Humans and Nature and Creation

This final chapter of the Crash Course World Mythology series explores how creation myths define the relationship between humans, animals, and the natural world. Moving away from cosmic violence, divine vomiting, and generational conflict, we examine how different cultures—from Judeo-Christian traditions to Native American tribal lore—position humanity within the broader ecosystem.

1. Introduction: The Scientific Myth of Dog Domestication

Before examining religious creation myths, the lecture highlights a modern scientific "myth" regarding our relationship with humanity's best friend: the dog.

• Traditional Domestication Theory: Early hunter-gatherer humans actively captured, tamed, and selectively bred friendlier wild wolves to increase hunting efficiency.
• The Modern Revisionist Theory: Articles by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods in National Geographic flip this narrative. Early human hunter-gatherers were already operating at maximum efficiency and barely had enough food for themselves; it makes little sense for them to waste resources feeding wild wolves.
• The Scavenger Hypothesis: Instead, wolves likely approached human settlements on their own to scavenge from garbage heaps.
• Natural Selection of Friendliness: The most aggressive wolves were killed off by humans, while the friendlier ones survived, successfully bred over generations, and eventually evolved into modern domesticated dogs.

2. The Judeo-Christian Creation Model: Dominion and Hierarchy

In Western traditions, the biblical account in Genesis establishes a distinct hierarchical relationship where humanity is placed at the absolute top of the natural order.

Genesis Chapter 1: The Divine Image and Rule

In the first creation account, God creates the heavens, earth, stars, and animals before finally creating humans in His own image:

"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth..." (Genesis 1:26)

Genesis Chapter 2: Sequencing and Naming Privileges

In the second Genesis account, the hierarchy is reinforced through a specific sequence and active responsibilities:

• Prioritization: God creates the man before the animals, giving humanity a head start in the existential hierarchy.
• The Naming Power: Animals are brought to the man so he can name them (e.g., giraffes, sharks, flies). In ancient thought, naming confers ownership, authority, and mastery.

3. Native American Perspectives: Collaboration and Partnership

In stark contrast to the Judeo-Christian hierarchy, many Native American creation myths feature animals not as subordinates to be named and managed, but as mentors, equal partners, and vital saviors in the creation process.

Two primary myth structures illustrate this cooperative worldview:

1. Emergence Myths ("闢地神話")
2. Earth-Diver Myths ("大地發掘者")

4. Emergence Myths (Southwestern Native American Tribes)

In Southwestern tribal traditions (such as the Hopi and Navajo), creation does not start with a void filled by a supreme sky god; rather, humans originate in underworld realms and must journey upward to reach the surface world.

• The Hopi Tradition: Various animals—including Spider Grandmother and a chipmunk—help humans find the entrance to the sky world known as Sipapuni (hidden within the Grand Canyon).
• The Navajo Tradition: Humans (depicted partly as insect-like beings) are guided by swallows through Sipapuni up to the earth's surface.
• Core Motif: Humanity and nature work hand-in-hand to forge a new world, offering a refreshing, cooperative contrast to myths driven by cosmic vomiting or violent divine conflict.

5. Earth-Diver Myths: The Iroquois Creation Story

Found among the forest tribes of the Northeastern Woodlands, the Earth-Diver myth provides a masterclass in human-animal interdependence.

Step-by-Step Flow of the Iroquois Creation Story

• Animal Agency: Unlike domesticated beasts waiting for human commands, the animals in this myth possess independent thoughts, language, emotional fatigue, and strategic planning.
• Existential Debt: Without the sacrifice and labor of the water birds, the Great Turtle, and the Toad, human existence would be impossible. Consequently, maintaining deep gratitude toward animals is a fundamental moral imperative.

6. Comparing Cultural Paradigms of Nature

7. The Danger of Cultural Stereotypes vs. Philosophical Value

When evaluating Native American ecological perspectives, scholars and educators must navigate a fine line:

• The Noble Savage Stereotype: Attributing a "mystical, eco-friendly green nature" inherently to Native Americans can reduce complex cultures to patronizing, "primitive" caricatures.
• Professors Eva Doležalová and Margaret Diveney's Insight:
  • Biblical traditions have historically been interpreted by believers as granting license to exploit the natural world aggressively.
  • Native American traditions view the world as a place to fulfill a sacred mission—not through domination, but through balance (maintaining equilibrium with oneself, other humans, and the surrounding animal kingdom).
• The Takeaway: Even if romanticized, viewing the universe as a shared, cooperative habitat yields a much healthier philosophical framework than stories built on endless violent struggle and bitter rivalry.

Summary and Key Takeaways

• Canine Evolution: Modern science suggests dogs domesticated themselves by scavenging near human settlements, favoring friendly wolves over aggressive ones.
• The Judeo-Christian Hierarchy: Genesis models position humans at the top of a strict pyramid, granting them dominion, stewardship, and naming rights over animals.
• The Power of Naming: In ancient worldviews, naming an animal establishes absolute ownership and intellectual superiority.
• Emergence Myths: Southwestern tribal myths (Hopi/Navajo) describe humans ascending from subterranean worlds to the surface with the critical guidance of animals like spiders and swallows through Sipapuni.
• Earth-Diver Myths: Iroquois legends feature water birds, a great turtle, and a humble toad saving a fallen celestial girl and constructing the earth out of seafloor mud.
• Animal Agency: In Indigenous myths, animals possess independent thoughts, emotions, and exhaustion, highlighting an ecosystem built on mutual cooperation rather than subordination.
• Philosophical Contrast: Western traditions historically emphasize ruling over nature, whereas Native American worldviews emphasize maintaining balance with nature.
• Avoiding Stereotypes: While avoiding patronizing "primitive" tropes, shifting away from aggressive cosmic violence toward an ethos of shared coexistence offers profound value for modern ecological ethics.