According to Cherokee legends, in the old days, Grouse had a good voice and Turkey had none. Therefore Turkey asked Grouse to teach him. But Grouse wanted pay, so Turkey promised to give him some feathers for a collar. That is how the Grouse got his collar of turkey feathers.
Legends, Lore & Symbols
Native American legends and oral stories record tribal histories. Here we have collected legends from over 300 tribes, along with native American tribal prophecies and the meanings of native American symbols in lore and art. Most tribes have legends for their creation and origin stories about where and how they arrived on the surface of planet Earth.
Every aspect of life, death, and existence has its own story to explain why things are the way they are. Often, different Native American tribes had very similar beliefs, but most tribes have their own unique variations in the details of these legends. Most native American societies have some sort of trickster figure, who embodies both mischeviousness and foolish acts that teach a valuable lesson, along with acts of bravery and wisdom. In many tribes, the trickster figure is either a coyote or a raven.
Most Native American mythology has some roots in fact.
Unktomi and the Bad Songs
23 ViewsAccording to a Dakota Sioux legend, Unktomi was going along; his way lay along by the side of a lake. Out on the lake there were a great many ducks, geese, and swans swimming. When Unktomi saw them he went backward out of sight, and picking some grass, bound it up in a bundle.
Rabbits and Turkeys Omaha Legend
23 ViewsAccording to an Omaha legend, Rabbit was going somewhere. At length he reached a place where there were wild Turkeys.“Come,” said Rabbit. “I will sing dancing songs for you.”
Race between Hummingbird and Crane
23 ViewsHumming Bird and Crane were both in love with a pretty woman. She liked Humming Bird, who was handsome. Crane was ugly, but he would not give up the pretty woman. So at last to get rid of him, she told them they must have a race, and that she would marry the winner.
The Eagles Revenge Cherokee Legend
23 ViewsOnce a hunter in the mountains heard a noise at night like a rushing wind. He went outside his tepee, and found an eagle was sitting on the drying pole, feasting at the deer he had shot. So he shot the eagle.
Bird Omens
23 ViewsThe Sioux tell of the meaning of various bird omens.
Buffalo and the Grizzly Bear
23 ViewsGrizzly Bear was going somewhere, following the course of a stream, and at last he went straight towards the headland. When he got in sight, Buffalo Bull was standing beneath it. Grizzly Bear retraced his steps, going again to the stream, following its course until he got beyond the headland. Then he drew near and peeped.
The Sacred Pole
23 ViewsA young man who had been wandering came back to his village. When he reached his home he said, “Father, I have seen a wonderful tree.” Then he told his father about it. The old man was silent because all was not yet settled between the tribes.
Tradition of the Calamet
23 ViewsIn the days of the old men, far to the north there lived a nation with many villages. Their warriors were as many as the buffalo herds on the plains toward the Darkening Land. Their tepees were many on the shores of a beautiful lake and along wide rivers.
Omaha Peace Pipe Legend
23 ViewsThe Omaha people came across a great water on logs tied together. They pitched their tents on the shore. Then they thought to make for themselves certain bounds within which they were to live and rules which should govern them.
Omaha Sacred Creation Legend
23 ViewsIn the beginning the people were in water. They opened their eyes, but they could see nothing. As the people came out of the water, they first saw the daylight. They had no clothing. Then they took weeds and grasses and from them wove clothing.
Origin of Strawberries
23 ViewsWhen the world was new, there was one man and one woman. They were happy; then they quarreled. At last the woman left the man and began to walk away toward the Sunland, the Eastland. The man followed. He felt sorry, but the woman walked straight on. She did not look back.
Ancestors of the People
23 ViewsThere are people who come from under the water. They lived in the water weeds that hang down, all green, into the water. They have leaves upon their stems. Now the water people lived in shells. The shells were their houses and kept the water out.
The First Fire
23 ViewsIn the beginning there was no fire and the world was cold. Then the Thunders, who lived up in Galun’lati, sent their lightning and put fire into the bottom of a hollow sycamore tree which grew on an island. The animals knew it was there because they could see the smoke coming out at the top.
