First Nation Myths

[dotinthesky]

Basil Johnston, The Manitous: The Spiritual World of the Ojibway, 1995
My boyfriend gave me this book because of my interest in Native American myths, in particular the Weendigo (a tall, eternally hungry monster that I first read about in an essay by Margaret Atwood.)

The Ojibway (also known as the Anishinaubae) have a rich storytelling tradition from which all their teachings on morality, ethics and the creation of the world come from. Like many other cultures, they believe in supreme beings (the Manitous) who live side by side with them and wield immense power. Some of these Manitous grant wishes and protection; others like the Weendigo cause only destruction and death.

Interestingly, the Ojibway tell stories of a great flood in their past, much like the one told in the Bible, which nearly destroyed all creatures. They also have a prophecy in which the arrival of the white man in America was foretold, bringing with him the Ojibway's destruction. Only the Ojibway who stay true to their ancient ways will survive the era of the white man and live to prosper again in North America. At the rate we are destroying our planet, it may be the best thing for humanity to survive through a people who always respected man's dependence on nature.

Comments

[electric-pages.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure it's fair to say that Native American societies inherently 'respect' the earth more. From selective breeding of plants and animals to construction projects that transform the landscape to the re-settling or killing off of human populations, I'd say that they were just as equally embarked on the adventure of civilization.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

Their approach to nature, and how to survive from it, is markedly different from the European approach. At least with the Ojibway, time and time again they are told to pay attention to the depletion of the forest, to make sure a balance is always in place between themselves and the natural world around them. Perhaps it could be argued that eventually they would reach a stage like the Europeans, and switch their perception... or perhaps they wouldn't. It's hard to say because they were destroyed before they got there. I can only judge them in this instance by what they believed for centuries before the arrival of the white man.

[commonpeople.livejournal.com]

On further thought, you are absolutely right. I just remembered Collapse: How Civilizations Choose to Fail or Survive, by Jared Diamond, an indepth study of various old civilizations that self-destroyed thanks to their disregard for their own environment. The Easter Islands tribes are one good example, as well as a native civilization from New Mexico (whose name I forget now).