Native American Mythology: The Role of Nature, Animals and Soul Regarding to Human Being

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 the human to learn from the animals. Animals play the roles of tutelary spirits, helpers, guides, and at times shapeshift from holy person to animal or back again. This emphasizes not only the fluidity between the worlds of spirit and matter but also highlights animals as oriented towards being helpful to humanity in a wide variety of ways. The details of respect, as expressed through language and ritual, 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.

©2020 Wilson Bellacoola (P)2020 Wilson Bellacoola