The Trickster Figure In Native American Mythology

Kind and selfish, deep and shallow, male and female, and foolish and wise aren’t always words that are associated with each other, quite the opposite in fact. However, when it comes to the trickster tales of Native Americans, each word is associated with the other and describes more or less the same person or animal. To Native American people a trickster affects the world for an infinite number of reasons, including instruction and enjoyment. A trickster, like the name implies, is a cunning deception. A trickster can be a hero. However, at the same time he could introduce death. How is that heroic? Why would a group of people want to remember a person that brings punishments such as death? The function the trickster tales have/ had on

Loki is known as the trickster god of Norse mythology and is even said to be one of the first anti-heroes. He is also probably one of the most well-known tricksters as well. In the Norse myths, he is often portrayed as being very mischievous and is always causing trouble for the gods. In fact, “he was so outrageously mischievous that he even sneaked his way into becoming a god” (Allen, and Saunders, par. 1). However, even though he almost always seems to be getting the gods into some kind of trouble, he also helps them at times in an attempt to get them out of their predicaments…even if those predicaments are his own fault to begin with.

Thomas King's "The One About Coyote Going West" encompasses a Cherokee variant on Native Creation, the role of Coyote, the effect of white people on Natives, and a moral lesson classic to Native mythology. Also prevalent is the clichéd "don't fix it if it ain't broke" idea wherein matters of concern deteriorate when tampered with.

Culture, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary is stated as “The integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that dpends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. The customary beliefs, social forms and material traits of a racial, religious or social group. The set shared attitudes, values, goals and practices that characterizes an institution or organization. The set of values, conventions or social practices associated with a particular field, activity or societal characteristic.” Of these four definitions, I shall be focusing on the second one to discuss what makes up the culture of American Indians.The culture of the various tribes that made up the Native Americans is one of close knit families, highlyspiritual peoples and living together as one with the land they lived on. They believed in spirits, worshiping and honoring them. Some settled into single locations while others were nomadic, but all had a focus on working with the land around them. Because there are so many varying tribes that make up Native

As the proverb goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Beauty, as we know it, is subjective to each individual. However, some individuals are primed to perceive beauty as deriving from physique, clothing, and accessories; neglecting more important traits such as honesty and kind-heartedness. Aaron Shephard portrays in his short story, “The Hidden One: A Native American Legend”, that neglecting such traits results in failure. Any woman who makes deceitful attempts at proving they’re capable of seeing the Great Hunter is cast away. Little Scarface’s unpleasant older sister would “hold[] her down and burn[] her arms and face with sticks from the fire” (Shepard 1) and lie to their father about it. She claimed to see the Hunter and lied about that as well. The mistreated little girl is stripped of having appealing clothing and, what some may consider, a beautiful face; yet, only with her pure soul intact, she ultimately succeeds. The image of beauty the author is attempting to paint for you is that physical appearance only gets you to the door; the Hidden One, symbolized as the prize, is obtained with a “good heart”, free from “jealous[y] and cruel[ty]”.

As I mentioned above, everything began with Christopher Columbus discovering America in 1492. History is non-fiction, and perhaps the most concrete example of this non-fiction is the story of the beginning of the Indians. Native American mythology contains may different types of character including heroes, tricksters, and more. These characters can have both good and bad qualities, and fall into many categories. For example, creator gods usually restore order, but in some stories can be destructive. Tricksters can even be considered the hero in some stories. (Myths Encyclopedia, 2007). Indian stories are born from experiences and beliefs. Ross also states that “Native American societies are based on the concept of interdependence. Interdependence

Vanessa Atine is a Navajo Indian that was born in the United States. Her family resides mainly in Arizona and southern Utah on the Navajo reservation. She was born and raised as a Navajo, but did not participate in her culture until she moved back onto the reservation two years ago. The Atine family moved around frequently, they have lived all over Utah and Arizona. When Vanessa was in third grade they moved into the Kearns area and stayed until she was in tenth grade. The constant moving was mainly due to financial instability and job searching. Native Americans do not have all of the opportunities other Americans do when it comes to finding jobs. There is a lot of prejudice and discrimination towards Native Americans dating back to