The Rainbow and the Flood
23 ViewsThe Lenni-Lenapi are the First People, so that they know this story is true. After the Creation of the earth, the Mysterious One covered it with a blue roof. Sometimes the roof was very black. Then the Manitou of Waters became uneasy. He feared the rain would no longer be able to pour down upon the earth through this dark roof.
Cherokee creation legend
23 ViewsAccording to the Cherokee creation legend, the earth is a great floating island in a sea of water. At each of the four corners there is a cord hanging down from the sky. The sky is of solid rock. When the world grows old and worn out, the cords will break, and then the earth will sink down into the ocean. Everything will be water again.
Osage Creation Story
23 ViewsThe Wazhá zhe version of the Osage creation story goes like this. Way beyond, once upon a time, some of the Osages lived in the sky. They did not know where they came from, so they went to Sun. They said, “From where did we come?”
Kiowa Creation Story
29 ViewsYou know, everything had to begin, and this is how it was: the Kiowas came one by one into the world through a hollow log.
Legend of Tahquitz
23 ViewsAccording to Cahuilla legends, Tahquitz (Taw’ kwish) is an evil spirit who hunts for people’s souls and is reported to appear in Tahquitz canyon as a green meteor-like ball of fire. He was the first shaman created by Mukat, the Creator.
Zuni men come into the light
23 ViewsEight years was but four days and four nights when the world was new. It was while such days and nights continued that men were led out, in the night-shine of the World of Seeing.
The Origins of Zuni Totems and Names
23 ViewsNow the Twain Beloved and the priest-fathers gathered in council for the naming and selection of man-groups and creature-kinds, and things. So they called the people of the southern space the Children of Summer, and those who loved the sun most became the Sun people.
An interesting find revealed that long hair in men was actually related to consciousness or the sixth sense. Does that sound preposterous? Lets delve a bit more into this topic as it relates to extrasensory perception.
Guardian of Yosemite
24 ViewsA Miwok Legend: Guardian of Yosemite
as told by S. E. Schlosser
For many nights and many days, the guardian spirit of Tisayac watched over the beautiful valley of Yosemite. Often, the gentle spirit would drift invisibly among the good folk of the valley, and it was during one of these visits that she noticed a tall, proud man named Tutokanula.
In the beginning there was darkness. From this darkness two twin gods came into being, Mukat and Témayawet. Both argued constantly over who was born first. They soon created the earth, the oceans and the sky. Afterwards Témayawet asked what they were to do next. Mukat responded that the question confirmed that it was he, Mukat, who was the eldest of the two, for he knew the answer.
Chumash Creation Legend
23 ViewsThis Chumash legend tells of a great deluge which engulfed the earth, taking with it all living things save for the Spotted Woodpecker, the nephew of Kaqunupenawa, the Sun God. It is the Chumash creation story.
Choctaw Creation Story
23 ViewsThe Choctaw who remain in Mississippi tell this story as an explanation of how they came to the land where they live now and of how Naniah Waiya Mound came to be.
Legend of the Douglas Fir Pine Cone
23 ViewsLong, long ago when the land was young there stood a very tall and proud Douglas fir tree. The fir tree was so tall that its topmost branches touched the clouds. The branches spread widely and offered protection to small plants and animals below. The fir tree held many cones on the ends of its branches which stood open and contained many seeds. A little mouse lived in the protection of the tree’s spreading branches.
The Legend of the Peacemaker
30 ViewsIn an ancient time, the Haudenosauneewere ruled by warfare and anarchy, and people lived in fear and hunger, preyed upon by powerful warriors and tyrants.
One day, a canoe made of white stone carried a man, born of a virgin, across Onondaga Lake to announce the good news of peace had come, and killing and violence would end. “Peace,” he said, “is the desire of the Holder of the Heavens. Peace comes when people adopt the Creator’s mind, which is reason.”
For years The Peacemaker traveled teaching the Path of Peace—that “all people love one another and live together in peace.” One by one he convinced each person, village and nation to accept his teaching. Hiawatha, an Onondaga, was his spokesman.
