Native American Mythology

Summary

This audiobook explores Native American mythologies to view the relationships between humans and animals.

Traditional Native Americans view animals as elder brothers who embody the knowledge sets necessary for survival on this Earth. This vantage point facilitates openness within humans to learn from animals. Animals play the roles of tutelary spirits, helpers, and guides, and sometimes shapeshift from Holy Person to animal or back. This emphasizes the fluidity between the worlds of spirit and matter and highlights animals as oriented toward being helpful to humanity in various ways. As expressed through language and ritual, respect details preserve the relationship between the community, the animals, and the natural landscape.

Animals push human beings into interiority. The spirits choose a person and then utilize animals to communicate and transmit spiritual understandings and abilities. It is then up to the individual to bring this vision to usefulness on Earth.