Native American Mythology

Basic Information

Native American Mythology is the folklore, beliefs, myths and stories of the indigenous peoples of the New World. There are hundreds of cultures falling into this category.

By Region or Culture

• Algonquian (northeastern US, Great Lakes)
  • Abenaki mythology
  • Anishinaabe traditional beliefs
  • Leni Lenape mythology
• Plains Indians
  • Blackfoot mythology
  • Crow mythology
  • Lakota mythology
  • Pawnee mythology
• Muskogean (southern US) and Iroquois (Eastern US)
  • Iroquois mythology (Five Nations)
  • Choctaw mythology
  • Creek mythology
  • Ho-Chunk mythology
  • Huron mythology
  • Seneca mythology
• Alaska and Arctic Canada
  • Haida mythology
  • Inuit mythology
• Pacific Northwest
  • Kwakiutl mythology
  • Nootka mythology
• Uto-Aztecan (Great Basin to Mexico)
  • Hopi mythology
  • Miwok mythology
  • Ohlone mythology
  • Ute mythology
  • Salish mythology
  • Tsimshian mythology
• other southwestern US
  • Navaho mythology
  • Pomo mythology
  • Zuni mythology
• Mesoamerica - the Mayincatec trope catches hollywood's approach to these cultures, but misses all the nuance
  • Aztec mythology
  • Maya mythology
  • Olmec mythology
• South America
  • Chilota mythology
  • Inca mythology
  • Guaraní mythology
  • Mapuche mythology
• Caribbean mythology
  • Haitian mythology

Some of the preceding myths have become part of or influenced the Folklore of the United States and South American Folklore

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Links to existing pages:

Here are links to pages about Native American Mythology broken out by topic, rather than tribe. (Tribes the myths come from are listed in parenthesis and italics after each entry, as a helpful guide where appropriate.)

Characters:

• Kokopelli (Anasazi, Hopi, Zuni)
• Medicine Man (a profession common to many tribes)
• Raven/Raven (mythology) (Pacific Northwest) - This deserves a full Raven (mythology) page, but until that gets made you can find some info at Raven.
• Tlaloc (Aztec)
• Tlazolteotl (Aztec)

Creatures:

• Adlet (Inuit)
• Kushtaka (Tlingit, Tsimshian)
• Skinwalker (Navajo)
• Spirit Ally (numerous)
• Tamanous (Pacific Northwest)
• Tornit (Inuit)
• Tupilak (Inuit)
• Wendigo (Algonquin)

Concepts and Religious Practices:

• False Face Society (Iroquois)
• Flood Myths (Algonquin, Athabaska, Caddo, Cree, and Micmac, among others)
• Flower War (Aztec)
• Kapu (Hawaii)
• Medicine Man (a profession common to many tribes)
• Teotl (Aztec)
• Venerable Man (Omaha)

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Sources

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia on the mythologies of the indigenous peoples of the Americas

Game and Story Use

• There are a lot of different cultures and mythologies of the New World. It's not just one big homogenous mix, but is tied to tribes and regions. The nature of your setting and characters will determine which are of use to your campaign or story.
• Even if your game isn't set on the earth, you may find Native American approach to mythology to be a captivating inspiration.