Mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas

Coyote and Opossum appear in the stories of a number of tribes.

The mythologies of the indigenous peoples of North America comprise many bodies of traditional narratives associated with religion from a mythographical perspective. Indigenous North American belief systems include many sacred narratives. Such spiritual stories are deeply based in Nature and are rich with the symbolism of seasons, weather, plants, animals, earth, water, sky and fire. The principle of an all embracing, universal and omniscient Great Spirit, a connection to the Earth, diverse creation narratives and collective memories of ancient ancestors are common. Traditional worship practices are often a part of tribal gatherings with dance, rhythm, songs and trance (e.g. the sun dance).

Algonquian (northeastern US, Great Lakes)

From the full moon fell Nokomis - from The Story of Hiawatha, 1910

Abenaki mythology – Religious ceremonies are led by shamans, called Medeoulin (Mdawinno).
Anishinaabe traditional beliefs – A North American tribe located primarily in the Great Lakes
Cree mythology – A North American band most commonly found west of Ontario in the Canadian Prairies, although there are tribes located in the Northwest Territories and Quebec.
Leni Lenape mythology – A North American tribe from the area of the Delaware River.

Plains Natives

Blackfoot mythology – A North American tribe or band who currently live in Alberta and Montana. Originally west of the Great Lakes in Montana and Alberta as participants in Plains Natives culture.
Crow mythology – A North American tribe who currently live in southeastern Montana. The shaman of the tribe was known as an Akbaalia ("healer").
Lakota mythology – A North American tribe originally located in The Dakotas, also known as the Sioux.
Pawnee mythology – A North American tribe originally located in Nebraska, United States.

Muskogean (Southeastern US) and Iroquois (Northeastern US)

Iroquois mythology (Five Nations)
Cherokee mythology – A North American culture situated in the southeastern United States and in Oklahoma.
Choctaw mythology – A North American culture in the southeastern United States and Oklahoma. Originally from the Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana area.
Creek mythology – A North American culture in the southeastern United States and Oklahoma. Originally from the Alabama, Georgia, and Florida area. The shaman was called an Alektca.
Ho-Chunk mythology – Ho-Chunk and Winnebago are North Americans tribes which were once a single tribe living in Wisconsin.
Wyandot religion – A North American people (sometimes referred to as the Huron) originally from Ontario, Canada, and surrounding areas.
Seneca mythology – A North American people, one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy from the northeastern United States.

Alaska (United States) and Canada

Haida mythology
Inuit mythology – A North American people culturally similar to other peoples of the polar regions.
Tsimshian mythology

Northwestern US and Western Canada

Kwakwaka'wakw mythology
Lummi – A North American tribe from the Pacific Northwest, Washington state area.
Nuu-chah-nulth mythology
Salish mythology – A North American tribe or band in Montana, Idaho, Washington and British Columbia, Canada.

Uto-Aztecan (Southwestern US and Mexico)

Miwok mythology – A North American tribe in Northern California.
Ohlone mythology – A North American tribe in Northern California.
Pomo mythology – A North American tribe in Northern California.
Ute mythology - A North American tribe located in both northwestern and southwestern United States.

Other southwestern US

Diné Bahaneʼ (Navajo) – A North American nation from the southwestern United States.
Hopi mythology – A North American tribe in Arizona.
Zuni mythology – A North American tribe in New Mexico.

Central America

Aztec, an ancient Central American empire centered in the valley of Mexico
Mayan, an ancient Central American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America.
Olmec, an ancient Central American people of south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco.
Purépecha, a Central American people centered around Lake Pátzuaro.

South America

Chilote, the cultures of Chono and Huilliche, who live on the Chiloé Archipelago, off the coast of southern Chile
Guaraní, an indigenous people of the Gran Chaco, especially in Paraguay and parts of the surrounding areas of Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia
Inca, a South American empire based in the central Andes mountain range
Mapuche, an indigenous people of the Southern Cone, especially in Chile and some regions of Argentina
Muisca, the indigenous people of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the modern Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes

Bibliography

Colin F. Taylor (1994). Native American myths and legends. Smithmark Publishers, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-8317-6290-2.
Sam D. Gill; Irene F. Sullivan (1994). Dictionary of Native American mythology. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-508602-7.
Diana Ferguson (2001). Native American myths. Sterling Publishing Company Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-85585-824-4.
Dawn Elaine Bastian; Judy K. Mitchell (2004). Handbook of Native American Mythology. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-85109-533-9.
Fred Ramen (2008). Native American Mythology. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4042-0738-7.
Tom Lowenstein; Piers Vitebsky (2011). Native American Myths and Beliefs. The Rosen Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-4488-5992-4.
Hartley Burr Alexander (2012). Native American Mythology. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-12279-3.
Lewis Spence (2012). Native American Myths. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-11235-0.
Q. L. Pearce (2012). Native American Mythology. Lucent Books. ISBN 978-1-4205-0716-4.

External links

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