Indigenous Myths Project

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Indigenous beliefs are profoundly embedded in our natural world. Indigenous stories often combine the ordinary from day-to-day life with symbols, themes, and images from the unconscious. Animals, nature, and the subconscious are spirits believed to impact the lives of humans. For example, dreams allow us to study our lives from different angles. Figures are portrayed both in positive and negative lights.

Here are several figures that play important roles in Indigenous myths:

Spider Woman, also called the Spider Grandmother, is the healer and teacher in Indigenous culture. Spider Woman has different names in different tribes. In Hopi culture, she is called “Kokyangwuti”; in Navajo culture, she is called “Na'ashjé'ii Asdzáá”. She has the ability to restore harmony to humankind.  

According to beliefs, Spider Woman resides in an underground cave as a spider and comes out as an older woman to help people in need. There are several stories of Spider Woman rescuing people, from saving women from abusive husbands to helping a child find their father. Spider Woman has been portrayed as a wise motherly woman with an immense understanding of the world, doing acts of benevolence that others can’t perform. Stories involving Spider Woman provide wisdom and life lessons: how to choose a good husband or wife, raise children, or lead a life of happiness. 

Stories like "Spider Woman Saves Ko-chin-ni-na-ko" teach us to let go of feelings of helplessness and deal with aggressors. And "Qi-yo Ke-pe, The Great Healer" makes us introspect, restoring our sense of being ourselves in times of adversity.

According to Navajo legend, Spider Woman still lives at the Spider Rock in Canyon De Chelly, Arizona.

Thunderbird is a mythical creature that protects the people from evil. The flapping of Thunderbird's wings causes lightning and thunder, bringing rain and storms to humans. Stories of Thunderbird battling the Great Horned Serpent to protect humankind are revered. Thunderbird, Man, and the Great Horned Serpent are considered residents of the three worlds: the skyworld, the world, and the underworld. 

Thunderbird fights the creatures of the underworld to protect humans. To save humankind from hunger, Thunderbird grasps whales from its talons. Both a protector and punisher, the wrath of Thunderbird is seen when he turns an entire village into stone for their misdeeds. Thunderbird symbols are widely seen on totem poles across North America. 

The majority of Indigenous myths portray Coyote as a greedy trickster who is always hungry. Most tales involving Coyote end in disarray and mayhem, with Coyote getting in trouble but somehow escaping, thus causing more trouble. In stories involving Coyote and other animals, such as Turkey, Opossum, and Goose, Coyote tries to catch them but never succeeds.

In other myths, Coyote is depicted as a benefactor of humans, providing them with medicine and fire and, along with its friend Raven, protecting them from monsters.

Stories like "Coyote Fights Some Monsters" show Coyote's adventurous side. "How Turtle Got His Tail," the Indigenous version of the Aesop Fable about the hare and tortoise, explains how the lazy rabbit lost his tail to the tortoise. 

1. Spider Woman Stories: Legends of the Hopi Indians
2. Spider Woman's Web: Traditional Native American Tales About Women's Power
3. Spider Rock
4. Coyote The Hungry
5. Coyote Stories
6. National Museum of the American Indian