After several unsuccessful attempts to create grateful creatures, the Mayan gods use sacred corn to fashion a people who will thank and praise their creators.
In this Algonquin "Earth Diver" creation myth, woven from the ideas of several traditional tales, the water birds and animals left behind when the old world was flooded dive for mud so that the Creator can make dry land again.
Describes how the creation of the world was begun by a woman who fell down to earth from the sky country, and how it was finished by her two sons Sapling and Flint.
Retells the African folktale from the Bakongo people of Zaire in which Crab's pride influences his creator, who leaves Crab without a head to make him humble.
Discusses the origins and cultural significance of Native American mythology and folklore and describes common myths involving the creation of the world, animals and their behavior, tricksters, and heroes.
Coyote has been given the task of creating the first human being in this version of an ancient Native American myth told by many of the nations who once inhabited the Great Plains and western United States.
Retells the story of the creation of the Deep Creek Mountains by Mother Hawk after Coyote steals her breakfast. Includes information on the Goshute people, legends, and history.
After several unsuccessful attempts to create grateful creatures, the Mayan gods used sacred corn to fashion a people who will thank and praise their creators.
In the Spring of Creation, the animals gather around a newly arrived creature and decide that it is funny and cute--a joke of Mother Nature--and work together to save this first human child from extinction.