Winabojo and the Birch Tree
23 ViewsOnce there was a spirit-boy named Winabojo who taught the Ojibwa how to live in the natural world. One day Winabojo went searching for feathers for his arrows. He climbed to the highest cliff and discovered a nest of the Thunderbirds and saw their babies. Winabojo turned into a rabbit so the Thunderbirds would bring him to their nest for their babies to play with.
The Dreamcatcher Legend
23 ViewsListen to the dreamcatcher legend in this video.
Ojibway Migration Story
23 ViewsThe Ojibway moved from the Great Salt Lake in the east to their westward locations in the center of America. William Warren (1885) told about the migration by sharing a story that was told during a ceremony he attended. According to Warren, the spiritual leader held a Me-da-wa-me-gis, a small white shell, in his hand as he related the following:
While our forefathers were living on the great salt water toward the rising sun, the great Megis (Sea Shell) showed itself above the surface of the great water, and the rays of the sun for some long periods were reflected from its glossy back. It gave warmth and light to the An-ish-in-aub-ag (red race).
Creation of Turtle Mountain
23 ViewsThis Ojibway legend tells of the Great Flood and how the sacred Turtle Mountain was formed.
Creation of Turtle Mountain
23 ViewsThis Ojibway legend tells of the Great Flood and how the sacred Turtle Mountain was formed.
Ojibway Creation Story
24 ViewsWhen Ah-ki’ (the Earth) was young, it was said that the Earth had a family. Like in a family, they had responsibilities both spiritually and physically. The Creator of this family is Kitchie Man-i-to’ (Great Mystery or Creator). He is like the great grandfather who has all the knowledge, wisdom and is always there…in a spiritual sense.
Nee-ba-gee’-sis (the Moon) means heavenly being that watches over us while we are sleeping in the spiritual sense, and is referred to as Grandmother because she, like in all families, watches over us while we are sleeping in a physical sense.
Gee’-sis (the Sun) means heavenly being watching us during the day. And is also referred to as Grandfather because he is the one who has the responsibility of watching over us during day. The Earth is said to be a woman and is also referred to as our mother because she gives you life, protects, and nurtures you. In this way it is understood that a woman preceded man on Earth.
Ojibway Creation Story
23 ViewsWhen Ah-ki’ (the Earth) was young, it was said that the Earth had a family. Like in a family, they had responsibilities both spiritually and physically. The Creator of this family is Kitchie Man-i-to’ (Great Mystery or Creator). He is like the great grandfather who has all the knowledge, wisdom and is always there…in a spiritual sense.
Nee-ba-gee’-sis (the Moon) means heavenly being that watches over us while we are sleeping in the spiritual sense, and is referred to as Grandmother because she, like in all families, watches over us while we are sleeping in a physical sense.
Gee’-sis (the Sun) means heavenly being watching us during the day. And is also referred to as Grandfather because he is the one who has the responsibility of watching over us during day. The Earth is said to be a woman and is also referred to as our mother because she gives you life, protects, and nurtures you. In this way it is understood that a woman preceded man on Earth.
Cahuilla creation story
23 ViewsThe Cahuilla Creation Story The world began, we are told through our songs, with the creation of twin brothers, Mukat and Temayawet. Through the power of the Creator, the brothers made tobacco, the sacred pipe, the six directions, and the earth. From the earth’s colored clay they fashioned people – white, black, yellow, and […]
Cahuilla creation story
23 ViewsThe Cahuilla Creation Story The world began, we are told through our songs, with the creation of twin brothers, Mukat and Temayawet. In the creation, Mukat and Temayuwat were born from the union of twin balls of lightning, which were the manifestations of Amnaa (Power) and Tukmiut (Night). Through the power of the Creator, the […]
One day the father of all Indians came to this area and lived on a mountain near stillwater. It is said that he was created near Reese River. He was a very great and good man. He was very lonesome and wished he had someone to keep him company.
