World mythology - Essay Example

?World mythology The scenario of mythology or mythical story leads human beings towards the core aspects of a specific culture or society. Besides, study of mythology unveils the religious/spiritual background of world civilizations /cultures. Within Native Americans, Cherokee mythology provides deep insight into the cultural heritage of Cherokee Tribe in North America. Thesis statement: The origin stories, major gods/heroes, and stories related to culture within Cherokee mythology prove that the same is symbolic of the origin, growth and development of the cultural aspects of Cherokee Tribe in North America (special references to the origin, gods/heroes, and stories related to Cherokee mythology). Cherokee mythology: an overview The core elements of Cherokee mythology reveal the relationship between indigenous culture and nature. For instance, the Green Corn Ceremony is a ritualistic preface of Cherokees who considered that their rituals can influence nature. Thomas E. Mails stated that, “The climate factor of Cherokee country had a rhythmic or cyclical nature that was a strong influence on Cherokee culture and led to a complex mythology and ritual performance” (21). On the other side, Cherokee mythology does not provide importance to omnipotent evil spirits. The spirits that can be seen in Cherokee mythology are less powerful. For instance, Kalona Ayeliski is a less powerful spirit which preys human souls. Another belief among the Cherokee people is that killing animals for no use or purpose leads human beings to suffering. Besides, the Cherokee people believe that mortal (physical) life is interconnected with immortal (the world of spirits) world. In short, Cherokee mythology provides ample importance to the peaceful co-existence of all the living things in the physical world. Origin stories in Cherokee mythology Origin stories in Cherokee mythology on creation is interesting because the same portrays the earth not as mere land, but as a as a floating mass of land. Besides, the land is hanging and some chords support the same from falling down. According to the Cherokee mythology, the Beaver's Grandchild tried to find out the hidden secret beneath water. He tried his level best, but for vain. Then, he came to know the fact that there is nothing to take rest. So, he began to collect mud from the bottom. This mud gradually expanded and became the earth, surrounded by water body. At the same time, the other animals and birds were eagerly waiting for the Beaver's Grandchild. First of all, the birds decided to visit the earth. Buzzard was selected to examine Beaver's Grandchild’s deeds on earth. After visiting the earth, Buzzard went back and made clear that the earth is still soft. When the earth became dry, all the animals came down. But there was no light on the earth. All the living things were aware of the fact that the sun can help them to solve this problem. In the end, the animals and birds carried the sun to the earth. But the sun was too hot. So they reduced the sun’s heat by putting the same high in the sky. David Adams Leeming stated that, “The Cherokee tell several creation stories, usually dominated by a female sun” (80). Another story within Cherokee mythology related to creation myth is the story of a brother and sister. In this story, the sister was hit with a fist by her brother. Then, he told her to produce babies. So, she gave birth to a number of children, within a short period. So, one can see that the origin story/creation myth in Cherokee mythology sheds light on the rich heritage of storytelling among the Cherokees. Major gods or heroes in Cherokee mythology The major gods and heroes in Cherokee mythology include gods in the heaven, on the earth, under the earth, and animals. James Mooney made clear that, “Their pantheon includes gods in the heaven above, on the earth beneath, and in the waters under the earth, but of these the animal gods constitute by far the most numerous class, although the elemental gods are more important” (340). Within this context, the gods consist of a wide range of living things in the physical world. For instance, Uktena is an important god/deity worshipped by the Cherokee people. The kingdom of animal gods includes hawks, rabbit, dog etc. Even the spider is considered as a powerful god by the Cherokee people. This proves that the Cherokee people provided less importance to the size of their gods or deities. In the Cherokee mythology, the spider plays an important role because it entraps human spirits and drags the same towards Darkening Land or the other world. Within the context of Cherokee mythology, the Sun god is named as Unelanuhi. Besides, the Cherokee people provided ample importance to their personal deities like the Red Man. To be specific, this deity is related to the Thunder family in Cherokee mythology. On the other side, the Red woman is another personal deity, similar to the Red man. Tsulkalu is another deity who is invoked by the Cherokee people during hunting. The Shawnee Indian is a mythical hero worshipped by the Cherokee people. The Little Men and Detsata are other gods/deities worshipped by the Cherokees. In short, the Cherokee people worshipped their mythical heroes and the elements of nature, including almost all the living things. Stories that shaped the Cherokee culture Some of the stories that shaped the Cherokee culture include the story of the cunning rabbit, the story of the Water Spider, and the story Selu and Kanati. Within the context of Cherokee stories, rabbit is portrayed as an important animal. Thomas Vennum stated that, “An epilogue to the tale, missing from Creek and other Cherokee versions, introduces the character Rabbit, a notorious trickster figure in Cherokee legends” (29). But in almost all the stories, the rabbit is beaten by its enemies in the end. The stories like ‘The Rabbit goes Duck Hunting’ and ‘How the Wildcat Caught the Gobbler’ portray how the rabbit tries to entrap its enemies and gets into trouble in the end. On the other side, the story of the Water Sprider portrays the hardships faced by the spider that tries to help the Cherokee people by providing fire. Besides, the story of Selu and Kanati portrays the story of a husband and wife who tried to find out a remedy to cure human diseases. In this story, plants are portrayed as helping minded and friendlier towards human beings, not as enemies. How the stories shaped the Cherokee culture The stories that can be seen in Cherokee mythology prove that Cherokee life is interconnected with nature. To be specific, the Cherokee interest in conservation and preservation of nature is evident in their mythical stories. For instance, animals and plants play an important role in these stories. Besides, the Cherokees never consider themselves as a race different from the living things on the earth. But Circe Sturm opined that, “Today, Cherokee kinship has come to mean many things, in part because it has become entangled with modern discourses of identity” (28). So, one can easily identify the fact that these mythical stories and fables played an important role in shaping Cherokee culture. Summing, the Cherokee mythology unveils the life of Cherokees and their cultural heritage, which is closely related to nature. The origin stories in Cherokee mythology reveal the similarities among the world cultures. At the same time, the portrayal of major gods or heroes in Cherokee mythology proves that the Cherokees worshipped different gods and were in favor of heroism. The stories that shaped the Cherokee culture prove that Native American culture is rich in vividness and spontaneity. These stories shaped the Cherokee culture by relating the Cherokee life with the elements of nature. So, one can easily identify the fact that the Cherokee mythology unveils the cultural characteristics of Cherokee Tribe in America. Works Cited Leeming, David Adams. Creation Myths of the World: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. California: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print. Mails, Thomas E. The Cherokee People: The Story of the Cherokees from Earlist Origins to Contemporary Times. Oklahoma: Council Oak Books, 1992. Print. Mooney, James. James Mooney's History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees: Containing the Full Texts of Myths of the Cherokee (1900) and The Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees (1891) as Published by the Bureau of American Ethnology. Fairview: Bright Mountain Books, 1992. Print. Sturm, Circe. Blood Politics: Race, Culture, and Identity in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. California: University of California Press, 2002. Print. Vennum, Thomas. American Indian Lacrosse: Little Brother of War. Maryland: JHU Press, 2007. Print. Read More