Navajo

THE EMERGENCE

In the beginning the First World, also known as the Black World, consisted of a small area of land surrounded by fire that emitted the only light present. The wingless insects and small crawling creatures that lived there decided that their world was too small and dark, so they attached wings to themselves and flew upward until they found a crack that let them into the next world, the Blue World.



Although Four Great Birds had told them to stay away, the starving insects searched for the Bird's food, when they were chased into the Third World, the Yellow World. When they reached the new world they found that human beings and animals already lived their, and together they became known as the First People. Soon, their resources had once again run dry, and they had to gather all the creatures of the land to help figure a solution. They decided to send the Moutain Lion, the Bluebird, the Wolf, and the Hummingbird in search of helpful gifts, and let whoever succeeded rule. When they returned, the First People realized that they needed the gifts of all four animals, and they decided to let a group of wise people rule them.

This council did not solve the problem of food, so they flew to the roof and searched for cracks that led to the Fourth World and then saw four blue-masked faces calling from each corner of the roof. The first Navajo flew east, the Bird People flew south, The Animal People flew west, and the Insect People flew north, all into different regions of the Fourth World. In the Fourth World, called the Black and White World, Two Great Winds swept down and dropped Coyote and Badger. Lazy Coyote challenged Water Monster to a game of chance, winning from him his fur coat with his babies inside. Full of rage, Water Monster flooded the Fourth World, and the First People fled to the mountains so they would not be turned into water people. At the top of the mountain, the 32 Navajo tribes each panted a bamboo sead, and willed it to grow into a giant tree, through which they climbed to escape the water. The Animals and People crawled into the Fifth World and cast Water Monster's babies out onto a great lake where a bubble swallowed them. Water Monster never bothered them again.



Similarities: -Like The Enuma Elish, there are multiple supernatural beings

-Like The Enuma Elish and The Bible, supernatural beings take a physical form and are physcially herd, seen or interacted with by the humans

-Like The Bible,there is a great flood summoned because of the rage of a super powerful being

-Like The Bibleand The Enuma Elish, the supernatural beings create the first humans

-Like The Enuma Elish, humans are created out of something, also in one of the Bible's creation stories, Woman is created out of man's ribs

-Like The Bible, animals interact with and affect the lives of humans

-Like The Bible, certain animals are seen as bad: the Coyote in The Emergence is deceptive and a theif, while the snake in the Bible is also dceptive and encourages the First Sin

-Like The Enuma Elish, potential leaders must do do things (bring back gifts/defeat other gods) for their people in order to win their support

Differences: -Unlike both the Bible and The Enuma Elish, the word "God" is never mentioned.

-Unlike both the Bible and The Enuma Elish, there are 5 worlds: the First (black) World, the Second (blue) World, the Third (yellow)   World, the Fourth (black and white) World, and the Fifth (upper) World.

-Unlike The Enuma Elish and especially the Bible, animals and humankind seem to be more or less equal.

-Unlike The Bible and The Enuma Elish, the first people came from two ears of corn, two sacred buckskins, and two eagle feathers, with life blown into them by the wind. Human Beings that came before them were in the image of animals.

-Unlike The Bible and The Enuma Elish, there are divisions of four. For example, people are divided into the Mountain People of the west, the Plains and Mesas People of the east, the Valley People of the south, and the Forest People of the north.

-Unlike The Bible, there does not seem to be one solitary ruler. In this case, there are many with power.

-Unlike The Bible, the "flood" is caused by Water Monster who is angry because the Coyote has stolen his babies.

-Unlike The Bible, the many people and animals are saved from the flood by climbing to the Fifth World.