human and what is animal, between what is cultural and what is natural.
Native American tricksters tend to be associated with animal spirits (such as Coyote, Rabbit, or Raven). Their tales are both sacred myths and simple folk tales. The most common incarnation of the Plains trickster, however, is Coyote.
Although he is clever, the trickster's desires sometimes land him in a lot of trouble. He is often the butt of his own tricks, and even in his creative acts, he is often crude and immature. In hunting cultures, the trickster is often depicted as a clever but foolish animal, led by his appetites.
As found among the North American Indians, Trickster is both, at the same time, creator and destroyer, giver and negator. He dupes others and is always duped himself. He wills nothing consciously. He is constrained to behave as he does from impulses over which he has no control. He knows neither good nor evil, yet he is responsible for both. He possesses no values, moral or social, and is at the mercy of his passions and appetites, yet through his actions, all values come into being. Not all mythologists would agree that tricksters "will nothing consciously" and have "no control." The trickster is often the wise fool.
Trickster tales have different functions in various societies. Certainly, the stories are told because they are funny and entertaining; but they are also in some sense sacred. Tricksters always function within some sort of "sacred context" because Native Americans needed laughter to survive. Trickster stories also have something to say about how culture gets created, and about the nature of intelligence. Trickster represents a certain flexibility of mind and spirit, a willingness to defy authority and invent clever solutions that keep culture from becoming too stagnant.
**## NativeAm.LectureNotes.docx**
**Native American Literature**
**It is important to remember that the Native Americans practiced an oral tradition, which means stories were passed down from generation to generation through verbal communication. Because of the oral communication of the myths and stories, reliability is questioned. Nevertheless, Native American myths embody the basic belief and values of the people who created them. These beliefs and values can be organized in three areas:**
·
**Beliefs about the nature of the physical world**
·
**Beliefs about social order and appropriate behavior**
·
**Beliefs about human nature and the problem of good and evil**
**Myths are “the dramatic representation of culturally important truths in narrative form.” Myths represent or dramatize shared visions of the world for the people who hold them and articulate the fundamental truths about the shape of the universe and the nature of humanity.**
**Characteristics of Myths and Legends**
·
**Myths involve the primal world—first, original**
·
**Beings are animals spirits in more or less human form**
·
**Mythic age flows into age of transformation**
·
**Culture hero or transformer orders the world**
·
**Other beings become landmarks**
**Figures in Native American literature**
·
**Culture heroes**
·
**Dramatize prototypical events and behaviors**
·
**Show how to do what is right and how we become the people we are**
·
**Shape the world and give it its character by theft of sun, fire, or water**
·
**Often of divine birth**
·
**Trickster heroes**
·
**Provide for disorder and change**
·
**Enable us to see the seamy underside of life**
·
**Remind us that culture is finally artificial**
·
**Are over-reachers who gets their deserved reward, usually unpleasant**
·
**Themes**
·
**Formation of the world through struggle and robbery**
·
**Movement from a sky world to a water world by means of a fall**
·
**Fortunate fall: creation story**
·
**Earth-diver myth**
·
**Flood that occurred after creation of the universe**
·
**Recreation of the present world out of mud brought up from under the water by the earth-diver**
·
**Theft of fire**
·
**Emergence Myths**
·
**Ascent of beings from under the surface of the earth to its surface**
·
**Ascent from a series of underworlds**
·
**Migration myths: accompany emergence myths**
**## NativeAm.HowtheWorldWasMade.pdf**
Reader's Guide
Background
The Cheyenne, a Native American people, have inhabited the North
American continent for centuries. During the seventeenth century, the
Cheyenne migrated from the Great Lakes region to the central plains.
Their life on the plains was firmly linked with nature in general-and
with the buffalo in particular. They came to depend upon the buffalo
for their livelihood, and they made use of virtually every part of the
animal: its flesh, its hide, and even its bones. Many Cheyenne religious
rituals, such as the Sun Dance, were designed to ensure the abun-
dance of buffalo.
This Cheyenne myth is in many ways a "typical" creation story. It
contains several common motifs, or recurring story features. Of spe-
cial interest is the "earth-diver" motif. In this motif, a god sends a
bird or animal to the depths of the ocean to bring back a bit of soil
from which the entire earth can be created. This motif occurs among a
variety of Native American peoples, but it occurs in remote parts of
the world as well, such as Siberia. The turtle, too, is a recurring figure
in the mythologies of many lands, from North America to China and
India.
