Folklorists have commonly attempted to distinguish between native american myths, legends, tales, and oral histories. Sometimes a fine line separarates the distinction. Here are the basic differences.
July 28, 2007
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.
May 6, 2007
The so-called oral histories of many of the Indian tribes are often based on actual events, even those deemed as myths. If one takes the time to study the prophecies and the medicine of the Hopi, Lakota and other Indian nations, I believe they would be startled to find that so many of these predictions and cures are true.
The White Buffalo Woman
23 ViewsFebruary 24, 2007
The White Buffalo Woman Legend, or how the Lakota got the Peace Pipe…One summer so long ago that nobody knows how long, the OcetiShakowin, the seven sacred council fires of the Lakota Oyate, the nation, came together and camped. The sun shone all the time, but there was no game and the people were starving. Every day they sent scouts to look for game, but the scouts found nothing.
Water Sprit’s Gift of Horses
23 Views
August 21, 2006
A Blackfoot Legend A legend about how the Blackfoot tribe aquired horses.
The Buffalo Rock
22 ViewsAugust 21, 2006
A Blackfoot Legend
The buffalo rock, as called by the Blackfeet Indians, was usually a fossil shell of some kind, picked up on the prairie. Whoever found one was considered fortunate, for it was thought to give a person great power over buffalo. The owner put the stone in his lodge, near the fire, and prayed over it. This story reveals not only the use of such a rock, but also a common method of hunting buffalo before the Indians had horses.
August 21, 2006
A Blackfoot Horse Legend A long time ago a warrior of the Piegan Blackfoot dreamed about a lake far away where some large animals lived. A voice in the dream told him the animals were harmless, and that he could use them for dragging travois and carrying packs in the same way the Indians then […]
Shape Shifting
23 ViewsJune 15, 2006
Sands shifting, sifting, through time, it moves through my fingers it moves, through space, it sifts and changes. Never remaining the same. Shapeshifting.
Pueblo symbols and their meanings
23 Views
June 5, 2006
Symbols are visual clues that indicate or represent something. For the Pueblo Indians, colors have come to represent directions symbolically. For instance, for the Hopi, yellow represents north, white represents east, red represents south, blue represents west, and black represents “above.” For centuries, the Hopi have grown maize in each of these colors.
The origin of death
23 ViewsMay 9, 2006
AUTHOR: Cheyenne Legend, Myth, Oral Story When the world was created Death did not occur. The Earth became so overcrowded that eventually there wasn’t room for any more beings.
May 9, 2006
When the horses first appeared to the Blackfeet people, they thought the strange animals were dogs sent as a gift from the sky from Old Man, creator of all things.
Pima Legend of the First People
23 ViewsMay 9, 2006
AUTHOR: Pima Legend, Myth, Oral Story Pima legend of how the first man and first woman were made.
How the Cherokee got Corn
23 ViewsMay 9, 2006
AUTHOR: Cherokee Legend, Myth, Oral Story How Corn came to feed the Cherokee people and people all over the Earth.
Tunkasila, Grandfather Rock
23 ViewsMay 9, 2006
AUTHOR: Sioux Legend, Myth, Oral Story This legend tells why we should respect rocks.
Dine (Navajo) Creation Story
23 ViewsMay 9, 2006
AUTHOR: Dine’ or Navajo creation story, legend, myth, oral story There was once a First World below the World as we know it. Everything was black and it had in it only six beings. They were First Man, the Son of Night and the Blue Sky over Sunset; First Woman, the Daughter of Day Break […]
Onondaga Creation Story
23 ViewsMay 9, 2006
The Onondaga (Onöñda’gega’ or the People of the Hills) are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy.
In the beginning of the earth there was no land, just water.Birds and animals were just swimming around never having any land to rest upon. Skyland was way above this and in Skyland there was a Great Tree that was loaded with seeds.
Onondaga Creation Story
25 ViewsMay 9, 2006
The Onondaga (Onöñda’gega’ or the People of the Hills) are one of the original five constituent nations of the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Confederacy.
In the beginning of the earth there was no land, just water.Birds and animals were just swimming around never having any land to rest upon. Skyland was way above this and in Skyland there was a Great Tree that was loaded with seeds.
Coyote Moon Myth
23 ViewsMay 9, 2006
AUTHOR: Kalispel Legend, Myth, Oral Story How Coyote was the Moon, then lost that job.
The Adventures of Raccoon
23 ViewsDecember 27, 2005
Once Raccoon was walking along the bank of a stream looking for something to eat. He was very hungry, but he found nothing.
Turtle Goes to War
23 ViewsDecember 27, 2005
One time that well known brave, Snapping Turtle, became angry. All the people wondered why he acted so strangely. “Snapping Turtle is very cranky,” said the other turtles, “Something must be in the air.”
