McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Adapting Myth or Creating New?
Figging Mint:
--- Quote from: Bearracuda on August 22, 2011, 08:28:40 PM ---You can't hate a cardboard cutout.
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Well, give me enough space to swing and watch me give my durnedest. ;D
Bearracuda:
--- Quote from: Breandan on August 18, 2011, 07:48:43 PM --- Many folks out there pray to the Túatha de Dannan and follow the faith and customs of their Ancestors, just as many worship ... the Gods of the many American peoples, etc. As a result, it is important that- as authors- we get it right if we wish to avoid the upset or outright angry emails and rantings :)
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Not offended, just tossin' this out there. I am american. Not native, but there is a certain standard of learning to which we are imparted on the traditional native american beliefs and really I got the impression that Native Americans don't -have- any gods. They certainly have godlike beings. Most often what gets interpreted as gods in the Native American culture is a generalization of animal stories in which said animal has supernatural traits and human characteristics, such as with the trickster coyote. He will speak to other characters, deceive them, pop in and out as if by magic. The Native American beliefset is more centered around the worship of earth and the cycle of life rather than deities. It emphasizes building a harmonic link between the land and all forms of life. It is extremely important by Native American beliefs, for example, that if a man is to kill an animal, he MUST make use of ALL of its body. He can't just take the skin or the meat. He went out of his way to take that animal's life to help better his life, and each and every life is of utmost importance. It would be disrespectful of him to only take one piece of the remains. Ironically, if you're interested in a little current day media based on Native American beliefs, your best bet would be Avatar (yes, the one by james cameron) The na'vi are based off of Native Americans, and in fact the entire movie is just a science-fiction rehash of the settling of America by european immigrants. The only difference being the fancy spaceships, holograms, false bodies, and of course, the Na'vi winning.
Totally random thought, often Native Americans who still live by the old ways are offended by the term "Native American," they prefer to be called indians 'cause that's what they've been called for the past couple hundred years, and to their way of thinking, it's the English word for their peoples. The term "Native American" only recently cropped up because wanted to be politically correct.
Also, I just wanna say, your post earlier was very informative. I just recently took a bit of a look into traditional Celtic mythology because I was fascinated by Butcher's world, and I didn't even find as much as you just posted. I'd love to hear a little bit more about it in PMs if you've got the time.
OZ:
--- Quote ---It is extremely important by Native American beliefs, for example, that if a man is to kill an animal, he MUST make use of ALL of its body. He can't just take the skin or the meat.
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We are venturing into TT here but this is not necessarily accurate. There were multiple tribles and they all had their own beliefs although many of them overlap. The use of the entire animal had more to do with necessity than religion. In places where there was plenty many tribes were wasteful just as people now days that have plenty tend to be wasteful while those that don't learn to get the most out of what they have.
Breandan:
I will admit my experience is limited to NW tribes, as my stepfather is Haida and I grew up around Haida and Tlinget. My knowledge of plains and Eastern American tribes is limited by comparison
Dresdenus Prime:
Breandan what would you suggest as the go to book to understand Irish Mythology? In particular I'm looking for as much information as I can on Morrighan, but as a whole I'm fascinated with it all.
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