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How the People Came to the Middle Place

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There are various diverse creation myths from Native American cultures, though many hold similar characteristics. One of the more common forms of creation myth seems to be emergence myth. Generally, in the emergence myth, instead of seeing how the world is created, we see how the people arrive in an already created world. This particular story type is commonly found in Native American cultures from the southwest (Ryan). The Tewa Pueblo version of this myth, entitled How the People Came to the Middle Place, has been collected and written down by the anthropologists Alice Marriott and Carol K. Rachlin in their book, American Indian Mythology. The myth was told to them by two separate sources, Maria Martinez of San Ildefonso and Leonidas …show more content…

It is evident from this myth that geography was an important concept to the Pueblo. They are currently balanced in the center of the land, and each direction around them is mentioned, as well as all of the mountains surrounding them. This part of the myth in particular seems to be highlighting some of the most important aspects of multiple Native American cultures. In mythology from all around the world, there is usually a point where humans decide not to listen to a divine being which leads to trouble, and this tale is no different. The people disobey Grandmother Spider, and they decide to first head toward the mountains in the east since they seemed closest. When they get there, many of them are killed by the Comanches, which is why the area is called the Mountains of Blood. Many people also die when they head toward the cold north, and they cannot stay in the west either. Eventually, they head toward the middle land again, and there are only two of them left (Marriott, Rachlin 69-70). This part of the story once again helps to explain the world surrounding the Pueblo people. It shows the origin of how one of the mountains got its name. It is also evident that the Pueblo people viewed the Comanche people they met as violent and antagonistic. This was probably inspired by real life dealings and tensions that they had with the other culture. Many Native

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