Oral Response
Many cultures view the earth as a female figure. The ancient Greeks,
for example, personified the earth as a goddess called Gaia. The an-
cient Sumerians worshiped Ki, or Urash, the earth goddess. Today we
often speak of "Mother Earth" and "the Earth Mother." As a class,
discuss the feminine qualities of the earth. You may wish to record the
class's ideas in the form of a word cluster on the chalkboard.
Literary Focus
An origin myth is a story that explains how something began. Origin
myths provide explanations for mysteries that early peoples wanted to
understand: why there are seasons, why we have day and night, why
the moon has phases. Virtually every culture has an origin myth that
explains the greatest mystery of all: the creation of the world.
How THE WORLD
WAS MADE
A Cheyenne Myth
retold by
ALICE MARRIOTT AND CAROL K. RACHLIN
~
Do any of the details in this Cheyenne
creation myth remind you of other
stories you are familiar with?
In the beginning there was nothing, and Ma-
heo, the All Spirit. lived in the void. He
looked around him, but there was nothing
to see. He listened, but there was nothing
to hear. There was only Maheo, alone in
nothingness.
Because of the greatness of his Power,
Maheo was not lonesome. His being was a
Universe. But as he moved through the
endless time of nothingness, it seemed to
Maheo that his Power should be put to use.
What good is Power, Maheo asked himself.
if it is not used to make a world and people
to live in it?
With his Power, Maheo created a great
water. like a lake. but salty. Out of this salty
water, Maheo knew, he could bring all life
that ever was to be. The lake itself was life,
if Maheo so commanded it. In the darkness
of nothingness, Maheo could feel the cool-
ness of the water and taste on his lips the
tang of the salt.
"There should be water beings," Maheo
told his Power. And so it was. First the fish,
swimming in the deep water, and then the
mussels and snails and crawfish, lying on
the sand and mud Maheo had formed so his
lake should have a bottom.
Let us also create something that lives on
the water, Maheo thought to his Power.
And so it was. For now there were snow
geese, and mallards and teal and coots and
terns and loons living and swimming about
on the water's surface. Maheo could hear the
splashing of their feet and the flapping of
their wings in the darkness.
I should like to see the things that have
been created, Maheo decided.
And, again, so it was. Light began to grow
and spread, first white and bleached in the
east, then golden and strong till it filled the
middle of the sky and extended all around
the horizon. Maheo watched the light. and
he saw the birds and fishes. and the shellfish
lying on the bottom of the lake as the light
showed them to him.
How beautiful it all is, Maheo thought in
his heart.
Then the snow goose paddled over to
where she thought Maheo was, in the space
above the lake. "I do not see You,but I know
that You exist," the goose began. "I do not
know where You are, but I know You must
be everywhere. Listen to me. Maheo. This is
good water that You have made, on which
we live. Butbirds are not like fish. Sometimes
we get tired swimming. Sometimes we would
like to get out of the water."
"Then fly," said Maheo, and he waved his
arms, and all the water birds flew, skittering
along the surface of the lake until they had
speed enough to rise in the air. The skies
were darkened with them.
"How beautiful their wings are in the
light," Maheo said to his Power, as the birds
wheeled and turned, and became living pat-
terns against the sky.
The loon was the first to drop back to the
surface of the lake. "Maheo,"he said,looking
around, for he knew that Maheo was all
about him, "Youhave made us sky and light
to fly in, and You have made us water to
swim in. It sounds ungrateful to want some-
thing else, yet still we do. When we are tired
of swimming and tired of flying, we should
like a dry solid place where we could walk
and rest. Give us a place to build our nests,
please, Maheo."
"Sobe it," answered Maheo, "but to make
such a place I must have your help, all of
you. By myself, I have made four things: the
water, the light. the sky air, and the peoples
of the water. Now I must have help if I am
to create more, for my Power will only let
me make four things by myself."
"Tell us how we can help You," said all
,'- eo stretched out his hand and beck-
~. "Let the biggest and the swiftest try
_ =- d land first," he said, and the snow
g~ e came to him.
~am ready to try," the snow goose said,
"– – she drove herself along the water until
=e hite wake behind her grew and grew
::: 2. sharp white point that drove her up
– the air as the feathers drive an arrow.
-re flew high into the sky, until she was
a dark spot against the clearness of the
-0 . Then the goose turned, and down she
ged, faster than any arrow, and dived
the water. She pierced the surface with
:::erbeak as if it were the point of a spear.
he snow goose was gone a long time.
