The Earth Diver creation story tells of animals who brought land to the ancient world
Animal spirits are a large part of Native American religion, figuring into the mythology of every region and culture throughout North America and Canada. The tricksters often had the ability to transform between human and animal form. Many figures of cultural significance are given animal attributes, or believed to be decedents of great animal spirits. There are animal spirits whose actions are seen as good and then there are those who are considered bad influences on human development. This interpretation depends largely on just how the animal was viewed in the indigenous group’s cultural mythos. The bear is a powerful symbol among indigenous tribes throughout North America, representing both strength and wisdom. Among the Sioux, the bear is considered a healing force—having brought medicinal herbs to the tribe in ancient times. Shamans often invoked the spirit of the bear in healing rituals. By contrast, the tricksters Raven and Rabbit are seen a mischievous figures whose self-serving actions brought natural phenomena to the human world. Again, there is much in trickster lore that provides positive examples, often with the same animal figure that is viewed with contempt in one tribe being the hero of another. No matter the interpretation, however, animal spirits are key components of native religion.
The nobility of animals and their impact on the human world is demonstrated in many creation stories that tell of ancient animals whose actions affected human development. Among the more common stories with respect to animal spirits concerns the creation of the earth. For some cultures, a debate between the animals of the ancient world over the lack of land resulted in a race to bring land to the surface. While the animal given credit for the introduction of land into the primordial world is different depending on the oral tradition, these stories share the common thread of ascribing human qualities to supernatural forces—the personification of which are animals.
With respect to the creation of the earth, animal spirits are viewed in high esteem. At the forefront of this belief is the story of the Earth Diver—a common theme in creation mythology that holds that the land was created from mud pulled from the bottom of the ocean by an animal spirit. In Tuskegee mythology, an intense discussion between the birds and the sea animals resulted in a special council, the purpose of which was to determine the best means to resolve the issue. The birds wanted land to rest on but the sea animals felt that land would limit their own available living space. The animals elected Chief Eagle to decide the question. After hearing both sides of the argument, the eagle agreed that the peace and harmony on the world would be best served with the creation of land. First, the dove flew into the horizon but was unsuccessful in his search. Crawfish then dove deep into the water and brought up sediment from the ocean floor. The eagle took this material and built an island with it—thus was land created.
The Blackfoot tribe has a similar creation story involving the great creator spirit, Napi, who became curious as to what existed below the water. He quickly dispatched three scouts, Duck, Otter, and Badger, but they could not find anything. Finally, Muskrat dove deep into the primordial seas and returned with a large ball of mud. Napi then took the mud and formed the land out of it, molding the hills and valleys and creating the rivers and lakes. He then made man and woman and taught them how to survive.
David M Jones and Brian L Molyneaux, Mythology of the American Nations. (London: Hermes House, 2006).
Gilbert Legay, Atlas of Indians. (Hauppage: Barron’s Educational Services, Inc., 1995)
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006)
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. New York: 2000).
