What Are Indian Creation Myths

The first of the Indian creation myths include stories from North American Indians. A story will be summarized from the Apache, Cherokee, Chinook, Iroquois, and Seminole Indians.

Apache Creation Myths

The Jirilla Apache creation myth explains that in the beginning there was darkness, water, wind, and the Spirits.
They created all things: earth, animals, plants, and sky.
The black spirit, the greatest of all spirits, was asked by the animals to create someone like him to watch over them and keep them from being lonely.
He sent animals to gather objects from the ends of the earth and they brought back pollen, red soil, turquoise, and white stones.
The pollen became man’s skin, the soil his blood, the turquoise his veins, and the white stones his bones.
His hair was made from a black cloud that turned white with age.

Cherokee Creation Myths

The Cherokee believe that the earth was suspended with four ropes above the world that was covered with water and the animals lived above the rainbow.
Water Beetle went into the waters and brought up mud that turned into the land.
Grandfather Buzzard flew to see if the mud had hardened and the wind from his wings made the mountains and valleys.
The animals came down and needed light, so they pulled the sun out from behind the rainbow.
It was too hot so the shamans made a path for it to follow.
The Creator told the plants and animals to stay awake for seven days but many could not.
The evergreen trees did, so they were granted the right to keep their leaves all year.
The animals that stayed awake were allowed to see in the dark, like mountain lions and owls.
After humans were created, the women were able to have babies every seven days.
The creator feared this would be too fast so he made every woman able to give birth once a year.

Chinook Story Creation Myths

The creator, Talapas, created the plants first and then put all the Totem Spirits on the earth.
Next he told the thunderbird T’soona to take some eggs to the top of a special mountain.
The Old Giantess began breaking the eggs so the Spirit Bird came down from the sun and consumed her with fire.
The remaining eggs were the beginning of the T’sinuk people.

Iroquois Creation Myths

According to the Iroquois, Sky People lived in a floating island in the sky and the earth was covered with water and water animals.
A Sky Woman fell through a hole after a Sky Man pulled up the tree that gave light.
She was saved by falling on the back of a sea turtle.
The animals helped her by putting mud on the back of the turtle that spread and became land.
One of the Sky Spirits saw the land and created people to live on it.

Seminole Creation Myths

The creation story according to the Seminole tells of the Creator who made all the animals and put them in a large shell.
He put the shell on the mountains and told them it would open sometimes.
Eventually roots from a large tree cracked the shell and the Wind made the crack bigger and helped the panther to emerge.
Soon all the animals came out and filled the world.

Maya and Inca Legends of Creation

No review of Indian creation myths would be complete without a mention of the Maya and Inca peoples.

The creators according to the Maya were Tepeu and Gucumatz and they got together and decided to create people to worship them.
They asked Huracan, the Heart of Heaven, to make them and they guided him.
Animals were created but the Creators were not happy with them.
Next they made man out of mud but he fell apart; then they tried wood, but they had no soul and forgot their Creators.
Next, they made a man of corn dough and they were finally finished.
Maize was not only an integral part of the Maya diet, but they believed they came from it.

Incas

Incas believe the god Con Tiqui Viracocha came out of Lake Titicaca and brought humans with him.
He made the sun, moon, and heavens, and made more people out of rocks.
After some time, the people rebelled and Con sent a long drought.
Another god, Pachacamac, got rid of him, changed those people into monkeys, and made new people, who are the ancestors of the Incas

So, now you have an overview of many different Indian creation myths.