Native American mythology facts for kids

Coyote and Opossum often appear in the stories of many tribes.

The mythologies of the indigenous peoples of North America are the many traditional stories and beliefs of Native American and First Nations communities. These spiritual stories are deeply connected to Nature, like Mother Nature, and are full of symbols from the seasons, weather, plants, animals, earth, water, sky, and fire. Many of these belief systems share common ideas, such as a powerful Great Spirit who knows everything, a strong connection to the Earth, unique stories about how the world was created, and shared memories of ancient ancestors. Traditional worship often includes tribal gatherings with dance, rhythm, songs, and special ceremonies like the Sun Dance.

Stories from the Northeast and Great Lakes

In the northeastern United States and the Great Lakes region, several Native American groups have rich mythologies.

Algonquian Peoples

• Abenaki mythology: The Abenaki people have religious ceremonies led by shamans, who are called Medeoulin or medicine men.
• Anishinaabe traditional beliefs: The Anishinaabe are a large group of tribes, including the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi, mainly found around the Great Lakes.
• Cree mythology: The Cree people are mostly found in the Canadian Prairies, west of Ontario, but also in the Northwest Territories and Quebec.
• Leni Lenape mythology: The Leni Lenape are a tribe from the area around the Delaware River.

Plains Native Stories

The Plains Natives, living in the central parts of North America, have mythologies that often reflect their close relationship with the land and animals like the buffalo.

• Blackfoot mythology: The Blackfoot people live in Alberta, Canada, and Montana, USA. They were originally part of the Plains Indians culture.
• Crow religion: The Crow tribe lives in southeastern Montana. Their spiritual healers were known as an Akbaalia.
• Lakota mythology: The Lakota people, also known as the Sioux, originally lived in The Dakotas.
• Pawnee mythology: The Pawnee tribe originally lived in Nebraska, United States.

Southeastern US and Iroquois Stories

This region includes powerful confederacies and tribes with diverse spiritual traditions.

• Iroquois mythology: The Iroquois are a historically strong group of Native American nations, known as the Five Nations, from the northeastern United States.
• Cherokee mythology: The Cherokee culture is found in the Southern United States and Oklahoma.
• Choctaw mythology: The Choctaw culture is also in the Southeastern United States and Oklahoma. They originally came from the Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana areas.
• Creek mythology: The Creek culture is another group from the Southeastern United States and Oklahoma. They were originally from the Alabama, Georgia, and Florida areas. Their spiritual healers were called an Alektca.
• Ho-Chunk mythology: The Ho-Chunk and Winnebago tribes were once a single group living in Wisconsin.
• Wyandot religion: The Wyandot people (sometimes called the Huron) originally came from Ontario, Canada, and nearby areas.
• Seneca mythology: The Seneca people are one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy from the Northeastern United States.

Stories from Alaska and Canada

The vast northern regions of Alaska and Canada are home to many indigenous groups with unique spiritual beliefs, often shaped by their Arctic environment.

• Alaska Native religion: This includes the beliefs of the Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, and other Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast.
• Gwich'in religion: The Gwich'in are an indigenous group of First Nations and Alaska Natives living mainly above the Arctic Circle.
• Haida mythology: The Haida nation lives in Haida Gwaii and the Alaska Panhandle.
• Inuit religion: The Inuit are a people culturally similar to other groups living in the Arctic.
• Tsimshian mythology: The Tsimshian are an indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest Coast, living on the British Columbia Coast and Alaska's Annette Islands.

Stories from the Northwestern US and Western Canada

Along the Pacific coast, many indigenous groups have mythologies that reflect their connection to the ocean, forests, and rivers.

• Kwakwaka'wakw mythology: These are Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast.
• Lummi: The Lummi are a tribe from the Pacific Northwest, specifically the Washington state area.
• Nuu-chah-nulth mythology: This group of indigenous peoples lives on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
• Salish mythology: The Salish are a tribe or group found in Montana, Idaho, Washington, and British Columbia, Canada.

Stories from the Southwestern US and Mexico

The dry landscapes and ancient cultures of the Southwest and Mexico have inspired many unique mythologies.

Uto-Aztecan Peoples

• Kuksu (religion): This religion is practiced in Northern California by several Indigenous peoples of California.
• Miwok mythology: The Miwok are a tribe from Northern California.
• Ohlone mythology: The Ohlone are a tribe from Northern California.
• Pomo religion: The Pomo are a tribe from Northern California.
• Ute mythology: The Ute are a tribe located in both the Northwestern United States and Southwestern United States.

Other Southwestern US Tribes

• Diné Bahaneʼ (Navajo): The Navajo are a large nation from the Southwestern United States.
• Hopi mythology: The Hopi are a tribe in Arizona.
• Zuni mythology: The Zuni are a tribe in New Mexico.

Stories from Central America

Ancient empires and cultures in Central America developed complex mythologies with gods, creation stories, and rich symbolism.

• Aztec mythology: The Aztecs were an ancient Mesoamerican empire based in the valley of Mexico.
• Maya mythology: The Maya were an ancient Central American people from southern Mexico and northern Central America.
• Olmec religion: The Olmec were an ancient Central American people from south-central Mexico, in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco.
• Purépecha religion: The Purépecha are a Central American people centered around Lake Pátzcuaro.

Stories from South America

The diverse landscapes of South America, from the Andes mountains to the Amazon rainforest, are reflected in the mythologies of its indigenous peoples.

• Chilote mythology: This includes the cultures of the Chono and Huilliche, who live on the Chiloé Archipelago, off the coast of southern Chile.
• Guarani mythology: The Guarani are an indigenous people of the Gran Chaco, especially in Paraguay and parts of Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia.
• Inca mythology (Religion in the Inca Empire): The Inca were a South American empire based in the central Andes mountain range.
• Mapuche religion: The Mapuche are an indigenous people of the Southern Cone, especially in Chile and some regions of Argentina.
• Muisca mythology: The Muisca are the indigenous people of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense in the modern Eastern Ranges of the Colombian Andes.

Images for kids

• 

  This map shows the percentage of Indigenous Americans in each county of the fifty states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico as of the 2020 United States Census.

• 

  Quetzalcoatl (The Plumed Serpent) was the god of the air, and Tezcatlipoca (Smoking Mirror) was the god of the earth in Aztec mythology.