The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas
Fifteen thousand years before Europeans stepped foot in the Americas people had already spread from tip to tip and coast to coast Like all humans these Native Americans sought to understand their place in the universe the nature of their re lationship with the divine and the origin of the world into which their ancestors had emerged The answers lay in their sacred stories Passed down through the generations these narratives cre ated an unbroken strand of indigenous wisdom lore that guided life and love warfare and worship When men arrived from the East in massive boats a trag edy was set in motion that wiped out millions of souls and broad swaths of their wisdom Some sacred stories survived recorded in the invaders alphabet or by the invaders very pens Others kept on burning like secret flames in the hearts of the original peoples Many are recounted to this very day It is nearly impossible to get even a bird’s-eye view of this vast if tattered lore from such a multitude of nations across the conti nent What we have sought to do in these pages however is take up the threads of some indigenous cultures and weave a unique and varied tapestry that gives just a glimpse of their traditions vi
The narratives we have collected reveal the inexorable and vast movement of generations that endless trek from north to south east to west and back again Past and present converge in these sacred tales which speak of an original time nearly lost and forgotten but deeply evocative Some of the tales have been altered by sensibilities and lan guages foreign to this land shaped by colonial mindsets and romantic notions Wherever possible we have tried our best to bring out the faint ancestral voices echoing at the heart of each Much of the wisdom these tales contain is universal It can fit your life as easily as it did the lives of the people who heard them first Some details will feel strange to you out of step with what you believe to be true Indeed the cultures are different not necessarily yours to emulate And the behavior of some figures may sometimes strike you as odd or even bad Nonetheless there is much to be learned and treasured here Heed the stories well Our hope is to open your hearts and minds to the wisdom and beauty of the people on whose land we now live Let these vital ancient words thread themselves into the woof of your soul teach ing you to respect and admire the lore that has endured unto this moment and to weep for all that has been irrevocably lost vii
Spider Grandmother Hopi tradition Spider Grandmother dearest old woman tell me the tale of the stars How the owl and the eagle fly why the buffalo graze and dream Spider Grandmother here in our adobe home your voice ensnares me spin your story please So long ago that the years are impossible to count a spirit lived alone in infinite space He was surrounded by sun beams a halo of purest light So much energy bubbled deep within him in his chest that he knew he must create a world His name was Taawa and from his hands burst forth prairies and waterfalls an immense land full of mountains In the midst of this world Taawa carved a vast canyon through which a river of crystalline waters flowed forever But there was no one in those beautiful lands Taawa then had another idea he would create a grandmother So from his hands also emerged Kookyangwso’wuuti Spider Grandmother She immediately began to weave an endless web And from that web came everything that was missing from the world that Taawa had created clouds and fish birds and people 1