~eo counted to four four hundred times
ore she rose to the surface of the water
and lay there floating, her beak half open as
e gasped for air.
"What have you brought us?"Maheo asked
er. and the snow goose sighed sadly. and
answered, "Nothing. I brought nothing
back."
Then the loon tried, and after him. the
mallard. Each in turn rose until he was a
speck against the light, and turned and dived
with the speed of a flashing arrow into the
water. And each in turn rose wearily, and
wearily answered, "Nothing," when Maheo
asked him what he had brought.
At last there came the little coot, paddling
across the surface of the water very quietly,
dipping his head sometimes to catch a tiny
fish, and shaking the water beads from his
scalp lock whenever he rose.
"Maheo," the little coot said softly, "when
I put my head beneath the water, it seems
to me that I see something there, far below.
Perhaps I can swim down to it-I don't
know. I can't fly or dive like my sisters and
brothers. All I can do is swim, but I will
swim down the best I know how, and go as
deep as I can. May I try, please, Mabeo?"
"Little brother," said Maheo, "no man can
do more than his best, and I have asked for
the help of all the water peoples. Certainly
you shall try. Perhaps swimming will be bet-
ter than diving, after all. Try, little brother,
and see what you can do."
"Hah-ho'" the little coot said. "Thank you,
Maheo," and he put his head under the water
and swam down and down and down and
down. until he was out of sight.
An American coot.
I:'i Why is it significant that such a humble
V creature plays such a large role in the
creation of the world?
The coot was gone a long, long, long, long
time. Then Maheo and the other birds could
see a little dark spot beneath the water's
surface, slowly rising toward them. It
seemed as if they would never see the coot
himself, but at last the spot began to have
a shape. Still it rose and rose, and at last
The box turtle.
I:'lCheyenne culture is firmly linked with
V nature. How is this demonstrated in the myth?
Maheo and the water peoples could surely
see who it was. The little coot was swimming
up from the bottom of the salty lake.
When the coot reached the surface. he
stretched his closed beak upward into the
light. but he did not open it.
"Giveme what you have brought," Maheo
said. and the coot let his beak fall open, so
a little ball of mud could fall from his tongue
into Maheo's hand. for when Maheo wanted
to, he could become like a man.
"Go, little brother," Maheo said. "Thank
you. and may what you have brought always
protect you."
And so it was and so it is, for the coot's
flesh still tastes of mud, and neither man
nor animal will eat a coot unless there is
nothing else to eat.
Maheo rolled the ball of mud between the
palms of his hands. and it began to grow
larger. until there was almost too much mud
for Maheo to hold. He looked around for a
place to put the mud. but there was nothing
but water or air anywhere around him.
"Come and help me again, water peoples,"
Maheo called. "I must put this mud some-
where. One of you must let me place it on his
back."
All the fish and all the other
water creatures came swim-
ming to Maheo. and he ;y:"v
"tried to find the right ;;>0~
one to carry the mud. !
The mussels and snails g
and crawfish were too g
small. although they ~
all had solid backs, 8
and they lived too
deep in the water for
the mud to rest on
them. The fish were
too narrow, and their
back fins stuck up
through the mud and cut it to pieces. Finally
only one water person was left.
"Grandmother Turtle," Maheo asked, "do
you think that you can help me?"
''I'm very old and very slow, but I will try,"
the turtle answered. She swam over to
Maheo. and he piled the mud on her rounded
back. until he had made a hill. Under Maheo's
hands. the hill grew and spread and flattened
out, until the Grandmother Turtle was hidden
from sight.
"Sobe it." Maheo said once again. "Let the
earth be known as our Grandmother. and let
the Grandmother who carries the earth be the
only being who is at home beneath the water,
or within the earth. or above the ground; the
only one who can go anywhere by swimming
or by walking as she chooses."
And so it was. and so it is. Grandmother
Turtle and all her descendants must walk
very slowly. for they carry the whole weight
of the whole world and all its peoples on their
backs.
Now there was earth as well as water, but
the earth was barren. And Maheo said to his
Power. "Our Grandmother Earth is like a
woman; she should be fruitful. Let her begin
to bear life. Help me~my Power."
When Maheo said that. trees
and grass sprang up to be-
come the' Grandmother's
hair. The flowers became
her bright ornaments.
and the fruits and the
seeds we~e the gifts
that the earth offered
back to Maheo.
