Iroquois And Dogon Essay
How was the world created? Nobody really knows, but people and cultures from all treks of the Earth have created stories or myths to help themselves understand. Myths from across the globe, although different in many ways, have the same underlying theme. The Iroquois and Dogon have differences and similarities when it comes to who created the Earth, why it was created, and what roles humans play in the becoming of the world.
The Iroquois believed that life came before the Earth. That sky gods and animals existed before we did. “ The muskrat got the land...the sky women walked counterclockwise, and the turtle’s shell grew and created the Earth we know today.”( The sky women is regarded as a god. She created the Earth via the animal's help. …show more content…
Most gods/goddesses created the Earth just because they could. “The Sky women needed earth under feet, she missed it.” The Iroquois believe in their myth that the Earth was created on a turtle's back because the sky women missed the land under feet. This is unlike the Dogon where their god just got bored and decided to make the world. “He made the first ball of clay and it began to glow and he put it in the sky, the next was paler and mirrored the other, then he threw out clumps which made the stars and the last was a flat piece which made the earth.” Dogon had no real reason to make the world. He was just playing with clay and threw it out there and thus came the world. So when in comparison the two myths add up to longing for land and …show more content…
They give insight in how the world came to be and they give people something or someone to believe in. Although the Iroquois and Dogon have different myths with barely any similarities these myths contribute greatly not only to the people who believe them but to each other. What people believe in gives other cultures an awareness as to how they run and what type of people they are. People's beliefs may be all they have sometimes so learning about their myths and respecting them can go a long way into understanding who people are and what their culture is
The Iroquois believed that life came before the Earth. That sky gods and animals existed before we did. “ The muskrat got the land...the sky women walked counterclockwise, and the turtle’s shell grew and created the Earth we know today.”( The sky women is regarded as a god. She created the Earth via the animal's help. …show more content…
Most gods/goddesses created the Earth just because they could. “The Sky women needed earth under feet, she missed it.” The Iroquois believe in their myth that the Earth was created on a turtle's back because the sky women missed the land under feet. This is unlike the Dogon where their god just got bored and decided to make the world. “He made the first ball of clay and it began to glow and he put it in the sky, the next was paler and mirrored the other, then he threw out clumps which made the stars and the last was a flat piece which made the earth.” Dogon had no real reason to make the world. He was just playing with clay and threw it out there and thus came the world. So when in comparison the two myths add up to longing for land and …show more content…
They give insight in how the world came to be and they give people something or someone to believe in. Although the Iroquois and Dogon have different myths with barely any similarities these myths contribute greatly not only to the people who believe them but to each other. What people believe in gives other cultures an awareness as to how they run and what type of people they are. People's beliefs may be all they have sometimes so learning about their myths and respecting them can go a long way into understanding who people are and what their culture is