Most
of the creation stories across the world have a considerable number of
similarities. These similarities can be considered to be based on a common
origin of these stories as well as the link that is present when it comes to
humanity. The significance of these stories to their respective cultures cannot
be underestimated because it is a means through which they portray the common
origins of all the individuals in their societies. In this paper, there will be
a discussion of the similarities between the Biblical and Native American
creation stories with the aim of showing how they are connected.
One
of the most significant similarities between the Biblical and Native American
creation stories is the presence of the serpent. The serpent is considered to
be a great power by the Native American stories, specifically that of the
Pawnee. According to this story, the great Serpent presided over the endless
sheet of water a part of which the Evening Star created land. The serpent in
this story is considered to be an evil being and it was the power of the
Morning Star, the consort of the Evening Star, which led the serpent to feel
into the depths of the waters over which it presided (Bierlein 60). In the
biblical story, the presence of the serpent is also important because it is a
manifestation of what is evil and tempting. The serpent in the biblical
creation story plays the role of tempting Adam and Eve to incur the wrath of
God through their eating the forbidden fruit. In both stories, therefore, the
presence of the serpent heralds evil and the manner through which it is either
driven away or given a harsh punishment is symbolic of warding against evil.
Another
prominent aspect that is seen in all Native American creation stories that is
similar to the biblical story is that human beings, and all other creatures,
are created in pairs. This is the case with the Sioux story, which promotes the
idea that the original human beings were created at the same time, one male and
one female, by the Great Spirit (Bierlein 59). This story is similar to the
biblical one, although the latter involved a situation where man was created
first and after a God realized that man was lonely, decided to create a mate
for him using man’s own rib. These stories are very similar and they promote
the idea that no human being can exist alone without the companionship of the
other sex. They also seek to show that both sexes, whether male or female, are
important to one another and have the same status. The Sioux story exemplifies
this observation because it shows that both male and female were created at the
same time by the Great Spirit in order to display their equality.
The
presence of a garden is another noteworthy similarity between the Native
American and biblical creation stories. The Pawnee creation story states that
Evening Star had a celestial garden in which she planted a large variety of
crops. It also states that she asked her consort Morning Star to water her
celestial garden, and his acquiescence was the origin of rain (Bierlein 60).
The biblical story tells of the Garden of Eden, which was essentially a
paradise for the original human beings. God placed them there following their
creation so that they could take care of the garden while at the same time
enjoy their existence within it. Therefore, the presence of the garden in both
stories is a probable sign of the need by the respective societies to describe
the origins of agricultural practices. It is also the location within which the
original creations were placed by the creators after they were brought into
existence. The garden, which is described in both stories as being a beautiful
place, seems to be the description of an ideal paradise that the respective
communities desire to become a part of.
The
story of the flood is also an important similarity between these two creation
stories. In the bible, the story of the flood takes place following the
numerous sins that human beings have committed. It is a punishment meted out by
God in order to cleanse the world of evil and to ensure that human beings are
able to start afresh. The biblical flood also comes about because of the fall
of angels, who, because of their attraction to the daughters of man, end up
coming to earth and marrying them. The result of the union of these two beings
is the rise of evil giants who bring their evil all over the world. This story
is similar to that of Arikara, which states that the Great Sky Spirit, Nesaru,
makes the decision to ensure the downfall of evil in the world by causing a
flood (Bierlein 61). This is especially considering that the evil was caused by
an evil race of giants, who Nesaru believes have to be destroyed. Just like God
in the bible, Nesaru makes the decision to ensure that human beings are saved.
Thus, both stories portray an image of the creator as a just and merciful
being.
The
biblical creation story and the Algonquin Native American creation story have
similar incidents of antagonistic brothers. The Algonquin story features two
brothers, Glooskap and Malsum, who despite being siblings are completely
different. While the former is inherently good, his brother is completely evil
and is jealous of him. Malsum, because of his jealousy towards his brother,
seeks to find his weakness so that he can kill him. He eventually discovers this
weakness and ends up killing Glooskap (Bierlein 61); leading to a situation
where he is the only brother remaining. This is similar to the biblical story
of Cain and Abel, where the former is essentially jealous of the favors that
his brother receives from God. He ends up murdering his brother in a jealous
fit and the result is that God curses him and sends him away. Therefore, while
these two stories end differently, their basic aspects are the same and they
portray the way that human beings respond to each other’s successes.
In
relation to the issue of antagonistic brothers, a similar concept between
Native American and biblical creation stories is the concept of good and evil. Good
and evil are prevalent themes in these stories and they seek to show that they
are an essential part of existence. The Yuma creation story states that in the
beginning, the creator god Kokomaht came into existence and he was essentially
good, and Bakotahl, who separated himself from him and he became the embodiment
of evil. These two have rivaled one another since this period, with each
creating their own creatures that have adopted their various aspects (Bierlein
63). This story is similar to the biblical creation story, which speaks of the
serpent as the embodiment of evil. The serpent is used to describe the devil,
which is the antithesis of God and seeks to ensure that human beings are taken
away from God’s presence. These two stories show that good and evil are
integral aspects of life and that they have existed side by side since the
beginning.
In
both the creation stories, there is the existence of primeval waters and
nothing else. This is an important aspect that can be compared because it shows
considerable similarities between these creation stories of diverse origins.
This is especially considering that in the Yuma and Pima creation stories;
nothing exists except water and darkness. It is only after the creators in both
stories decide to undertake creation that it becomes possible for order to be
brought from chaos (Bierlein 63 - 66). Furthermore, it becomes possible for
light to come into existence, and this is an important feat because most
creatures are not able to survive without it. A similar tale is told in the
bible, where God existed in a world where there was only water and darkness. He
separates the waters into two so that one part can form the sky and the other
the seas. In both stories, it is the creator that brings about order and once
the order is brought about, it becomes possible to undertake the other tasks of
creation, such as the creation of plants and animals, as well as human beings.
Therefore, the creator is portrayed as being a force of order that establishes
the world from the original chaos.
The
rebellion of man is another similarity that can be seen between the Native
American and biblical creation stories. This is especially the case in the Inca
creation story, which proposes that the creator god Con Tiqui created a race of
human beings. After their creation, he was very good to them and provided them
with all of their needs. However, despite his kindness and goodness, the humans
forgot about their creator and instead rebelled against him; leading to a
situation where they sought to proclaim their own power. Con Tiqui decided to
punish these individuals through stopping the rain and making them to work very
hard for their needs (Bierlein 70). This story is similar to the biblical story
where Adam and Eve rebelled against God’s instructions when they ate from the
tree of knowledge. After God found them out, he sentenced them to a life of
hard labor as punishment for their sins and this punishment would be inherited
by all their descendants. Both of these stories seek to explain the reasons
behind the way of life that human beings lead as well as promoting an
understanding of the relationship between them and nature.
In
conclusion, there is a diverse number of similarities between the biblical and
native American creation stories. These similarities are essential in the
understanding of the attitudes towards life that the people who propagated
these stories led. In this paper, there has been an analysis of the
similarities between the biblical and Native American creation stories with the
aim of showing how they are connected; a process that can be considered to have
been successful. It has brought about a situation where there is a greater
understanding of how two very different cultures in different parts of the
world viewed their way of life and considered their origins. Through this
understanding of the similarities shown in the creation stories, it becomes
possible to come to the realization that all human beings have a common origin
and the different creation stories are essentially different versions of the
same story.
Works
Cited
Bierlein, John Francis. Parallel
Myths. Ballantine Books, 2010. Print.