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There are many different theories dealing with the creation of the world. The Native Americans have several, but there are two very popular creation myths that are supported. The World on the Turtle’s Back and When Grizzlies Walked Upright. Each offers a unique perspective on how the world was created, yet many similarities tie them together.

In the beginning of both stories, there is a god-like creature that comes down from a place called “Sky-World”. In The World on the Turtle’s Back, the woman either fell or was pushed after peering down a hole into the dark emptiness below, a result of her own foolishness. Foolish curiosity once again appeared in When Grizzlies Walked Upright, when the young girl stuck her head out of the top of the volcano, even after her father had expressly warned her not to, and was carried away by the Wind Spirit. Wind Spirit was hardly mentioned, but right away, I got the idea that he was the mischievous character. In The World on the Turtle’s Back, there is a mischievous character called the left-handed twin, who is told to be the very first trickster to walk the earth. Both of these creation myths are full of unusual and unexplainable things. When this world came to being, there was no single explanation of its origin. Many Native American tribes and other religious groups throughout the world created their own origin or creation myths for the earth on a whole or just the people of the earth. The basis of these myths was cultural and social beliefs of the many different tribes around the world. The Earth on Turtle's Back, When Grizzlies
Walked Upright, and The Navajo Origin Legend are the three creation myths by the Onondaga, the Modoc, and the Navajo. Each of these myths are by far original and different, yet at the same time share many of the customs, attitudes, and beliefs of each of the individual groups, which were revealed to us throughout the stories. Origin Legends not only teach how a natural aspect of the world came to being, but also dives into the soul of the tribe that created a specific legend

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