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The term Eskimo was used to describe a member of the artic nomadic race, which appears to be the Algonquin Indian. The term means “raw-meat eater,” which was adopted by the early French explorers, being first recorded in 1611, and then by the English. Today most Eskimos regard the name pejorative and prefer to be called Inuit, meaning simply “man.” A.G.H.

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Source:

Burland, Cottie. North American Indian Mythology. “Library of the World’s Myths and Legends.” {Revised by Marion Wood) New York. Peter Bedrick Books. 1965. p. 16

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Wakan Tanka is the Sioux name for the Great Spirit or Great Mystery.It’s prounciation is “wack-in tink-ah”. It’s meaning is also known as “the divine” and “the sacred”.  Wakan Tanka is thought of the creator of the world or universe; believed to be the All-Providing One. This Spirit is paid reverence as providing for the needs of everyone. This reverence is displayed when the people honor the four directions, the Sun, Mother Earth, and their fellow man because these are Wakan Tanka’s creation; when honoring them, people honor the spirit of Wakan Tanka which resides within each of them. The American Native does not attempt to describe this Great Power that Created All because “it is a Mystery,” they advise, “leave it alone; no one describe such a vast mystery.”

 

 

Symbol

The symbol of the great spirit is the following:

 

Since it is traditional for the American Indian people not to argue over religious concepts, considering such arguments foolish, they invite everyone, especially the rainbow people, to join them, each in their own way and expression, in the reverence of Wakan Tanka.

 

Prayer

The lakota prayer:

“teach me how to trust my heart, my mind, my intuition, my inner knowing, the senses of my body, the blessings of my spirit. Teach me to trust these things so that I may enter my sacred space and love beyond my fear, and thus walk in balance with the passing of each glorious sun”

A.G.H.

Read more articles about native american mythology.

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Source:

McGaa, Ed, “Eagle Man.” Mother Earth Spirituality. New York. HarperCollins. 1990 pp. 44-46

 

 

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Through Shamanistic communication according to some traditions the dead live in an underworld, which is not too happy, resembling this word, but darker. There is much hunger because descendants failed to give offering from their good hunting. The life of the Inuits was like that, and they expected it to continue in similar manner after death.

In Native American creation myths the underworld is occasionally associated with the womb, a place in Mother Earth where humans, plants, and animals are conceived and gradually mature from a seed-like state in darkness until they are ready to be born. Such myths are especially important within agricultural tribes such as the Hopi (see Spider), although other tribes of the Apache and Navajo have similar myths, who have ceremonies celebrating curing being significant of new beginnings. A.G.H.

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Sources:

Burland, Cottie. North American Indian Mythology. “Library of the World’s Myths and Legends.” {Revised by Marion Wood) New York. Peter Bedrick Books. 1965. p. 20
Leeming, David, Jake Page. The Mythology of Native North America. Norman. University of Oklahoma Press. 1998. p. 89

 

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Tungrangayak, in Alaska, is a spirit or divinity know as the wisest of the wise; as is depicted with his body covered by circles or eyes with which he can see everything: “my whole body is nothing but eyes…I look in every direction.” A.G.H.

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Source:

Grimal, Pierre, Larousse World Mythology, Secaucus, New Jersey, Chartwell Books, 1965, p. 446

 

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Tulungusaq, in one Inuit (Eskimo) creation myth, is the creature who came alive in the dead, silvery sky. He met the Swallow who came prior to him that showed him the deep abyss with hardening clay at the bottom. Afterwards he disguised himself as a crow with artificial feathers, wings, and beak, a disguise that he could easily remove. All vegetation sprang from bits of clay which the crow as he few had previously dropped in the soil. Out of the same material he fashioned animals and men. This is why he has been called Father Crow. The first four men emerged fast, either through spontaneous generation or by some absence of a governing will, even surprising the crow by the lightening speed by which they emerged from their husks. Hurriedly he created four wives for them and other people to populate the earth. Soon the earth overflowed with inhabitants causing the crow to increase the land by cutting up a monster and throwing pieces of him into the sea which changed into islands that netted to the coast.

(Relative is the fact that the crow cycle was characteristic of the Palaeo[old]-Arctic Siberians and part of the North-American Native mythology of the north-east coast; and was only known to Alaskans, not to the Inuits of that territory, therefore, in the latter case it is of foreign origin.) A.G.H.

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Source:

Grimal, Pierre, Larousse World Mythology, Secaucus, New Jersey, Chartwell Books, 1965, p. 441