The creation stories we discussed in class this week were all significant in their own way. One story that stuck out the most to me was the Lakota Emergence Story. This story stuck out to me the most because it elaborated on how certain animals were created such as bison. It also showed that the entities possessed true power. Another event that stood out to me in this passage was how Iktomi used to be known for his “wisdom.” However, he “lost his name and position when he helped the evil spirit Gnaskinyan play a trick on all the other spirits” (NPS 1). I thought that was funny, but I wanted to know what the trick was that he did on the spirits. It also mentioned how his name was “Woksape” before “Iktomi.” I found all of the spirits to be interesting in their own way as well. The background stories for the spirits kind of reminded me of other mythological stories.
Listening to these stories was more meaningful than reading them because it is like someone is actually telling the story. If I were to read something it makes it seem as if I was the one that experienced the history. However, if I listen to the story, I can then pay more attention to the small details and process what really happened. It also helped me visualize the scenery more when I listened to the specific events that occurred such as the people emerging from underground.
The structure of indigenous communities shaped their success since it was such a tedious process. All of their people contributed to their success since they all had a role that they fulfilled. They knew it was hard work, but they still proceeded to press on since that is what they believed in. It was also clear that women played a significant role when it came to doing work as well. Women took on the role of doing most of the work on the farms. Agriculture was one of the main reasons why the indigenous people flourished. Without the women being so productive in the community, they would not have been able to form the well-built communities they had.
Hi Ben!
The Lakota emergence story was one of my favorites too. I especially loved how the story was being told at the location of the wind cave– it really helped for visualizing how people emerged and then how the hole shrunk so that people could no long pass through between worlds! One of the amazing things about the wind cave is that the wind sounds make it seem like the cave is breathing– it’s a pretty cool phenomenon! As you point out, it’s so important to listen (rather than read) these stories– the experience of listening and being present makes the overall message of the stories that much more profound.