Cherokee creation myth
The Cherokee creation myth is a foundational narrative of the Cherokee people, detailing how the Earth was formed and how humanity came to be. In this myth, the world begins as a vast sea, inhabited by animals in the sky world called Galun'lati. The story unfolds with a water beetle, Dayuni'si, exploring the waters and discovering mud, which becomes the land. The sky animals then tie the land to the sky with strings, symbolizing the delicate balance of nature and the responsibility of humans to care for it.
As the narrative progresses, the great Buzzard shapes the land into mountains and valleys, and the sun is created to provide light. The first humans, a man and his sister, are introduced, and their rapid multiplication leads to tension between humans and animals. This growing conflict culminates in the introduction of sickness as a means to curb human overpopulation, prompting plants to share their healing properties with humanity. The myth emphasizes the interconnectedness of all beings and the importance of maintaining harmony within the natural world, reflecting the Cherokee belief in the spiritual significance of water and the balance of life's elements.
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Cherokee creation myth
The Cherokee creation myth is a story told by the Native American Cherokee people about how humanity began and Earth took a habitable form. To the Cherokee people, spirituality is an essential aspect of life, and the physical and spiritual worlds are considered one united realm. Their story of creation tells how Earth was formed from water and the animals came down from the sky to prepare it for humans. It then details how the first set of humans became the ancestors of all other humans, and how the peace between them and the animals was disrupted.
Background
The Cherokee people are indigenous to the southeastern United States, and according to their oral history, the people have existed longer than can be remembered by history. Cherokee history and spirituality are interwoven with each other. To them, the universe is made of three different worlds: the Upper World and Under World, where spirits live, and This World, where humans live. Humans are meant to live on Earth in harmony with all other aspects of creation, such as plants, animals, rivers, and mountains. Even though part of This World, all the natural elements also have spiritual attributes, and humans have the responsibility to help maintain the balance between the worlds.
This responsibility is not to be taken lightly, because an imbalance in the natural world could cause disastrous consequences in the spiritual world. The creation myth not only passes on cultural beliefs, but also serves as a reminder of the importance of one’s role in the world and how the balance of natural resources, animals, and people is delicate. The world hangs on breakable cords that will not last forever. Water holds an important spiritual significance to the Cherokee people because it is where Earth came from and where it will go back when it is too old to exist anymore.
Creation myths or legends explain not only how things started, but also why they came into being in the way they did. Stories explain how animals developed their relationship with humans. They discuss the expansion of the human family and how people came to have difficulties, such as illnesses and conflicts.
Many legends were passed down through generations orally, leading to inevitable changes over time and location. For instance, some clans tell the story that humans and animals came down to Earth together, and others tell of humans coming to Earth only after animals had made the land habitable.
Overview
The Cherokee creation myth usually begins with an explanation of how, ages ago, Earth only had water on it, like a great sea. Animals lived high above Earth in a place called Galun’lati, said to be a world of vaulted rock. However, the sky world eventually became crowded and the animals were curious about what was below them. One day, a water beetle named Dayuni’si went down to explore the watery world beneath them.
The water beetle explored the surface of the water, but he did not find anywhere to live. He swam beneath the water and found mud at the bottom. He collected some of the mud into a pile, and it expanded and rose above the water. This is the beginning of land on Earth. The myth also usually tells how the sky animals took four strings and tied them to the land to attach it to the vaulted arch of the sky. This prevents the land from sinking back into the ocean, and it creates the four cardinal points: north, south, east, and west. These strings, though, are not permanent and may break when the world has grown old, showing that the land must be cared for and the future is uncertain.
The story continues with the story of the great Buzzard that came down to see the land. The buzzard was very large and, as he flew, his wings dragged against the ground, and wherever they hit the ground it formed a mountain or valley. Thus, this is how land features came into being. The sun was born when some of the animals who came down to the land could not see well in the dark. So, they made the sun and set it on its path along the vaulted sky arch to light up the daytime.
Plants and people also come to Earth, but it varies depending on the storyteller where exactly they come from. One version says that they came from an island in another world that had violent earthquakes and volcanoes, so they all left in canoes to find new homes. The only ones that made it to Earth were a man and a woman. The first people, according to most tellers, were a man and his sister. One day, the man struck his sister and demanded she have a baby, so she had one every seven days. However, because there soon came to be too many people, either the animals set a rule or the humans decided to only have one baby each year to not overcrowd the earth.
The stories usually explain in some way that, as Earth became more populated, the animals and humans stopped being friendly. In some cases, the animals saw that the humans were growing in number and killing animals for food or even for sport. Because of this, sickness was created to keep humans from becoming too numerous and strong. Then, plants noticed this and felt this was too strong of a punishment for the humans. So, the plants decided to share their curative properties with humans, and this is how medicine was created to help people.
Bibliography
“Cherokee Creation Story: A Cherokee Legend.” First People, www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/CherokeeCreationStory-Cherokee.html. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
Dembling, Sam. “Rivers Held a Spiritual Place in the Lives of the Cherokee”. Humanities, 2019, www.neh.gov/article/rivers-held-spiritual-place-lives-cherokee. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
Dixon, Judy. “Tsalagi Creation Story – Cherokee.” United Cherokee AniYunWiYa Nation, 2023, ucantribe.com/tsalagi-creation-story-cherokee-2/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
“Find Your Way” Cherokee Nation, 2023, www.cherokee.org/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
Mooney, James. “Myths of the Cherokee: Extract from the Nineteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology.” Government Printing Office, 1902. Project Gutenberg,www.gutenberg.org/files/45634/45634-h/45634-h.htm. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.
“‘Sky Vault Descent’ – A Contemporary Reaction the Cherokee Creation Myth.” Tree of Life Studio, 2021, treeoflifestudio.net/2021/10/sky-vault-descent-a-contemporary-reaction-to-the-cherokee-creation-myth/. Accessed 15 Apr. 2023.