Mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas

The indigenous peoples of the Americas comprise numerous different cultures.   Each has its own mythologies.   Some are quite distinct, but certain themes are shared across the cultural boundaries. 

North America 

There is no single mythology of the Indigenous North American peoples, but numerous different canons of traditional narratives associated with religion, ethics and beliefs.  Such stories are deeply based in Nature and are rich with the symbolism of seasons, weather, plants, animals, earth, water, fire, sky and the heavenly bodies.  Common elements are the principle of an all-embracing, universal and omniscient Great Spirit, a connection to the Earth and its landscapes, a belief in a parallel world in the sky (sometimes also underground and / or below the water), diverse creation narratives, visits to the 'land of the dead', and collective memories of ancient sacred ancestors

A characteristic of many of the myths is the close relationship between human beings and animals (including birds and reptiles).  They often feature shape-shifting between animal and human form.  Marriage between people and different species (particularly bears) is a common theme.  In some stories, animals foster human children. 

Although most Native North American myths are profound and serious, some use light-hearted humor – often in the form of tricksters – to entertain, as they subtly convey important spiritual and moral messages.  The use of allegory is common, exploring issues ranging from love and friendship to domestic violence and mental illness. 

Some myths are connected to traditional religious rituals involving dance, music, songs, and trance (e.g. the sun dance). 

Most of the myths from this region were first transcribed by ethnologists during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.   These sources were collected from Native American elders who still had strong connections to the traditions of their ancestors.   They may be considered the most authentic surviving records of the ancient stories, and thus form the basis of the descriptions below.  The sources quoted are available to read online through websites such as archive.org

Northeast cultures (Southeastern Canada and Northeastern US, including the Great Lakes)

Myths from this region feature female deities such as the creator Big Turtle , and First Mother from whose body grew the first corn and tobacco.,  The two great divine culture heroes are Glooskap and Manabus.  

Other stories explore the complex relationships between animals and human beings.  Some myths were originally recited as verse narratives. 

Iroquois mythology
Ho-Chunk mythology
Wyandot religion
Seneca mythology

Great Plains cultures
Stories unique to this region feature buffalo – the animals whose bodies provided the Plains peoples with food, clothing, housing and utensils.  In some myths they are benign, in others fearsome and malevolent.  The Sun is an important deity; other supernatural characters include Morning Star and the Thunderbirds. 

A common theme is the making of a journey, often to a supernatural place across the landscape or up to the parallel world in the sky.  One of the most dominant tricksters of the Plains is Old Man, about whom numerous humorous stories are told.  An important supernatural hero is the Blood Clot Boy, transformed from a clot of blood. 

Southeast US cultures
Important myths of this region deal with the origin of hunting and farming, and the origin of sickness and medicine. 
 
See also:  
Cherokee mythology
Choctaw mythology
Creek mythology

California and Great Basin cultures 
Myths of this region are dominated by the sacred creator / trickster Coyote.  Other significant characters include the Sun People, the Star Women and Darkness.  

See also:
Kuksua religion in Northern California practiced by members within several Indigenous peoples of California. 
Miwok mythologya North American tribe in Northern California. 
Ohlone mythologya North American tribe in Northern California. 
Pomo religiona North American tribe in Northern California. 

Southwest Cultures 
Myths of the Navajo, Apache and Pueblo peoples tell how the first human beings emerged from an underworld to the Earth.  According to the Hopi Pueblo people, the first beings were the Sun, two goddesses known as Hard Being Woman (Huruing Wuhti) and Spider Woman.  It was the goddesses who created living creatures and human beings.  Other themes include the origin of tobacco and corn, and horses; and a battle between summer and winter.  Some stories describe parallel worlds in the sky and underwater.   

See also:
Ute mythologya North American tribe located in both the Northwestern and Southwestern United States. 
Diné Bahaneʼ (Navajo)a North American nation from the Southwestern United States. 
Hopi mythologya North American tribe in Arizona. 
Zuni mythologya North American tribe in New Mexico. 

Plateau cultures 
Myths of the Plateau region express the people's intense spiritual feeling for their landscapes, and emphasise the importance of treating with respect the animals that they depend upon for food.  Sacred tricksters here include Coyote and Fox. 

See also:

Salish mythologya North American tribe or band in Montana, Idaho, Washington and British Columbia, Canada

Arctic cultures (Coastal Alaska, northern Canada and Greenland)
The myths of this region are strongly set in the landscape of tundra, snow, and ice.  Memorable stories feature the winds, the moon, and giants.  Some accounts say that Anguta is the supreme being, who created the Earth, sea and heavenly bodies.  His daughter, Sedna created all living things – animals and plants.  She is regarded also as the protecting divinity of the Inuit people. 

Subarctic cultures (Inland northern Canada and Alaska) 
Here some myths reflect the extreme climate and the people's dependence on salmon as a major food resource.  In imagination, the landscape is populated by both benign and malevolent giants. 

Northwestern cultures 
In this region the dominant sacred trickster is Raven, who brought daylight to the world and appears in many other stories.  Myths explore the people's relationship with the coast and the rivers along which they traditionally built their towns.  There are stories of visits to parallel worlds beneath the sea.  and up in the sky See also:

Kwakwaka'wakw mythologyan Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. 
Lummia North American tribe from the Pacific Northwest, Washington state area. 
Nuu-chah-nulth mythologya a group of indigenous peoples living on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. 
Haida mythologya nation living in Haida Gwaii and the Alaska Panhandle. 
Tsimshian mythologyan indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast living on the British Columbia Coast and Alaska's Annette Islands. 

Aztec culture 
The Aztecs, who predominantly inhabited modern-day central Mexico, had a complex system of beliefs based on deities who directly affected the lives of humans, including those who controlled rain, the rising Sun and fertility.  Human sacrifice, mainly of war captives and women, was a central piece to the order of the universe and human survival.  
See also:
Aztec mythologyan ancient Mesoamerican empire centered in the valley of Mexico. 

Central America 
 Maya mythologyan ancient Central American people of southern Mexico and northern Central America. 
 Olmec religionan ancient Central American people of south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco. 
 Purépecha religiona Central American people centered around Lake Pátzcuaro. 

South America 
 Chilote mythologythe cultures of Chono and Huilliche, who live on the Chiloé Archipelago, off the coast of southern Chile. 
 Guarani mythologyan indigenous people of the Gran Chaco, especially in Paraguay and parts of the surrounding areas of Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia. 
 Inca mythology (Religion in the Inca Empire)a South American empire based in the central Andes mountain range. 
 Mapuche religionan indigenous people of the Southern Cone, especially in Chile and some regions of Argentina. 
 Muisca mythologythe indigenous people of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the modern Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes. 

See also
 Earth-maker myth, Native American, California. 
 Philippine mythology

References

Bibliography

 Rosalind Kerven (2018) Native American Myths collected 1636 – 1919.  Talking Stone.  
Erdoes, Richard and Ortiz, Alfonso: American Indian Myths and Legends (New York: Pantheon Books, 1984)
  Korotayev, Andrey et al.  Which genes and myths did the different waves of the peopling of Americas bring to the New World?.  History and Mathematics 6 (2017): 9–77. 
Thompson, Stith: Folk Tales of the North American Indians (Indiana University Press 1929)

External links
 Apache Texts
 Chiricahua and Mescalero Apache Texts
 Jicarilla Apache Texts
 "Midwest-Amazonian" Folklore-Mythological Parallels