The Maoris : The Creation Myth

One of the most important myths of the Huichols Indians is about the creation of the world. These types of myths are categorized as origin myths which “are typically the most sacred of a culture’s myths and provide the foundation upon which other myths are built” (Lindell “Professor’s Notes 4” 2). The article “Journey of Grandmother Rain” by Jack Eidt tells the story about the first humans, the creation of the land, and the creation of the sun. From a structuralist perspective, the binary opposition that shapes the worldview of the Huichol Indians is apparent in this origin myth. According to Eidt, in the Huichol origin myth the first human, named Watacame, and his black female dog, Tziku Mayuri, had to “withstand five days of monsoons, wind, waves, flooding and storming” (Eidt). After Watacame had successfully survived the storm, the Goddess Takutzi Nakawe (Grandmother Rain)

Despite how miserable Hell or the world below a world may seem, there can still be a light at the end of the tunnel. However, the light cannot be reached easily; it requires hard-work, determination, and even getting knocked down. As told in the Tewa Creation story, a man is finally allowed to explore the world above his own. Almost immediately, he meets a group of animals, a species he has never seen before:

All living things were considered relatives, containing a spirit or inner form. Navajo people viewed the earth as a mother, with a family of Holy People and livestock as well as human relatives. A Navajo’s relationship to the land where he or she was born began at birth, through the burial of the umbilical cord. This ensured that the child would be nurtured by its spiritual mother for the rest of it’s life. Such ceremonial offerings continued as the child grew older. Because of these ties to the land, every Navajo viewed their home site as sacred. If one was forced to move away from his or her land, he or she would be denied access to sacred places. If a family were unable to perform ceremonies in their homeland, they would be unable to protect their ancestors and would lose all family

A great sense of trust supports this mutual ‘give-take’ relationship. ‘If you take care of country, country will take care of you.’ These beliefs are totemist and animist, which basically means Aboriginals perceive all natural objects to possess a spirit or soul. While totems are quite significant within Aboriginal culture as they act as symbols in a system of beliefs, signifying a relationship between an individual or group and an animal or plant. Thus, creating a link between the human, natural and supernatural worlds. As the word ‘totem’ comes from a Native American language where it represents group membership; and literally means is ‘he/she/it is a relative of mine’.

The Native Hawaiians provided leadership and guidance from their ancestors to be passed down from generation to generation to lead a legacy of their Hawaiian culture. The Ahupua’a system, for example, Hawai’i relies all of their resources within this system for survival. Hawai’i enjoys the quality of their work within their natural environment and will continue to share their resources to younger

All aboriginals are linked to the Dreamtime through their totemic creation ancestors, whose stories are passed on through generations. Just as they would care for their family or tribe, they are obliged to care for their ancestral spirits existing in their land. It is important to remember that ancestral spirits are not necessarily ‘Gods’, but instead they are natural features of the land. As the Ancestor Spirits travelled the land, they taught the Law. When Aboriginals say they have a spiritual connection to the land, this relationship exists through the Law developed at the period of formation that includes a system of totemism. A totemic being represents the original form of an animal, plant or other object as it was in the Creation Period. The Kumbumerri Yugambeh people’s totem is the Eagle. ‘What is meant by totemism in Aboriginal Australia is always a mystical connection, expressed by symbolic devices and maintained by rules, between living persons, whether as individuals or as groups or as stocks, and other existents—their ‘totems’ —within an ontology of life that in Aboriginal understanding depends for order and continuity on maintaining the identities and associations which exemplify the connection.’ (5.3) Totems not only create a sense of belonging and spiritual connectedness to the land and others in the tribe, but they also offer hints to the person's

The religion detailed and examined throughout Don Talayesva’s “Sun Chief” can be difficult to understand and near impossible to appreciate. At first glance to the casual reader it can appear shallow and ridiculous; a religion created around the wants and needs of the Hopi but not based on any empirical or even supposed sacred evidence. When coupled with The Sacred Canopy however, the reader begins to understand the simplistic beauty of their religion providing necessary guidance and support to the Hopi tribe. The reader also is able to relate to Don’s religion in terms of the love one has for his or her own dogma and the importance it plays in an individual’s life.