The Story of Winter Snow
23 ViewsDecember 27, 2005
Once two Indian boys lived with their grandmother in a wigwam. One day the boys went hunting to get some meat for their grandmother. While they were gone, a stranger came and asked for them and waited for their return.
The Origin of Tobacco
23 ViewsDecember 27, 2005
Long ago, when the Potawatomi still lived on the ocean in the east and close to their grandfathers, the Delaware, a old man had a dream that something extraordinary would grow in his garden which was in a clearing he had made nearby.
December 27, 2005
There once was a Potawatomi man who had a large family. One of his sons, Waoniska, was old enough to fast but had not yet done so. He said to the boy, “Why don’t you fast?”
The Story of a Poor Man
23 ViewsDecember 27, 2005
Once there was a poor orphan who was not well brought up. He was respected by no one and never got invited to feasts or ceremonies. Despite this, he managed to get married and went hunting by himself on foot or with his canoe.
The Men Who Visited the Sun
23 ViewsDecember 27, 2005
There were once six men who spent a lot of time together. They agreed that they all wanted to go and visit the Sun, so they had a feast and called the tribe together and told them of their plan.
The Origin of Corn and Other Crops
23 ViewsDecember 27, 2005
After man was created, he was lonely, so the Creator gave him a sister to keep him company. The man dreamed that five spirits would visit his sister and want to marry her.
Potawatomi Creation Story
23 ViewsDecember 27, 2005
There is a place that is far, far away and it is nowhere near earth and it is so far away that nobody can travel there from earth. This place is kind of like the North Pole because it is always winter time. There is a man that lives on this land and his name is Wisaka. Wisaka used to live on earth with his younger brother.
Potawatomi Creation Story
23 ViewsDecember 27, 2005
There is a place that is far, far away and it is nowhere near earth and it is so far away that nobody can travel there from earth. This place is kind of like the North Pole because it is always winter time. There is a man that lives on this land and his name is Wisaka. Wisaka used to live on earth with his younger brother.
December 27, 2005
Earthmaker made the world with trees and fields, with rivers, lakes, and springs, and with hills and valleys. It was beautiful. However, there weren’t any humans, and so one day he decided to make some.
December 5, 2005
The new science of geomythology is being harnessed by researchers who believe folklore can save lives. On the banks of Siletz Bay in Lincoln City, Oregon, officials dedicated a memorial last week to one of America’s worst calamities: a huge earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands of Native Americans 300 years ago.
The Life and Death of Sweet Medicine
23 ViewsSeptember 21, 2005
As told by members of the Strange Owl family on the Lame Deer Indian Reservation, Montana, 1967, recorded by Richard Erdoes. A long time ago the people had no laws, no rules of behavior- they hardly knew enough to survive. And they did shameful things out of ignorance, because they didn’t understand how to live. […]
March 30, 2005
AUTHOR: A. L. Kroeber What are today known as the Mission Indians are those Shoshonean and Yuman peoples who occupy the portion of southern California which lies between the principal mountain ranges and the sea. Our knowledge of the mythology of these people is derived from two very different sources.
November 25, 2004
The End of the World.. KEYWORDS: sioux legend badlands legend Sunka Sapa legend native american legend end of the world legend lakota legend lahkota legend maka sica AUTHOR: Lakota story told by Jenny Leading Cloud (White River, Rosebud reservation, SD) to Richard Erdoes in 1967 Somewhere at a place where the prairie and the Maka […]
November 13, 2004
All tribes have a form of medicine wheel. There is no single answer as to its meaning. The Anishnaabek often referred to the medicine wheel as the CIRCLE OF LIFE symbolizing the natural cycles of birth, growth, death, and regeneration.
November 9, 2004
Totem carvings tell a story, revealed only if one knows the meaning assigned to various animals, fish, birds and designs and where they are placed. Here are the meanings of some common northwest indian symbols. BEAVER Creative, Artistic and Determined src=”https://native-americans.com/wp-content/uploads/2004/11/img257.gif” width=42 border=0 align=”left”> BEAR Strength, Learned Humility, Motherhood, Teaching BUMBLEBEE Honesty, Pure […]
Plains Indian Animal Symbols
23 Views
November 9, 2004
The examples below are a small sample of the total number of symbols used by the Great Plains people. Not every tribe used these same examples, however, as with sign languages, they were often used as a common means of communication to convey a central idea.
Plains Indian Jewelry Symbols
23 Views
November 9, 2004
The examples below are but a small sample of the total number of symbols used by the Great Plains people. Not every tribe used these same examples, however, as with sign languages, they were often used as a common means of communication to convey a central idea.
