Comparing Creation Myths Of Algonquin And Comanche

The story of the creation of man, animals, and the universe is one that is unique to each culture and group of people. Though American Indians are often lumped into one category, there were in fact many different and unique cultures and communities within this category. The Algonquin and Comanche are two such tribes who lived in different parts of the Americas with very different cultures. Although the creation myths of the Algonquin and the Comanche are similar, there are some marked differences that show the understanding of a higher power and the unique differences among their cultures.

Algonquin Tribe The Algonquins are among a group of American Indians who are linked to each other through the Algonquin language (Our Proud History, 2013). The Algonquin tribe

Both stories begin with a higher being, called the Great Earth Mother by the Algonquins and the Great Spirit by the Comanches. In both stories, there are good and evil forces. Both creation myths also tell of the evil force being cast into an underworld where they continue to torment the living. In each story, the evil forces are exhibited through various poisonous snakes, animals, and plants. Dissimilarities between the two creation myths are evident in the manifestation of the good and evil forces. In the Algonquin myth, the good and evil are two brothers who create life from the body of their Great Earth Mother. These two brothers killed each other so that they could thrive without hindrance from the other brother. In the Comanche creation myth, the Great Spirit was the good force and a shape shifting demon embodied the evil. In this story, there was no battle between the two, only the Great Spirit casting the demon into a bottomless pit (Native American Legends, n.d.b). In the end of each story, the good won out over the evil, even though the evil force continued to harm people on