The California and Old Southwest unit of the Native American readings are collection of many myths and folktales. This includes stories from California, New Mexico, and Arizona. In particular, I read The Creation of the World. I was attracted to this story as I had read the story of Adam and Eve from the Biblical unit and wanted to compare the two cultures in how they detail the origin of the world. The Creation of the World centers around not an ambiguous god or lord, but rather a creator named the Earth Doctor. While researching the Earth Doctor, I found no information elaborating on the specifics of this creator. However, the note above the story details how the Earth Doctor is from the Pima people of central and southern Arizona, so perhaps this Earth Doctor is isolated to their community. Regarding the story itself, it is interesting to see how the Earth Doctor chose which parts of the world to exist first. The Adam and Eve story centers around the creation of the first humans. Particularly, Eve is made from the rib of Adam in order to complement Adam in the new world that has just been created. The Creation of the World, on the other hand, is more focused on creating the natural environment of the world such as the Earth, sun, bushes, and even the insects. I also found it particular how it took a certain amount of tries for the Earth Doctor to create some of the aspects of the world. For example, the bush took the Earth Doctor four attempts before it remained upright. Perhaps, the number four may be significant to the Pima culture. There are also mentions of a magical song that the Earth Doctor sings to make the moon. I also want to know the significance of these songs within the Pima Culture.
Bibliography: Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Katharine Berry Judson (1912).
Wikimedia: A Pima Indian woman
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