Post by hopeful on Jan 7, 2008 20:05:09 GMT -5
www.bigfootproject.org/articles/mayak_datat.html
An Excerpt from Mayak datat:
An Archaeological Viewpoint of the Hairy Man Pictographs by Kathy Moskowitz Strain
Gayton (1976:89) was one of the main ethnographers of the [Native American] Yokuts. She studied their traditional stories and came to the following conclusion:
The prehuman era was that of a world created and occupied by birds and animals of superanimal and superhuman powers. To Eagle, with his bird and animal assistants and companions, was attributed the building of the world, the institution of certain cultural, social, and physical features of man and his way of life. This prehistoric period, described in a fairly full but not elaborately detailed stock of stories, came to an end with the creation of mankind by Eagle and the subsequent transformation of these bird-and-animal people into their present known forms. All this happened beyond the memory of man, but the past continued into the present in the immediate ubiquity of the animals themselves. Beliefs about them were being constantly reinforced by daily happenings in the circumjacent wilds.
Simplified, this means that when the Yokuts observed animal behavior in the wild, they incorporated those observations into their traditional stories. The more they observed, the most elaborate the stories and details. Following are several examples of traditional stories, collected by the author (Kathy Moskowitz Strain) unless otherwise noted, and the observed animal behavior represented in the story.
How People Were Made
All the birds and animals of the mountains went to Hocheu to make People. Eagle, chief of all the animals, asked each animal how they wanted People to be. Each animal took a turn and said what they had to say.
Fish said, "People should know how to swim, like me, so let them be able to hold their breath and swim very deep."
Hummingbird said, "People should be fast, like me, so let them have good feet and endurance."
Eagle said, "People should be wise, wiser than me, so People will help animals and take care of the Earth."
Turtle said, "People should be able to protect themselves, like me, so lets give them courage and strength."
Lizard said, "People should have fingers, like me, so that People can make baskets, bows and arrows."
Owl said, "People should be good hunters, like me, so give them knowledge and cunning."
Condor said, "People should be different from us, so give them hair, not feathers or fur to keep warm."
Then Coyote said, "People should be just like me, because I am smart and tricky, so have them walk on all fours."
Hairy Man, who had not said anything yet, shook his head and said, "No, People should walk on two legs, like me."
All the other animals agreed with Hairy Man, and Coyote became very angry. He challenged Hairy Man to a race, and they agreed who ever won could decide how People should walk.
They gathered at the waterfall, below Hocheu, to begin the race. Coyote started and took a shortcut. Hairy Man was wiser than Coyote and knew that Coyote would cheat to win and People would have to walk on all fours, so Hairy Man stayed behind and helped Eagle, Condor, and the others to make People. They went back to the rock and drew People, on two legs, on the ground. The animals breathed on them, and People came out of the ground. Hairy Man was very pleased and went to People, but when they saw Hairy Man, they were scared and ran away. That made Hairy Man sad. When Coyote came back and saw what they had done, he was very angry and drew himself on the rock eating the moon (he is called Su! Su! Na). All the other animals drew their pictures on the rock as well, so People would remember them. Hairy Man was sad because People were afraid of him, so he drew himself sad. That is why Hairy Man's picture is crying to this day. That is how people were made.
Hairy Man is described in this story as human-like; he walked on two legs and gave that gift to humans. Hairy Man was also smart enough to trick the cunning coyote in order to get his own way.
An Excerpt from Mayak datat:
An Archaeological Viewpoint of the Hairy Man Pictographs by Kathy Moskowitz Strain
Gayton (1976:89) was one of the main ethnographers of the [Native American] Yokuts. She studied their traditional stories and came to the following conclusion:
The prehuman era was that of a world created and occupied by birds and animals of superanimal and superhuman powers. To Eagle, with his bird and animal assistants and companions, was attributed the building of the world, the institution of certain cultural, social, and physical features of man and his way of life. This prehistoric period, described in a fairly full but not elaborately detailed stock of stories, came to an end with the creation of mankind by Eagle and the subsequent transformation of these bird-and-animal people into their present known forms. All this happened beyond the memory of man, but the past continued into the present in the immediate ubiquity of the animals themselves. Beliefs about them were being constantly reinforced by daily happenings in the circumjacent wilds.
Simplified, this means that when the Yokuts observed animal behavior in the wild, they incorporated those observations into their traditional stories. The more they observed, the most elaborate the stories and details. Following are several examples of traditional stories, collected by the author (Kathy Moskowitz Strain) unless otherwise noted, and the observed animal behavior represented in the story.
How People Were Made
All the birds and animals of the mountains went to Hocheu to make People. Eagle, chief of all the animals, asked each animal how they wanted People to be. Each animal took a turn and said what they had to say.
Fish said, "People should know how to swim, like me, so let them be able to hold their breath and swim very deep."
Hummingbird said, "People should be fast, like me, so let them have good feet and endurance."
Eagle said, "People should be wise, wiser than me, so People will help animals and take care of the Earth."
Turtle said, "People should be able to protect themselves, like me, so lets give them courage and strength."
Lizard said, "People should have fingers, like me, so that People can make baskets, bows and arrows."
Owl said, "People should be good hunters, like me, so give them knowledge and cunning."
Condor said, "People should be different from us, so give them hair, not feathers or fur to keep warm."
Then Coyote said, "People should be just like me, because I am smart and tricky, so have them walk on all fours."
Hairy Man, who had not said anything yet, shook his head and said, "No, People should walk on two legs, like me."
All the other animals agreed with Hairy Man, and Coyote became very angry. He challenged Hairy Man to a race, and they agreed who ever won could decide how People should walk.
They gathered at the waterfall, below Hocheu, to begin the race. Coyote started and took a shortcut. Hairy Man was wiser than Coyote and knew that Coyote would cheat to win and People would have to walk on all fours, so Hairy Man stayed behind and helped Eagle, Condor, and the others to make People. They went back to the rock and drew People, on two legs, on the ground. The animals breathed on them, and People came out of the ground. Hairy Man was very pleased and went to People, but when they saw Hairy Man, they were scared and ran away. That made Hairy Man sad. When Coyote came back and saw what they had done, he was very angry and drew himself on the rock eating the moon (he is called Su! Su! Na). All the other animals drew their pictures on the rock as well, so People would remember them. Hairy Man was sad because People were afraid of him, so he drew himself sad. That is why Hairy Man's picture is crying to this day. That is how people were made.
Hairy Man is described in this story as human-like; he walked on two legs and gave that gift to humans. Hairy Man was also smart enough to trick the cunning coyote in order to get his own way.