Native Americans Have Origin Stories That I Heard Growing Up

And so, having said what I said in the title. I am not sure any of the stories I was told are myths. I will make up my own and maybe throw a few others in for fun!

1) When the world was first new, a woman living in what is now North America had her first baby. This baby came with special gifts. Because of those gifts, she was there when other mothers were pregnant.

She often knew before they did that they were pregnant. She knew who to expect when they were born. Boy or girl. These gifts were passed down through the generations after this happened initially. Sometimes the gift was unwanted.

You say, how could that be? It was because in knowing the sex of the baby when there was a question it meant there could be something wrong with the baby. Or maybe the baby wouldn't live long, or a multitude of other things. Not knowing she was pregnant ahead of time may mean the pregnancy would not last.

Knowing for a longer time wasn't helpful. So much hope and wishes are put into the time before birth. So it was best for everyone that knows their are specialists that have a small part in the delivery and outcome of the baby's birth. And a few others that recognize the gift and will answer when asked.

Special gifts can have drawbacks to them. And sometimes we may want to give the gift back; however, that is not how it works.

2) One day a man that named the critters in the world was walking through the woods and was frightened by a small black critter that was walking out of the brush. The man quickly tapped the critter on the top of the head and on the back side of him and he suddenly had a white stripe down his back and an odor like no other.

This story was told to some children to make sure that they made noise when picking berries in the woods so something like that never happened to them. And so that the bears would stay away from their berry-picking spot.

3) Generosity is the first value of a certain group of people in North America because when they were having their last meal before starvation a stranger came into their camp and asked to eat with them. They were hesitant but decided that was not the way of their people.

They fed the stranger and as the stranger was leaving, that stranger pointed to a ridge and said, "There is a herd of buffalo just on the other side of that ridge." This made generosity the first value for this group of people.

4) Mother Earth and Father Sky were talking one day about how quiet their world is. Mother Earth said that if Father Sky wanted to he could make light spots in the sky. That is how the moon and stars came to be in the sky. Mother Earth said, she could make it so that certain people would have different reactions to the moon and stars.

So, every third month some women are impacted by the full moon. They can get irritable and moody. Other times the full moon and stars help to make and deliver a baby. Still other times more people are experiencing physical ailments. Mother Earth and Father Sky then agreed It was less quiet.

When they spoke of taking back what they did, it couldn't be done. So now hospitals and law enforcement centers are on high alert on the full moon.

5) When you have any of these gifts or others it is important to be extra responsible and carefully use any gift you may have been given in life cautiously. Some people have plant knowledge, while others can swim like fish and still others get warnings about what not to do and what to do.

It is so important to pay attention to your gifts.

6) Below is a sample of similar stories I heard growing up. The stories at the end of the story told by Sheila L. Chingwa are stories told that she recorded from her uncle Simon Otto. Miigwech Sheila.