The mythology of the MiwokNative Americans are myths of their world order, their creation stories and 'how things came to be' created. Miwok myths suggest their spiritual and philosophical world view. In several different creation stories collected from Miwok people, Coyote was seen as their ancestor and creator god, sometimes with the help of other animals, forming the earth and making people out of humble materials like feathers or twigs.[1]
According to Miwok mythology, the people believed in animal and human spirits, and spoke of animal spirits as their ancestors. Coyote in many tales figures as their ancestor, creator god, and a trickster god. The Miwok mythology is similar to other Native American myths of Northern California.
The Miwok believed there existed a "people who lived before real people" who in some tales have died out, in others are the same as the supernatural animal spirits.[2]
Several creation fragments exist detailing Coyote's place in the family of the "first spirits" on earth. According to the Coast Miwok, Coyote was the declared grandfather of the Falcon. There existed animal spirits and a few star-people spirits.[3] From the Sacramento river area the Miwok gave the following names of the first spirits:
O-let'-te Coyote-man, the Creator
Mol'-luk the Condor, father of Wek'-wek
Wek'-wek the Falcon, son of Mol'-luk and grandson of O-let'-te
Hul'-luk mi-yum'-ko the two beautiful women chiefs of the Star-people
According to one Coast Miwok version "Coyote shook his walik" (something similar to a blanket of tule) to the four directions south, east, north and west. The water dried, and land appeared.[5]
The Diver
In one creation myth called The Diver Coyote creates the earth and land from the Ocean or endless water. Coyote sends a turtle to dive into the Ocean for some "earth". The turtle dives to the bottom and comes up with some "earth". Coyote takes the earth and mixes it with "Chanit" seeds and water. The mixture swells and "the earth was there."[6]
Coyote and Silver Fox
Another creation story says that there is "no earth, only water". Silver Fox (a vixen) feels lonely and mentions this in a prayer song, and then meets the Coyote. Silver Fox makes an artistic proposal: "We will sing the world". They create the world together by dancing and singing. As they do so, the earth forms and takes shape.[7]
Creation of humankind
Artistic interpretation of Coyote
Coast Miwok (Coyote and Turkey Buzzard)
In The Creation of Humans myth, Coyote catches a turkey buzzard, raven and crow, plucks their feathers and place the feathers in different parts of the earth. They turn into the Miwok people and their villages.[3]
Coast Miwok (Coyote and Chicken Hawk)
Coyote comes from the west alone, followed by Chicken Hawk, who is his grandson. Coyote turned "his first people" into animals. He made the Pomo people from mud and the Miwok people out of sticks.[5]
Sierra Miwok (how ravens became people)
In the myth How Kah'-kah-loo The Ravens Became People, there was an epic flood, and the first world people climbed a mountain to avoid drowning. The water finally receded. They were starving, they thought it was safe to come down and look for food but they sank into the mud and died. The ravens came to sit on the holes where the people died, one raven at each hole. The ravens turned into new people the Miwok.[8]
Sierra Miwok (Coyote and Lizard)
From the Sierra Miwoks, another creation myth is more comparable to Pomo mythology: Coyote and Lizard create the world "and everything in it". Coyote create human beings from some twigs. They argue over whether human beings should have hands. Lizard wants humans to have hands but Coyote does not. Lizard wins a scuffle, and humans are created with hands.[9]
Death and afterlife stories
Coast Miwok (Ocean Path West)
According to Coast Miwok, the dead jumped into the ocean at Point Reyes and followed something like a string leading west beyond the breaker waves, that took them to the setting sun. There they remained with Coyote in an afterworld "ute-yomigo" or "ute-yomi", meaning "dead home."[5]
Context
Many of the ideas, plots and characters in Miwok mythology are shared with neighboring people of Northern California. For example, the Coyote-lizard story is like the tale told by their neighbors, the Pomo people. In addition, the Ohlone also believed that Coyote was the grandfather of the Falcon and maker of mankind. The relationship and similarity to Yokuts traditional narratives is also evident.[10]
The myths of creation after an epic flood or ocean, the Earth Diver, and the Coyote as ancestor and trickster compare to Central and Northern California mythemes of Yokuts mythology, Ohlone mythology and Pomo mythology. The myths of "First People" dying out to be replaced with the Miwok people is a "deeply impressed conception" shared by Natives in Northwestern California.[11]
^Kroeber, 1907, The Religion of the Indians of California, section titled "Mythology and Beliefs".
References
Barrett, Samuel A. "Myths of the Southern Sierra Miwok", University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology, March 23, 1927, Vol. 16, pages 1–28.
