Early civilizations all over the world attempted to explain how the earth and all that is on it came to be (Von Franz 3). However, a majority of the stories have similar features including the existence of a supernatural being who was responsible for bringing forth the contents of the universe including human beings. The center of the creation stories is humans. Different human societies hold different views and beliefs about creation. This essay will discuss the Inca and the Navajo creation accounts. The paper also examines how the creation stories compare to my ideas of how the universe and its inhabitants came to be.
Inca creation theory
In the beginning, the sun (Pachacamac) rose from Lake Titicaca slowly. In the event, Pachacamac was shining so brightly such that nothing else but him was visible in the sky where he created the moon, stars and the planets (Distant train, Inc. 1).
Image 2: the God Sun
Source: https://img00.deviantart.net/216a/i/2015/350/1/2/the_inca_god_inti__the_god_sun_by_kruzdelzur-d6stzd6.jpg
The moon (Pachamama) became his wife to form a union that ruled the heavens and earth. As time went by, Pachacamac discovered the first human beings who were miserable creatures from a rocky mountain. The people were pitiful because they did not know things about the earth. When Pachacamac and Pachamama bore a daughter and son, they sent them on earth to aid humans commanding them to teach humans what is fair and kind. He also promised to provide light and warmth. The son taught humans how to till the land and construct houses while the daughter trained the women how to cook and weave.
Pachacamac's daughter and son became the first rulers of humans. After some time, they traveled to find perfect places where the humans could settle. At every place they stopped, they struck a golden rod given by their father on earth that symbolized where a city would be built. On arrival to the valley of Huanacauri, the goldenrod sunk to the ground and disappeared a symbol that it was the perfect place for them to settle and where the temple would be built. Inca and his wife were able to convince the people to leave their homes and move to the valley of Huanacauri. Inca went north while his wife went south. Inca and his followers established their settlement in Hanan-Cuzco (northern city) while his wife and her followers settled at Hurin-Cuzco (southern city). From that time, all the towns were divided into southern and northern halves representing the female and male forces (Distant train, Inc. 1).
Navajo creation story
Before the world we live in existed, the first world was in the cover of emptiness and darkness except for the first man, Coyote first woman, salt woman, fire god and Begochiddy (Carey par 1). Even after Begochiddy first created blue, yellow, black and white mountains; there was still no light which prompted the beings to depart from the first world
Image 2: the first dark world
Source:
http://navajopeople.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/1-1p-First-World-573x720.jpg
Begochiddy planted a seed at the middle of the first world which propagated into a giant hollow reed and moved inside together with his creations. The plant extended out of the first word to the second world which was blue and white. On arrival to the new world, they discovered that the world as already inhibited by the cat people. Since the world was a better place, they opted to settle, and a fight arose as the cat people were not ready to accommodate them or be displaced. After many years of fighting, there seemed to be no solution, and Begochiddy and his beings returned to the hollow reed which grew into the third world.
Image 2: Navajo Creation Story Painting by Kee Lee – Nizhoni Fine Arts Competition – Navajo Nation Fair 2012
Source: http://navajopeople.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Creation-Story-Painting-Kee-Lee2.jpg
The third world was yellow, beautiful, and lively. They settled there and reproduced.
Begochiddy created mountains, rivers, lakes, animals, and birds. As Coyote was walking by the liver, he discovered a baby belonging to the water monster and hid the young one with his blanket. The beast grew furious upon finding out that his bay was missing and caused a storm that flooded the whole of the third word. Begochiddy and his creation went back to the hollow reed and forced Coyote to surrender the baby, but it was too late as the third word was filled entirely with water. Begochiddy and his creation crowed through a hole created by a locust to the fourth world where they settled. Begochiddy then created and set the stars, sun and the moon to the sky and also created mountains on land. Even though the fourth world as not as amazing as the third, Begochiddy taught women and men survival tactics.
In conclusion, Inca and Navajo theories compare with my ideas of creation in that; they attribute the beginning of the earth and all the life forms in it with a supernatural being. The center of the creation from the theories is human beings which concur with my idea that humans are the most critical component of the earth. However, the Navajo theory which talks about four different worlds is contrary to my concept of one world. The Inca theory is also opposed to my idea of creation as it relates to the supernatural being as being the sun. In my view, the sun like any other heavenly bodies is a product of creation and not the source.
Works Cited
Carey, Harold. Navajo people culture and history: the Navajo creation theory. MARCH 12, 2011: http://navajopeople.org/blog/navajo-creation-story-the-first-world-nihodilhil-black-world/ accessed 21 July 2018.
Distant train, Inc. Inca creation. 2011. http://www.bigmyth.com/download/INCA_CREATION.pdf
accessed 21 July 2018.
Von Franz, Marie-Louise. Creation Myths: Revised Edition. Shambhala Publications, 2017.