The Aboriginal culture believes that their land was was created by the ancestor spirit of the dreaming, and people were formed by that land and are connected and linked to it. This relationship to their land gives them their social identity and connects them within their clan. The loss of their language and mother tongue has made it extremely impossible to pass on beliefs and traditions in an authentic way.

Aboriginal spirituality has it that the spirits of unborn children (jilmas) are present in the land, usually in sacred waterholes. By dreaming, the child 's father brings its spirit into the mother 's body. Children are not born from the physical joining of the parents, but from the spiritual joining of both the parents and the land. From this, we can see that Aboriginals attribute their very existence to the land.

Holism is a perspective in anthropology which is the philosophy that functional systems, like body or a country, cannot be understood by looking just at the individual pieces but rather by comparing each individual piece to another and the whole. This writing will discuss the Tiwi peoples of Australia, on how their traditional beliefs and economy influence the marriage system and politics, and vice versa. In addition, how the modern life of the Tiwi has undergone changes in relation to these matters will be provided as evidence to support the discussion.

Indigenous religions exist in every climate around the world and exhibit a wide range of differences in their stories, language, customs, and views of the afterlife. Within indigenous communities, religion, social behavior, art, and music are so intertwined that their religion is a significant part of their culture and virtually inseparable from it. These religions originally developed and thrived in isolation from one another and are some of the earliest examples of religious practice and belief. The modern world; however, has taken its toll on these groups and many of their stories, customs, and beliefs have been lost to, or replaced by, those brought in as a result of popular culture and the missionary work of Christians and Muslims.

It is clear from these beliefs that spirituality and religion played a major role in the Aboriginal culture. There were many myths and rituals connected to both the tribe's ancestors and the creators of the world, none of whom ever died but merged with the natural world and thus remained a part of the present. These myths and rituals, signifying communion with nature and the past, were known as the Dreaming or the Dreamtime, and reflected a belief in the continuity of existence and harmony with the world.

The Aborigine Creation Myth is the story that tells how the Earth and humankind came into creation, told by the indigenous Aboriginal tribe of Australia. Featured in the story are two celestial beings who have no fixed shape, Mother Sun and Father of All Spirits, and the new animal spirits of Earth. At the beginning of the universe, all was quiet and every being was asleep, except for Father of All Spirits. Father Spirit awoke the sleeping Mother Sun and told her she had work to do; she had to go down to Earth, awaken all the spirits, and give them forms. So she obeyed him, and was content with what she had created, not with just the newly formed animals, but with the Earth and how she had embellished it. The animals

The Maori people believe that they exist because of the whales. The whales and the Maori people are spiritually connected. The children, especially the boys, are taught by the elders that whales are why they exist and their spirit lives through them. They must honor this code in order to maintain happiness and hope. The Maori’s believe there has to be a chosen one to lead the whales and the people. It is an obligation of the people and girls are forbidden to be the chosen/prophet. The prophet is the one who will lead the Maori people out of darkness and bring hope to their people once again. The values of these people are taught to every child born. The livelihood is based on these beliefs. The Maori people are also taught that they have to protect the sacred laws of their people by following all the rules and not upsetting the balance. Paikea is the young girl in the movie and also the main character in this movie. Before this film I did not know anything about this race / culture. I was impressed with how disciplined they are when it comes to honoring their beliefs. Many people do not know anything about their backgrounds or where there family originated from. However, this culture’s life depends on their heritage. While it is impressive that they do know their background it has also enabled the grandfather to grow with the changing world. The pressure it put on the family as a whole especially the grandfather caused anger, resentment, and frustration with each other

Traditional Māori mythology shapes todays contempory Māori worldview. Within Māori folklore, the mythological accounts surrounding the Pan-Pacific demi-god character of Māui (Newman 2015) underpin the foundation upon which Māori beliefs and tikanga (the correct way of doing this) is established.The various tales of Māui serve as guidance for Māori beliefs and Māori custom, illuminating principles which can be applied to their daily routine and when interacting with others (Ministry of Justice 2015).The fundamental Māori concepts of whakapapa (genealogy or connection), mana (power and authority) and utu (reciprosity of actions) are values established throughout the tales of Māui which many Māori value in their tikanga. This essay will explore Māui Mythology and the fundamental concepts found within while examining how they realte to tinkanga.