Monday, February 24, 2014
“American Indian Myths”
I can honestly say the myths in “American Indian Myths” by Richard Erdoes & Alfonso Ortiz, were so incredible
and different from a lot of the other ones I’ve ever read, and it definitely has
something to do with the fact that they come from Native Americans because they’re
so connected to nature. Because of that, all of the legends somewhat explained
the creation of their world and lives. However, the best myth in this reading
to me was the one that explained the way the Indians were created as people, “When
Grizzlies Walked Upright.” Some of the time, certain myths and legends don’t make
sense to me or even thoroughly explain the point of them in general. But this
one was very understandable and just amazed me. The whole concept of a grizzly
and a human falling in love tied in perfectly to the idea of the creation of
the first Native American ancestors. It was even amazing how this myth still
affects the present day Native American regardless of how long it has been.
They still do not kill grizzlies just because of this story. I enjoyed reading
all of the myths except one. “How the People Got Arrowheads” wasn’t anything
special. I may be wrong, but I felt like the moral of it was to not trust
anyone so easily because it could all just be a trick. Whether my thought is on
point or not, I’m almost certain it’s something like that. And since it is, I have
to say that that lesson is way too cliché. It’s such a basic lesson to never
trust someone quick because they can be deceiving no matter how innocent they
may seem. Although it was a smart way to teach the lesson, it was somewhat
boring and way too basic. Overall, I love the myths that come from Native
Americans, not just for what they teach, but because they’re explained in
stories that make complete sense and are still able to entertain the reader.
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Hi Seher,
ReplyDeleteIt is really interesting how much ground each myth covers. The Grizzly myth contains some smaller creation stories, and even some cautionary tales; this structure is much different from the linear myths we tend to read, the ones that tell ONE story throughout (although meaning is up to interpretation, as always). I feel like this other sort of story telling (by the Native American Indians) is conducive to engaging story lines, dramatic plot twists, and a lot of variation; there are probably hundreds of "grizzly bear myths," and they probably all contain various smaller stories within them.
I agree with you on how the American Indian myths is different compared to other myths because in other myths it is only told for entertainment but the American Indian myths is part of what the people believe.
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