Throughout my life, I've been fascinated with the history, culture and beliefs of American Indians. Most of these nations have creation stories and, in almost every case, the creative force[s] produces not just people, in general, but the ancestral members of the tribe who recount the story. In fact, while history has bestowed various designated names on the differing bands, in their own tongue, they generally refer to themselves simply as "The People," (THE people of their specific creator).
This same pattern is found in the indigenous societies throughout the world today. Whether one finds them in the Amazon, Papua New Guinea, Africa or Siberia, each group's creation story highlights their society's ancestors front and center.
It's not all that different from the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions. Since each one views the Torah as its foundation, the idea that humankind was created in the image of the creator is woven into their overall belief system.
Why is it that most humans need to believe that we are nature's special beings, that the creative force specifically created us to be the centerpiece of the universe?
I suppose the main reason is that, since we each feel special unto our own self, we have collectivized this feeling to include our own species. Being special equates to greater status and worth. For many, it means we stand above natural law and, if we mess up, we're awarded extra special "get out of jail free" cards! And, of course, being the self-anointed special beings of the creator means we get to lord over all the non-special beings.
In the end, it all comes down to vanity! Who wants to think that our wondrous species came forth from the primordial muck. (Ooh, that's so gross and icky.) So, we build fantasies that place us at the center of the universe and it makes us feel self-important.
Do you ever wonder if ants and mushroom spores have their own creation stories?
This same pattern is found in the indigenous societies throughout the world today. Whether one finds them in the Amazon, Papua New Guinea, Africa or Siberia, each group's creation story highlights their society's ancestors front and center.
It's not all that different from the creation myth of the Abrahamic religions. Since each one views the Torah as its foundation, the idea that humankind was created in the image of the creator is woven into their overall belief system.
Why is it that most humans need to believe that we are nature's special beings, that the creative force specifically created us to be the centerpiece of the universe?
I suppose the main reason is that, since we each feel special unto our own self, we have collectivized this feeling to include our own species. Being special equates to greater status and worth. For many, it means we stand above natural law and, if we mess up, we're awarded extra special "get out of jail free" cards! And, of course, being the self-anointed special beings of the creator means we get to lord over all the non-special beings.
In the end, it all comes down to vanity! Who wants to think that our wondrous species came forth from the primordial muck. (Ooh, that's so gross and icky.) So, we build fantasies that place us at the center of the universe and it makes us feel self-important.
Do you ever wonder if ants and mushroom spores have their own creation stories?
i'm not sure if this is true, native american creation myths don't tend to involve other people at all (assuming their ancestors were the only ones in existence), or if they do, they are usually about "the bison people" or "the turtle people" to distinguish them. they involve nature quite a bit, and include myths purely about nature (like, how the crow became black, etc...) which is also similar to many indigenous people in africa and around the world.
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