American Indian Creation Myths. Teresa Pijoan Phd
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the sky, Aataentsik was chasing a bear and grew tired. She leaned against a tree. The bear came at her. She pulled up the tree to throw at the bear. Aataentsik was very strong as Sky People are, and as she pulled up the tree, she lost her balance and fell through the hole. It was a lucky thing the bear didn't follow her.
Aataentsik fell, not knowing where she would land. She looked below her and saw moving blue waters. This frightened her and she called out to those swimming below. Great Turtle heard her cries and called the birds to catch her. They couldn't, Aataentsik was falling too quickly. Great Turtle, being kind, swam to the place where he thought she would hit the water. He stretched and stretched to be sure she would land on something other than water, even if it was his hard shell.
Aataentsik had to fall a great distance to reach Great Turtle. Great Turtle told those around him to hurry up and find some mud. The Water People dove quickly, hurrying to the bottom and brought up all the mud they could, placing it on Great Turtle's back. They made Earth this way. When Aataentsik finally landed on the land, which was on Great Turtle's back, she was huge with child. It was good they made lots of soft earth for her to land gently.
Aataentsik birthed a daughter who didn't do much, but she became pregnant with twins. Aataentsik had a bad feeling about this pregnancy and told her daughter as much. There wasn't anything anyone could do, though, once a woman gets pregnant that's it, she's pregnant.
The daughter gave birth to twin boys, Iouskeha and Atawiskaron. Iouskeha was an easy birth. There were no problems there. Atawiskaron was impatient. Atawiskaron ripped his mother to death.
Aataentsik had to raise these two difficult grandsons. Iouskeha made beautiful plants, animals, and birds. Finally, he created human beings with wonderfully kind spirits. Atawiskaron created poison ivy and plants which would kill rather than heal. Atawiskaron made some animals with bad dispositions. He also gave birds the ability to prey on those less strong and put evil thoughts and weapons into the minds of people.
The two of them fought continuously regardless of what their grandmother told them. She became weary of their constant battles. Finally, the twins ended up in a death fight. Atawiskaron fought using thorns of the wild rosebush and Iouskeha fought using the horns of a stag. Iouskeha seriously wounded his brother and his blood fell upon the ground. Atawiskaron's blood became flint which was used to make weapons by the people to kill animals and other people.
No one is sure of what happened to the brothers after this. Some say they fought each other to death and Iouskeha's blood turned into healing plants. Others say they went into the spirits of the people and that is why they do good and evil.
Aataentsik tried to guide the twins with her good qualities and aggressive qualities, perhaps this is what made one good and one bad. We, as people, must decide which we want to be.
EASTERN CREEK
Eastern Creek, known as Redsticks, lived in southeast Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. The Redsticks refused to adopt to the white man's ways or rules. In 1813, the Redsticks massacred 107 soldiers, 160 civilians, and 100 slaves at Fort Mims on the lower Alabama River. General Andrew Jackson waged a counterattack by destroying every town in the upper part of Creek Territory. His soldiers killed every man, woman, and child they found, burning, looting, destroying all crops and possessions.
On March 27, 1814, Andrew Jackson defeated the Redsticks at Horseshoe Bend, Alabama. In one attack, his men of five thousand killed eight hundred Redsticks with few casualties of their own. Andrew Jackson then had the chiefs sign a treaty giving up 23 million acres of land to Georgia and Alabama. This was two thirds of the Creek nation and included their ancestral homeland.
In 1824, the United States forced the principle tribes of the Alibamu, Apalachi, Chicasaw, Chocktaw, Creek (or Maskoki), Koasati, Seminole, Yamacraw, and Yamasi to sign treaties giving the United States full control of three-fourths of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Kentucky, and North Carolina.
The round grandmother bustled over to us with a soft smile. “We don't have fry bread ‘light’, only the Navaho have fry bread ‘light’ and it hasn't done them much good.” We all laughed as honey was poured onto the fry bread she had brought us.
My friend wiped his chin with a napkin. “You have good humor for being Creek. Maybe it's all right if you tell us about the beginning time?”
The grandmother smiled and motioned to some folding chairs. “Here have a seat, this may take some time.”
In the beginning, Kitche Manitou was the creator of all things. Kitche Manitou created the Sky. He lives today in the Sky. Kitche Manitou saw there was no light. He made light and dark. Kitche Manitou did this over a long period of time, he was not in a hurry. Kitche Manitou brought about the Earth. Kitche Manitou gave it balance and harmony. This took a great deal of time and was done so all of life here would be in balance. Kitche Manitou made water to cover some of the land. In the water were fish and water animals.
Kitche Manitou did not hurry for he wanted everything he made to feel ALIVE. Kitche Manitou made birds, trees, and all plants. They could talk with one another, show respect to one another, and learn of LIFE and the importance of existing together with respect.
Kitche Manitou made the First People. These could communicate with everything else already here. This took much longer than seven days, for time was not of importance, LIFE was what was important and respect for other LIFE. He had to make all of these things in the Sky and place them carefully on the Earth.
Kitche Manitou explained to the animals, plants, waters, birds, and First People, which my grandfather called Human Beings, to live together. Kitche Manitou was not interested in power or wealth. He didn't tell anything living about death for Kitche Manitou only wanted life and for life to be in Balance.
Kitche Manitou taught the Human Beings how to kill only for food and for need. Animals knew this and once they were killed a ceremony was performed and the animals came back to life. There would always be food and always be animals. Balance.
Animals and plants sometimes killed Human Beings who were evil. This kept them from infecting the others. But life was too serious for Kitche Manitou. He believed there needed to be some humor, some enjoyment in life.
Kitche Manitou made Wisagedjak who played tricks on Human Beings and the Human Beings laughed at him. This made Wisagedjak angry because he felt no one took him seriously. Wisagedjak told some Human Beings that others were more favored by Kitche Manitou. This brought about fighting between the different Human Beings. The Human Beings divided to become different tribes, but they all spoke the same language. There were the Alibamu, Apalachi, Chicasaw, Choctaw, Creek (or Maskoki), Koasati, Seminle, Yamacraw, and Yamasi Human Beings.
Every fish, animal, and plant lived in a society which was equal to Human Beings. Each had a spiritual leader who lead and taught those under them. The bears had a leader, so did the beavers, caribou, otters, birds, trees and everything. A hunter could only hunt when he had earned the approval of the leader of the game he was hunting. Without help from the leader, the hunter could not hunt.
Wisagedjak told the Animal Beings that the Human Beings were selfish and greedy. Wisagedjak told the Animal Beings that the Human Beings never had to die and come back, only Animal Beings. Wisagedjak talked to the plants, speaking of how they were pulled up by the animals without ceremony and many never came back. Wisagedjak brought death to the earth. Kitche Manitou did not like this. Kitche Manitou believed in respect and harmony. His trickster had turned against him and life had lost its Balance.
Kitche Manitou brought about the clouds and caused a big rain. The water continued to flow until all the land was covered. As the water rose, Wisagadjak pulled up the trees to make a huge raft. He grabbed up the different kinds of animals which were swimming about in the water.
For two weeks, the Great Beaver swam in the water until there was no land. At the end of the two weeks, Muskrat dove down and could not find any dirt. Raven flew away and was gone for a whole day, but when he returned he told them he had not seen any land, only water, in all four directions.