Marilyn "Angel" Wynn

A Chilkat storyteller in Alaska.

Grandfather Buzzard was sent to see if the land had hardened.  When he flew over the earth, he found the mud had become solid; he flapped in for a closer look.  The wind from his wings created valleys and mountains, and that is why the Cherokee territory has so many mountains today.

As the earth stiffened, the animals came down from the rainbow. It was still dark.  They needed light, so they pulled the sun out from behind the rainbow, but it was too bright and hot. A solution was urgently needed.  The shamans were told to place the sun higher in the sky.  A path was made for it to travel – from east to west – so that all inhabitants could share in the light.

The plants were placed upon the earth.  The Creator told the plants and animals to stay awake for seven days and seven nights.  Only a few animals managed to do so, including the owls and mountain lions, and they were rewarded with the power to see in the dark.  Among the plants, only the cedars, spruces, and pines remained awake.  The Creator told these plants that they would keep their hair during the winter, while the other plants would lose theirs.

People were created last.  The women were able to have babies very seven days.  They reproduced so quickly that the Creator feared the world would soon become too crowded. So after that the women could have only one child per year, and it has been that way ever since.

To each, his own

Throughout history, each civilization has conceived theories that explained the origin of its world, its people, and its belief system.  Stories of how each culture came to be usually include a group or person who brought forth the earth and then established a foundation for how the people were to live and worship.

Native American creation tales are no different.  They usually describe how the Creator initiated life in the days when the earth began and are followed by a series of elaborate tales explaining how members of that culture should interact with each other and the Creator.  Because the stories were not formally recorded, selected members of the communities became honored storytellers.