The birds came to
rest on her hands
when they were tired,
and the fish came close
to her sides. Maheo
looked at the Earth
===.:.:::::l and he thought she was very beauti-
-…e most beautiful thing he had made
:.::=: should not be alone, Maheo thought.
– :r -e give her something of myself. so she
w that Iam near her and that I love
(- eo reached into his right side, and
_~~ out a rib bone. He breathed on the
::-= and laid it softly on the bosom of the
~-=. oman. The bone moved and stirred,
right and walked. The first man had
be.
:::e is alone with the Grandmother Earth as
::::::.ewas alone with the void," said Maheo.
– -= not good for anyone to be alone." So
– …__ fashioned a human woman from his
~- …; ,and set her with the man. Then there
::::.-e twO persons on the Grandmother Earth,
6.ildren and Maheo's. They were happy
-.=::' • er, and Maheo was happy as he
– ' ed them.
After a year, in the springtime, the first
child was born. As the years passed, there
were other children. They went their ways,
and founded many tribes.
From time to time, after that, Maheo real-
ized that his people walking on the earth had
certain needs. At those times, Maheo, with
the help of his Power, created animals to feed
and care for the people. He gave them deer for
clothing and food, porcupines to make their
ornaments, the swift antelopes on the open
plains, and the prairie dogs that burrowed in
the earth.
At last Maheo thought to his Power, Why,
one animal can take the place of all the others
put together, and then he made the buffalo.
Maheo is still with us. He is everywhere,
watching all his people, and all the creation he
has made. Maheo is all good and all life; he is
the creator, the guardian, and the teacher. We
are all here because of Mabeo.
–rst Thoughts
– – image is a picture created by words.
, a was your favorite image in this myth?
entifying Facts
hy does Maheo need the animals'
elp in order to complete the creation?
2. hat is Grandmother Turtle's role in
e creation?
3. hy does Maheo decide to create a hu-
man being? Describe how the first peo-
ple are created.
hat is the last thing Maheo creates?
Interpreting Meanings
1. An origin myth explains the beginnings
of things. What beginnings, or origins,
does this myth explain?
2. How would you characterize Maheo?
What is his attitude toward his crea-
tions, including the earth and its inhabit-
ants? Give three specific examples from
the myth to support }Lourviews.
3. In this myth, all of the animals work to-
gether to help Maheo create the world.
What does this suggest about the Chey-
ennes' view of nature?
4. How is the earth compared to a woman
How the World Was Made 15
in this myth? Find the descriptive lan-
guage that characterizes the earth as
feminine.
Applying Meanings
Think about Maheo's question, "What
good is Power … if it is not used to make
a world and people to live in it?" What do
you think is the proper use of power? Ex-
plain your thoughts.
Creative Writing Response
Writing a Poem Based on a Myth. "How
the World Was Made" is full of vivid im-
agery, or language that appeals to the
senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and
touch. Try writing your favorite part of this
myth in the form of a poem, using some of
the same imagery that occurs in the prose
version. Your poem does not have to
rhyme. If you wish, you may change the
emphasis of the poem, telling the creation
story from the point of view of one of the
animals, such as Grandmother Turtle. Ex-
change your first-draft poem with a class-
mate for revision ideas. Then read your
completed poem aloud to the class.
Critical Writing Response
Making Inferences. Myths and folktales
represent a culture's traditions, values,
and attitudes. Although this myth does not
directly tell you about the Cheyenne peo-
ple, you can make inferences, or educated
guesses, about some of their attitudes and
basic values concerning nature. How do
you think the Cheyenne felt about nature
and their relationship to it? Using the fol-
lowing chart as a starting point, write a
two- or three-paragraph essay about the
Cheyenne view of nature as illustrated by
the myth.
Example
Evidence from Myth Inference
Maheo's
reactions to
his creations
The role of
animals in the
creation of
the world
In the conclusion of your essay, describe
how the Cheyenne view of nature is similar
to or different from the view of nature held
in your own time and culture.
Language and Vocabulary
Native American Words in the English
Language
When European settlers first began colo-
nizing North America, they found many
places and things that they had no English
names for. Native American languages sup-
plied these names, and many American Eng-
lish words are direct "loans" from Native
American languages. Below is a list of just
a few of these words. Use a dictionary to
find the words' contemporary meanings
and the Native American language from
which each word was borrowed.
1. raccoon 6. moose
2. wigwam 7. pecan
3. hogan 8. hominy
4. coyote 9. chipmunk
5. toboggan 10. bayou
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