1. 1) I think that natives form creation stories because they were the earliest civilized people and they felt the need to have a reason to how they came to be. They wanted something to believe in because they probably felt that they needed it. It gave them a sense of purpose. I think that this shows how humans need to have reason in their lives. I don’t exactly know why but I believe it’s a comfort thing. I would say that the myths still have a place today in the sense that women are still considered lesser than men. In the stories that we read it was really apparent that women were thought of as lesser beings.
2. 2) From the aborigine story I get the sense that Australia is very environmentally conscious and they really value our planet. The way that the story glorifies the sun and the earth by talking about how much the creatures on earth love “mother sun” reveals that the people of Australia place great value in how the sun takes care of us and our planet. They show us how we should appreciate our world because it takes care of us. From the Maori stories I got the feeling that they placed value in progression. The story begins by stating that “there was only darkness” and nothing else. As the story goes on earth and sky are separated and light is seen then the creation of a female comes about. The Maori keep wanting to move forward and have more. This reveals that New Zealand could be a very progressive nation. Although seeing as I haven’t been to either Australia or New Zealand I wouldn’t know if this is true or not.
3. 3) The biggest similarity between the two stories is the idea of creation. Both stories revolve around it and I’m not just saying that because they’re creation stories. In both the world is progressing and the only way for that to happen is for things and life to be created. For things to get better things had to be created. In both the creators had pride in what they created therefore creation is highly valued. Also the idea of a mother is placed in both worlds. It seems like a caregiver is also important. The biggest difference is that in the aboriginal story the geography and animals were created first, whereas in the Maori story humans were created first. This shows a difference in values of the two cultures.
4. 4) These stories reveal universal themes of sexism. In my opinion this theme is the most relevant. In the Maori stories woman was created second and used just to create more humans. How sexist is that? And in the aboriginal story the woman was bossed around by the man. Sexism still exists today we may deny it but it is still there. Women are still thought as less than men.
5. 5) Honestly I account for human life based on evolution. There are real facts from science all over the place and that’s what I believe because it is proven. But as to the creation of actual life on this planet I have no clue I guess there could be a higher power but who really knows. For the most part I believe in science.
A budding feminist! How exciting!
ReplyDeleteMore to the point, I really like your response to question 1. It's interesting to think about how stories like this gave purpose to entire civilizations, and how civilizations today still desire for some sort of larger purpose...interesting stuff.
And I like your gendered take on question 4. I think you're right in hinting that the creation stories have ingrained sexism. Isn't it creation stories, after all, that plant the very first "sexist" seeds? Just a thought...