Sunlight seen from inside a cave like the one in this Pueblo creation myth
Where did Pueblo people come from?
Long ago, Pueblo people lived far away up north. At first they lived underground, in a holy place called Sipapu. Then people climbed up through a hole in the earth into the sunlight (compare this to the Navajo creation story).
Navajo creation story
More Native creation stories
A more historical account
All our Native American articles
They were wandering
God guided them for many years as they wandered (compare the Jewish story of Moses). People suffered many bad things like tornadoes and drought (not enough water) and bad magicians, before they got to a good land where they could settle down.
The story of Moses
Mesa Verde, Colorado
They settled down
When they finally found the good land, God taught them how to farm their land. He taught them to grow corn. (compare the Greek story of Demeter). And He taught them how to build their pueblo houses.
The story of Demeter
Where did their gods come from?
Then God gave people his twin sons (again like the Navajo story, or like the Zoroastrian story, or maybe like the Christian story of Jesus) to watch over them and help them in wars.
Who was Jesus?
What’s Zoroastrianism?
(This is only one version of this story, and there are many others.)
Dr. Karr, please don’t believe everything you read or hear, especially from non native authors. The Navajo beliefs and traditions is all from The Pueblos acquired after arrival in the southwest thousands of years ago, thru integration and marriage The Navajos acquired The Pueblo Traditions and history, at a place known as Dinetah, east of Bloomfield, NM in around the year 1100 -1400AD. Contact a place in Shiprock, NM the place is The Center (?) they have someone that is very knowledgeable of the Athabaskan history is he is “Native” not a book. Their number is 505-368-4587
The Navajo arrived in the SW less than a thousand years ago; they learned many things from their Pueblo neighbors after that, around 1100-1400 AD, as you say. But many Navajo customs are still their own, not Pueblo ones. I’m not sure what you are disagreeing with me about?
Ok.. was it too, that it was in the name of “God” Natives were persecuted by man, a non native, in name of god and greed. There is NO connection what so ever to our oral history with a foreign god that was brought across by a self centered culture. Get that straight.
The word “God” in this story doesn’t mean the Christian god, but a Native god people sometimes call the Great Spirit. I thought it was wrong to say Great Spirit like this was somehow only a minor spirit and not a powerful God so I just said God. Either way, it’s a translation of a word in the Pueblo language.
God? What is with this god?
In other versions of this story, the god might be called the “Great Spirit” or something like that. I feel like that’s a phrase people use to keep from calling Native gods the same word as European gods – to make Native gods seem less powerful or less important or less real. I would like to honor Native gods with the same powerful word we use for the Christian God.
are you time travelers
No, we just do research in books!
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