Week 9: California and the Old Southwest (Reading Diary)

For the California and the Old Southwest reading unit, click here.

For part A my favorite stories were The Creation of Man and the Creation of Mankind and the Flood.

The Creation of Man was unlike any creation story I had ever heard, but I felt as though it showed a lot of natural human tendencies through the animals of the story. This story was from the Minwok people from California. It was a story which took place after Coyote created the world (which I think is interesting in itself that there isn't a divine being, but an animal creator). I thought it was very interesting how the animals together consciously decided to create man. Also, how they went about doing it was very unique. With the animals forming a type of council to decide what humans should look like, with the animals basically ranked according to hierarchy around the circle was fascinating. I think that the ideas for man's appearance by the animals revealed human nature, in that we often think the people in charge should look, act, and think as we do. It was only coyote, who was the most clever, who could think outside of himself to create a superior being that didn't look as he, or any other animal did. I thought this was a very unique story.

(Coyote)

The second story I liked from the first section was the creation of mankind and the flood. Unlike the first story, this story was from the Pima tribe in Arizona. One reason I found this, and the other flood story in the unit, is the similarities cross culturally, around the world of flood stories. In this story the flood is caused because of a competition to rule the world, between Earth Doctor, Coyote, and Elder Brother. In Greek and Roman religions, which I have taken a couple classes over, there are also worldwide flood stories, as well as in Christianity, Mesopotamian and Babylonian cultures. I find it very interesting that total earth destroying/purifying flood stories are found in so many religions and cultures around the world. 

"The Deluge" By John Martin Wikimedia

For part B, my favorite stories were Coyote's Eyes and The Children of the Cloud.

I thought the story about the Coyote's eyes was bizarre but intriguing. The last thing I was expecting when the coyote asked the bird about his beauty, was for the bird to take out his own eyes, throw them in the air, then call them back down into his head, at which time they would be cleaned. Then the coyote deciding to do this multiple times was also weird but interesting, so he could get his eyes as clear as he could. But then, when the eyes didn't come back down, I was also shocked when instead of finding the coyote's eyes the bird just made him yellow eyes out of pinon tree gum, which are still what coyote's ares are according to the story. It was definitely a unique and unusual myth about the often-featured coyotes. 

(Coyote, by Larry1732)

I also thought the Children of the Cloud story was very unique and interesting. Unlike, say demigods, the children in this story seem to be the children of a human woman and a primordial force which sort of has a human life and appearance. I was never quite sure what to think about Uncle Wind and Father Cloud. I thought it was interesting that he insisted on testing the boys more than once. I'm pretty sure normal children can't usually create thunder and lightning at will, so I didn't understand why Cloud needed further proof of their paternity, nor how them not drowning proved they were part cloud. But these types of stories are meant to be taken at face value, so I know I'm reading too much into them, but those were my main thoughts about this story. 

"Dreamy Twilight" by Jessie Eastland. Wikimedia