The Navajo nation keeps the skin walker myth alive through artistic work, such as Navajo jewelry and art. These Navajo myths always have a connection to the sacred land of the Four Corners region in the American Southwest. Because it is believed that skin walkers wear the skins of the animals they transform into, it is considered taboo to wear the pelt of any animal. In fact, the Navajo are only known to wear two hides, sheepskin and buckskin, both of which are only used for ceremonial purposes. The Navajo people have a very strong emotional bond with the Earth and the plant and animal kingdoms that are so much a part of their everyday lives.[citation needed] Certain animals are more sacred to some individuals, families and tribes. They believe

Culture is a complex concept that incorporates society’s beliefs, values, arts, attitudes and more. People like to be able to categorize animals, objects and unfortunately people. This idea of categorizing people has been around all throughout history. Whether it be race, religion, politics, or gender, people like categorization. Ideas that stray from tradition and challenge cultural norms lead to discrimination and ignorance. For example, in the late 1800s and early 1900s women did not have the same rights as their male counterparts, and women continue to struggle to receive full equality, the wage gap. Transgender or “Two Spirited” is when a person’s personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex. The movie “Two Spirits”

The Ghost Dance religion was an answer to the domination of Native Americans. It was an attempt to make culture and to find a way to improve poverty and disease, all the reservation life of the Native Americans. The Ghost Dance originated among the Paiute Indians in 1870. The tide of the movement came in 1889 with a Paiute shaman Wovoka. Wovoka had a vision during a sun eclipse. In this vision he saw the second coming of Christ and received warning about the evils of white man. The messianic religion promised an apocalypse that would destroy the white man and the white guy. The earth then would be returned to the Native Americans.

All humans are interested in their origins and trying to account for their existence through creation stories. Native Americans tribes are no different from the rest of humanity. The tribes’ stories explain how people came into existence, how they came to be live on the lands they do and the how people interact with nature and each other. These trends can be seen in the legends of three tribes hailing from New England to the Great Lakes Region.

Throughout history, and all over the world, mythology has been developed as a way of explaining the unknown and coping with one’s existence. Why does the sun shine? Well, seemingly, to generations past, something is controlling the universe, so there must be a god in charge of the sun and many other natural phenomenon. During the creation of Native American myths, “there was much in the way of free-range food, but hunting wasn't as easy as getting up in the morning, taking a stroll and shooting a few passing bison with your bow” (Godchecker). Times were tough, “even Plains societies who lived off the prolific buffalo fell under the threat of starvation at times” (Godchecker). Finally, “when herds were found, the people were grateful and

In the Iroquois creation myth, Sky Woman understood that she was pregnant with twins and was pushed by her husband into the Earth’s waters below the above world. Little Toad was able to bring up mud to spread on Big Turtle’s back, and it grew to become the size of North America where Sky Woman created the Iroquois world. Her children, Sapling and Flint, were important in creating the details of the land such as rivers, fish, plants, and even the seasons. The Sky People, Demi-gods of the Iroquois, were critical to the Iroquois people as it helped to define who they were and what they believed. The Iroquois people were happy and peaceful. There was little to no violence within their tribes just as in their myth of creation that tells of the Sky People living on an island floating above the “earth” where there was no sadness, violence, or negativity. This shows the ways the Iroquois applied their myth to their everyday lives and their religion. The myth also explains how the Sky Women’s evil son, Flint, was beaten by his good brother, Sapling, and was required to live on the Big Turtle’s back. North America was carried upon Big Turtle’s back and according to the the myth, bones in fish, thorns on bushes, and volcanos erupting symbolized Flint’s anger. The myth of Sky Woman and her sons is the explanation of how all nature came to be.

Trickster stories were important because they taught morale rules and boundaries. The purposes of the stories were to teach the young certain lessons about life and how they should act.

Loki is the embodiment of, “Of course it was Loki. It 's always Loki.” Loki is unquestionably the biggest question mark within Norse mythology. He is portrayed as a scheming, mischievous deity who has no real loyalties, his role is shrouded in mystery; what was his purpose in the ancient stories. Loki’s character arises questions about his role; was he a plot device, a foil for the Aesir, or maybe he was meant to be used as a warning to child? Within the pantheon of Norse gods, he was an anomaly; his fellow gods are mostly one dimensional and Loki is anything but. Loki is the antithesis to the culture the Norse gods represented; honor, courage, fidelity, truth, discipline, hospitality, industriousness, self reliance, perseverance. Loki is