Southwest Indian Symbols
23 ViewsNovember 9, 2004
Southwest Indian Symbols… KEYWORDS: southwest indian symbols of indigenous peoples american indian symbol hopi symbol navajo symbol sacred symbols mother earth symbol kokopelli flute player symbol Hopi nakwách symbol of brotherhood friendship symbol fertility symbol sign of the Elder War God Hopi God of Death Maasaw connected circles keptevipi Tapu’a Mother Earth symbol of spiritual […]
The Shawnee profit: Tenskwatawa
24 ViewsNovember 6, 2004
Once named Lalawthicka which means “He who makes a loud noise” due to his habit of bragging about himself, thiis man was given the new name of Tenskwatawa which means “The Open Door” after having a vision of heaven. He later became known as the Shawnee Prophet.
Symbolism of Black Elk’s Vision
23 ViewsOctober 31, 2004
At the age of nine, Nicholas Black Elk, a holy man of the Oglala Sioux, had a great vision. This vision was the primary subject of his interview with writer John Neihardt and Neihardt’s subsequent 1932 novel, Black Elk Speaks. As the title suggests, Neihardt’s novel is the medium through which Black Elk shares his life narrative. Through the novel, in addition to the recounting of his great vision and other significant events in his personal history, Black Elk voices significant events and figures in Sioux history.
Ojibwe eagle symbolism
23 ViewsOctober 27, 2004
The graceful bird of the skies, the eagle, is the prayer carrier and messenger of the Anishinabe people. As the eagle soars across the skies, one knows he is carrying the prayers to the Creator.The eagle has great significance for the Anishinabe and all native american people when it comes to healing ceremonies and ceremonies honouring and respecting other people. Although people of different cultures may have different beliefs, respecting others’ beliefs is part of the growing process in the Anishinabe way of life.
The Wichita four cycles prophecy
23 ViewsOctober 22, 2004
The Atakapans or Wichitas believe that they came out of the sea, that a prophet or man inspired by God laid down the rules of conduct to their first ancestors which consisted of not doing evil.
They believe in an author of all things: that those who do well will go above, and that those who do evil descend under the earth into the shadows.
They speak of a deluge which swallowed up men, animals , and the land, and it was only those who resided along a high land or mountain who escaped this calamity.
The legend is divided into four parts…
Can you interpret these signs?
23 ViewsOctober 10, 2004
We are looking for an answer to a number of fore-telling dreams my husband has been having since we met 2 yrs ago. They are of an old Indian Woman who speaks to him thru her thoughts.
August 28, 2004
The story and teachings of White Buffalo Woman. Legends, like most history, are often corrupted and embellished by the conquerors. Whatever the means of conquest may have been, the stories about the victories are usually cleaned up for later generations to make them more palatable. Those who “remember” are very confused by what is being […]
Cherokee Prophecy
27 ViewsAugust 4, 2004
“The stone tablets of the yellow race of people are kept by the Tibetans. If you went straight through the Hopi Reservation to the other side of the world, you would come out in Tibet. The Tibetan word for sun is the Hopi word for moon, and the Hopi word for sun is the Tibetan […]
Legend of the Talking Feather
23 ViewsMay 17, 2004
KEYWORDS: talking feather Sioux legend oral story Indian culture AUTHOR: Sioux Legend Many winters ago the people received a gift called the talking feather. I will share with you the story of how this came to pass.
May 11, 2004
KEYWORDS: Nokomis and the spider story of the dreamcatcher dream catcher legend Anishinaabeg legend Anishinaabeg story Ojibwe Ojibwa Ojibway legend ORAL TRADITION: Ojibway legend “A spider was quietly spinning his web in his own space. It was beside the sleeping space of Nokomis, the grandmother. Each day, Nokomis watched the spider at work, quietly spinning […]
March 16, 2004
KEYWORDS: apache legend american indian legend native american legend elk legend Apache Legend giant elk story legends myth animal story children’s story for children AUTHOR: An Apache Legend In the early days, animals and birds of monstrous size preyed upon the people; the giant Elk, the Eagle, and others devoured men, women, and children, until […]
Two Wolves – A Cherokee Tale
23 ViewsFebruary 15, 2004
KEYWORDS: cherokee legend cherokee story wolf analogy wolf story elder wisdom good and evil Cherokee oral story children’s fable story for kids wolves fable An elder cherokee was teaching his grandchildren about life. He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
Cherokee Country – An original story
23 Views
January 11, 2004
For a long time she heard her parents and Grandparents arguing. It was not so much personal, as it had to do with what was happening to the Cherokee people and how there were rumors and such. Talk of the whiteman forcing us from our land, talk of deceit, which Grandpa always said was the way with most white men, with few exceptions. White politicians? Grandpa would get so angry at even the word politicians and told us to never trust anything they said and did. All they wanted was Indian land and to kill every Indian they could.
Unktomi and the arrowheads
23 ViewsMay 8, 2003
KEYWORDS: Sioux legend spider legend oral story Indian legend Indian story oral tradition myth SOURCE: Sioux oral story There were once upon a time two young men who were very great friends, and were constantly together. One was a very thoughtful young man, the other very impulsive, who never stopped to think before he committed […]