Approximately 8,000 B.C.E., the level of the oceans lowered and hunting/gathering people of northeastern Asia traveled across the Bering Sea into North America. They knew how to hunt, possessed tools and weapons, could make fire, and had a sense of society.

These people had their own myths about tricksters and heroes, transformers (who could form the earth and sky, or turn others into stones), female heroes and gods. Until the Europeans arrived, over a thousand years later, the Native Americans did not use written language, as such. They used symbols on hides, stone carvings, rugs and pottery to tell stories, but the majority of their mythology was passed down through the generations by storytellers.

Mythology, religion, history and ritual were all one thing for these people. They wove strands of stories into tales which gave order and meaning to their lives, and explained the creation of the world and the origins of humans.

Cherokee legends include Little People, Spirits who live in rock caves also referred to as brownies.

Native Americans also have their own mythology: Wana-games-ak, who was so skinny he could only be seen in profile; the Ocasta, who was made of pieces of flint; Dzoavits, a giant ogre who kidnapped Dove's children; Nanom-keea-po-da, a subterranean spirit who causes earthquakes; Psonen, an eagle-spirit; and Asenee-ki-wakw, a race of stone giants. The list is huge.

MORE TO COME!

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