Bruchac, Joseph, editor. "Silver Fox and Coyote Create Earth", Native American Animal Stories, edited by Joseph Bruchac (Fulcrum Pub.: Golden, CO, 1992), 3–4.
Kelly, Isabel. 1978. "Coast Miwok", in Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 8 (California). William C. Sturtevant, and Robert F. Heizer, eds. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1978. ISBN0-16-004578-9 / 0160045754, (Religion and ritual, page 423. mythology informants: Tom Smith and Maria Copa Frias).
Kroeber, Alfred L. 1907. "Indian Myths of South Central California". University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 4:203. Berkeley. (Southern Sierra Miwok myths: Earth Diver, p. 203.); available at Sacred texts Online and 3Rocks Publications
Kroeber, Alfred L. 1907. The Religion of the Indians of California, University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 4:#6. Berkeley, sections titled "Shamanism", "Public Ceremonies", "Ceremonial Structures and Paraphernalia", and "Mythology and Beliefs"; available at Sacred Texts Online
Kroeber, Alfred L. 1925. Handbook of the Indians of California. Washington, D.C: Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin No. 78. (Chapter 30, The Miwok); available at Yosemite Online Library
Gifford, Edward W., editor. Miwok Myths, Published by University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnicity, May 11, 1917, Vol. 12, No. 3, pages 283–338. (Fourteen versions, including Theft of Fire and Bear and Fawns, collected in 1913-1914 from Central Sierra informants William Fuller and Thomas Williams.); available at Sacred Texts Online
Merriam, C. Hart, editor.The Dawn of the World, Myths and Weird Tales Told by the Mewan (Miwok) Indians of California. Cleveland OH: Arthur H. Clarke Co, 1910. Reprinted as The Dawn of the World: Myths and Tales of the Miwok Indians of California, in 1993 with an introduction by Lowell J. Bean, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln; available at Sacred Texts Online
January 07, 2023
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The mythology of the Miwok Native Americans are myths of their world order their creation stories and how things came to be created Miwok myths suggest their spiritual and philosophical world view In several different creation stories collected from Miwok people Coyote was seen as their ancestor and creator god sometimes with the help of other animals forming the earth and making people out of humble materials like feathers or twigs 1 Mountain coyote Canis latrans lestes in Yosemite National Park According to Miwok mythology the people believed in animal and human spirits and spoke of animal spirits as their ancestors Coyote in many tales figures as their ancestor creator god and a trickster god The Miwok mythology is similar to other Native American myths of Northern California Contents 1 Creation of the world 1 1 First people 1 2 Coast Miwok Coyote and Walik 1 3 The Diver 1 4 Coyote and Silver Fox 2 Creation of humankind 2 1 Coast Miwok Coyote and Turkey Buzzard 2 2 Coast Miwok Coyote and Chicken Hawk 2 3 Sierra Miwok how ravens became people 2 4 Sierra Miwok Coyote and Lizard 3 Death and afterlife stories 3 1 Coast Miwok Ocean Path West 4 Context 5 See also 6 Notes 7 ReferencesCreation of the world EditFirst people Edit Prairie falcon Falco mexicanus The Miwok believed there existed a people who lived before real people who in some tales have died out in others are the same as the supernatural animal spirits 2 Several creation fragments exist detailing Coyote s place in the family of the first spirits on earth According to the Coast Miwok Coyote was the declared grandfather of the Falcon There existed animal spirits and a few star people spirits 3 From the Sacramento river area the Miwok gave the following names of the first spirits O let te Coyote man the Creator Mol luk the Condor father of Wek wek Wek wek the Falcon son of Mol luk and grandson of O let te Hul luk mi yum ko the two beautiful women chiefs of the Star people Os so so li Pleiades one of the Star women Ke lok the North Giant Hoo soo pe the Mermaids or Water maidens sisters of Wek wek Choo hoo the Turkey Buzzard Kok kol the Raven Ah wet che the Crow Koo loo loo the Humming bird 4 Coast Miwok Coyote and Walik Edit According to one Coast Miwok version Coyote shook his walik something similar to a blanket of tule to the four directions south east north and west The water dried and land appeared 5 The Diver Edit In one creation myth called The Diver Coyote creates the earth and land from the Ocean or endless water Coyote sends a turtle to dive into the Ocean for some earth The turtle dives to the bottom and comes up with some earth Coyote takes the earth and mixes it with Chanit seeds and water The mixture swells and the earth was there 6 Coyote and Silver Fox Edit Another creation story says that there is no earth only water Silver Fox a vixen feels lonely and mentions this in a prayer song and then meets the Coyote Silver Fox makes an artistic proposal We will sing the world They create the world together by dancing and singing As they do so the earth forms and takes shape 7 Creation of humankind Edit Artistic interpretation