Week 9 Reading Diary A: California and the Old Southwest

Three Coyote Creation Stories: I think it's interesting that the indians of the Southwest credit the Coyote for the creation of the earth. It reminds me of Christianity since only one being is credited for the creation of the world as well. If I were to do a storytelling post off of this story, I could relate it to Noah and the Ark, since in this version, the coyote was the only person left after the flood. Noah, his family, and all the animals he saved were the only ones left after the Great Flood.

The Creation of the World: I thought it was interesting that the Pimas say that the name of their creator is Earth Doctor. I also thought it was interesting that he made the sun and the moon both from ice. It's weird that something that is so hot could be made from ice. I think if I were to make a storytelling post from this story I would talk about how God created the galaxy, but I would put a spin on it.

(Perseid and Milky Way. Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Creation of Man: I thought it was funny that the animals argued as to what humans should look like. I also thought it was funny that each of them thought that humans should look like them. I admire the Coyote for thinking that humans shouldn't look like any of the animals but should have some of each of their characteristics. I thought it was rude that the Coyote threw water on all of the other animals' models, but I also thought the Coyote had the best looking model for what humans should look like. 

The Fable of the Animals: I thought Coyote deserved to get the last stick because he tried to stay up all night just so he could be the first one to meet the human. I also thought it was very nice of the human to tell Kareya that the Coyote should be given more than the shortest arrow. I thought it was also nice that the Coyote felt like he had to repay the human by being nice to humans for all of time. I think if I were to write a storytelling post about this story, I would relate it to some story where someone felt like a person was given less than they deserved. 

The Course of the Sun: I think it's interesting that the Pueblo indians believe that the creator of the world is a spider and the sun is his son. I also thought it was fun to learn that the sun's east to west path wasn't his original path in the sky. I also thought it was fun to learn that the reason why people can't look at the sun is because he has hair that moves like fire. If I were to use this as a storytelling post, I would talk about how the sun and the moon collided in their paths back in the day and had to figure out different paths to take so they wouldn't collide in the future. 

Coyote, Tortillas, and Mesquite Beans: I wonder if Elder Brother is the creator of the world to the Pima indians. I also wonder how the Coyote was able to continue to live after he drowned. I thought it was very foolish of him to eat the black bug and the mesquite beans after the Elder Brother told him that he shouldn't. I also thought it was rude of the lady to purposely trick the Coyote so he would drown. Even if someone is mean to you, that doesn't mean that you should be mean to them back! If I were to use this story as a storytelling post, I would tell a story about someone who did something even though someone warned them not to do it and they suffered anyway.