Miwok mythology facts for kids
The Miwok people are Native Americans who have lived in California for a very long time. Their myths are special stories that explain how the world began and how things came to be. These stories show what the Miwok people believed about life, nature, and the spirits around them.
In many Miwok creation stories, a character named Coyote is very important. He is often seen as an ancestor and a creator god. Sometimes, other animals help him. Together, they form the earth and even create people from simple things like feathers or twigs.
The Miwok people believed that animal and human spirits were real. They often thought of animal spirits as their ancestors. Coyote, in particular, shows up in many tales as a creator, an ancestor, and sometimes a trickster god. Miwok myths are quite similar to the stories of other Native American groups in Northern California.
Contents
How the World Was Made
The First Spirits
The Miwok believed in "people who lived before real people." In some stories, these first people died out. In others, they were the same as the powerful animal spirits.
There are several stories about Coyote's place among these "first spirits." For example, the Coast Miwok people believed Coyote was the grandfather of the Falcon. These first spirits included animals and even some star-people. From the Sacramento River area, the Miwok named some of these first spirits:
- O-let'-te: This was Coyote-man, the Creator.
- Mol'-luk: The Condor, who was the father of Wek'-wek.
- Wek'-wek: The Falcon, son of Mol'-luk and grandson of O-let'-te.
- Hul'-luk mi-yum'-ko: Two beautiful women chiefs from the Star-people.
- Os-so-so'-li: One of the Star-women, representing the Pleiades star cluster.
- Ke'-lok: The North Giant.
- Hoo-soo'-pe: The Mermaids or Water-maidens, who were sisters of Wek'-wek.
- Choo'-hoo: The Turkey Buzzard.
- Kok'-kol: The Raven.
- Ah-wet'-che: The Crow.
- Koo-loo'-loo: The Humming-bird.
Coyote and Walik (Coast Miwok)
One story from the Coast Miwok people tells how Coyote made the land. Coyote shook his "walik," which was like a blanket made of tule plants. He shook it towards the south, east, north, and west. As he did this, the water dried up, and land appeared.
The Diver Story
In another creation myth called The Diver, Coyote creates the earth from a huge ocean. He sends a turtle to dive deep into the water to find some "earth." The turtle dives down and brings back a bit of earth. Coyote then mixes this earth with "Chanit" seeds and water. This mixture grows and grows, and soon, "the earth was there."
Coyote and Silver Fox
Another creation story says that at first, there was "no earth, only water." A Silver Fox (a female fox) felt lonely. She sang a prayer song about it and then met Coyote. Silver Fox suggested, "We will sing the world." So, they created the world together by dancing and singing. As they danced and sang, the earth formed and took shape.
How People Were Made
Coyote and Turkey Buzzard (Coast Miwok)
In a myth called The Creation of Humans, Coyote catches a turkey buzzard, a raven, and a crow. He plucks their feathers and places them in different spots on the earth. These feathers then turn into the Miwok people and their villages.
Coyote and Chicken Hawk (Coast Miwok)
In another story, Coyote comes from the west all alone. His grandson, Chicken Hawk, follows him. Coyote turned his "first people" into animals. He then made the Pomo people from mud. The Miwok people, he made out of sticks.
How Ravens Became People (Sierra Miwok)
The myth How Kah'-kah-loo The Ravens Became People tells of a huge flood. The first people climbed a mountain to escape the rising water. When the water finally went down, they were very hungry. They thought it was safe to come down and look for food. But they sank into the soft mud and died. Ravens came and sat on the holes where the people had died, one raven at each hole. These ravens then turned into the new Miwok people.
Coyote and Lizard (Sierra Miwok)
From the Sierra Miwok people, another creation myth is similar to Pomo mythology. In this story, Coyote and Lizard create the world "and everything in it." Coyote wants to create human beings from twigs. They argue about whether humans should have hands. Lizard wants humans to have hands, but Coyote does not. Lizard wins their fight, and so humans are created with hands.
Stories About Death and the Afterlife
Ocean Path West (Coast Miwok)
The Coast Miwok believed that when people died, their spirits jumped into the ocean at Point Reyes. They would follow something like a string that led west, beyond the ocean waves. This path took them to the setting sun. There, they would stay with Coyote in an afterworld called "ute-yomigo" or "ute-yomi," which means "dead home."
Many of the ideas, stories, and characters in Miwok mythology are also found among other Native American groups in Northern California. For example, the story of Coyote and Lizard is similar to a tale told by their neighbors, the Pomo people. Also, the Ohlone people believed that Coyote was the grandfather of the Falcon and the creator of humankind. There are also clear similarities to the traditional stories of the Yokuts people.
Myths about creation after a great flood or from the ocean, the "Earth Diver" story, and Coyote as an ancestor and trickster are common themes in Central and Northern California. These themes are found in Yokuts mythology, Ohlone mythology, and Pomo mythology. The idea that "First People" died out and were replaced by the Miwok people is a strong belief shared by Native groups in Northwestern California.