of Coyote Coast Miwok Coyote and Turkey Buzzard Edit In The Creation of Humans myth Coyote catches a turkey buzzard raven and crow plucks their feathers and place the feathers in different parts of the earth They turn into the Miwok people and their villages 3 Coast Miwok Coyote and Chicken Hawk Edit Coyote comes from the west alone followed by Chicken Hawk who is his grandson Coyote turned his first people into animals He made the Pomo people from mud and the Miwok people out of sticks 5 Sierra Miwok how ravens became people Edit In the myth How Kah kah loo The Ravens Became People there was an epic flood and the first world people climbed a mountain to avoid drowning The water finally receded They were starving they thought it was safe to come down and look for food but they sank into the mud and died The ravens came to sit on the holes where the people died one raven at each hole The ravens turned into new people the Miwok 8 Sierra Miwok Coyote and Lizard Edit From the Sierra Miwoks another creation myth is more comparable to Pomo mythology Coyote and Lizard create the world and everything in it Coyote create human beings from some twigs They argue over whether human beings should have hands Lizard wants humans to have hands but Coyote does not Lizard wins a scuffle and humans are created with hands 9 Death and afterlife stories EditCoast Miwok Ocean Path West Edit According to Coast Miwok the dead jumped into the ocean at Point Reyes and followed something like a string leading west beyond the breaker waves that took them to the setting sun There they remained with Coyote in an afterworld ute yomigo or ute yomi meaning dead home 5 Context EditMany of the ideas plots and characters in Miwok mythology are shared with neighboring people of Northern California For example the Coyote lizard story is like the tale told by their neighbors the Pomo people In addition the Ohlone also believed that Coyote was the grandfather of the Falcon and maker of mankind The relationship and similarity to Yokuts traditional narratives is also evident 10 The myths of creation after an epic flood or ocean the Earth Diver and the Coyote as ancestor and trickster compare to Central and Northern California mythemes of Yokuts mythology Ohlone mythology and Pomo mythology The myths of First People dying out to be replaced with the Miwok people is a deeply impressed conception shared by Natives in Northwestern California 11 See also EditTraditional narratives Native California Notes Edit Forester 2006 Merriam 1910 page 31 Stories of the First People People Who Lived Before Real People Were Created a b Merriam 1910 page 83 84 The Creation of Man This list of people comes from Merriam 1910 page 83 84 The Creation of Man a b c Kelly 1978 page 423 Kroeber 1907 Indian Myths page 203 The Diver Bruchac 2002 Merriam 1910 page 101 How Kah kah loo The Ravens Became People Merriam 1910 page 58 The Coyote and the Lizard Kroeber 1925 page 446 Kroeber 1907 The Religion of the Indians of California section titled Mythology and Beliefs References EditBarrett Samuel A Myths of the Southern Sierra Miwok University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology March 23 1927 Vol 16 pages 1 28 Bruchac Joseph editor Silver Fox and Coyote Create Earth Native American Animal Stories edited by Joseph Bruchac Fulcrum Pub Golden CO 1992 3 4 Kelly Isabel 1978 Coast Miwok in Handbook of North American Indians vol 8 California William C Sturtevant and Robert F Heizer eds Washington DC Smithsonian Institution 1978 ISBN 0 16 004578 9 0160045754 Religion and ritual page 423 mythology informants Tom Smith and Maria Copa Frias Kroeber Alfred L 1907 Indian Myths of South Central California University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 4 203 Berkeley Southern Sierra Miwok myths Earth Diver p 203 available at Sacred texts Online and 3Rocks Publications Kroeber Alfred L 1907 The Religion of the Indians of California University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnology 4 6 Berkeley sections titled Shamanism Public Ceremonies Ceremonial Structures and Paraphernalia and Mythology and Beliefs available at Sacred Texts Online Kroeber Alfred L 1925 Handbook of the Indians of California Washington D C Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin No 78 Chapter 30 The Miwok available at Yosemite Online Library Gifford Edward W editor Miwok Myths Published by University of California Publications in American Archaeology and Ethnicity May 11 1917 Vol 12 No 3 pages 283 338 Fourteen versions including Theft of Fire and Bear and Fawns collected in 1913 1914 from Central Sierra informants William Fuller and Thomas Williams available at Sacred Texts Online Merriam C Hart editor The Dawn of the World Myths and Weird Tales Told by the Mewan Miwok Indians of California Cleveland OH Arthur H Clarke Co 1910 Reprinted as The Dawn of the World Myths and Tales of the Miwok Indians of California in 1993 with an introduction by Lowell J Bean University of Nebraska Press Lincoln available at Sacred Texts Online Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Miwok mythology amp oldid 1128863220, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