One day, much later, Woman heard about Man, but she was married to Bear. She wished that someday she might see Man, and this made Bear very jealous. One day Woman and Bear had a fight. They fought for a long time and finally she knocked him down and killed him with a club. She decided to leave the country and go north in search of Man. She had many interesting experiences on her trip. Even today, her footprints can be seen along Mono Lake.
Words of prophecy as shared by a traditional Algonquin elder.
Seven prophets came to the Anishinabe. They came at a time when the people were living a full and peaceful life on the North Eastern coast of North America. These prophets left the people with seven predictions of what the future would bring. Each of the prophecies was called a fire and each fire referred to a particular era of time that would come in the future. Thus, the teachings of the seven prophets are now called the “Seven Fires.”
Eight Medicine Wheels Types
26 ViewsMost archaeologists of the Northern Plains recognize eight different classes or styles of medicine wheels.
“Lo-and-behold, the Blackfoot elders have routinely referred to one of these eight styles — although they don’t call it that — and they strongly indicate these were monuments to particular people, or events that happened in the past. I think there’s some consensus on that.”
Brace points out the most recent wheel was constructed in Alberta in 1938, as a memorial to a renowned Blackfoot leader.
Brace has come up with a medicine wheel definition that allows him to categorize the 12 to 14 Saskatchewan wheels, which range in diameter from 45 to 144 metres (160 yards), into four groups: burial; surrogate burial; fertility symbol; and “medicine hunting”.
Simon Kytwayhat, a Cree elder who lives in Saskatoon, says he learned his Cree perspective on the meaning of the medicine wheel from elders. Kytwayhat’s interpretation of the meaning of the medicine wheel associates the four directions represented on the wheel with the four races and their attributes — the circle and the number four are sacred symbols in First Nations’ spirituality.
The Ojibway medicine wheel
Here is a diagram of the layout of an Ojibway (also spelled Ojibwa, Ojibwe) medicine wheel, and an explanation of the meanings attributed to each stone.
Medicine wheels are disappearing at an alarming rate The Moose Mountain Medicine Wheel was first noted by Canadians of European ancestry in an 1895 report written by land surveyors. The report described the central cairn of the medicine wheel as being about 14 feet high, says Ian Brace, an archaeologist with the Royal Saskatchewan Museum […]
Layout of a medicine wheel
25 ViewsLayout of a medicine wheel Medicine wheels were built by laying out stones in a circular pattern that often looked like a wagon wheel lying on its side. The wheels could be large, reaching diameters of 75 feet (23 metres) or more.Medicine wheels were constructed by laying stones in a particular pattern on the ground. […]
Medicine Wheels in North America
29 ViewsMedicine Wheels in North America
The term “Medicine Wheel” is not a native american term. This terminology was initially used in the late 1800’s and early 1900 by people of European descent in reference to the Bighorn Medicine Wheel located near Sheridan, Wyoming. The term “medicine” was not applied because of any healing that was associated with the medicine wheel, but denotes that the sacred site and rock formations were of central importance and attributed with religious, hallowed, and spiritual significance.
Gluscabi and the Wind Eagle
29 ViewsLong ago, Gluscabi lived with his grandmother, Woodchuck, in a small lodge beside the big water. One day Gluscabi was walking around when he looked out and saw some ducks in the bay.
“I think it is time to go hunt some ducks,” he said. So he took his bow and arrows and got into his canoe. He began to paddle out into the bay and as he paddled he sang:
When Glooscap came in from the sea, he was riding his canoe, which was made of stone. He ran aground near what we now call St. John. He had been chasing two giant beavers. He was trying to stop them from raising any trouble.
Abenaki Emergence Myth
25 ViewsFirst Manitou, the Great Spirit, made Kloskurbeh, the great teacher. One day when the sun was directly overhead, a young boy appeared to Kloskurbeh. He explained that he had been born when the sea had churned up a great foam, which was then heated by the sun, congealed, and came alive as a human boy.
Abenaki Creation Story
25 ViewsThe Great Spirit, in a time not known to us looked about and saw nothing. No colors, no beauty. Time was silent in darkness. There was no sound. Nothing could be seen or felt. The Great Spirit decided to fill this space with light and life.