Friday, April 8, 2011

Child of Water

    Today I focused on  the hero, Child of Water,who had to rid the world of mammoth animals, Eagle, Buffalo and Antelope, and who dominated the Earth and made it impossible for the “People” to thrive. Child of Water despite his age will ultimately free the world of these monsters through ingenuity, discipline, courage and the help of animal people: gopher and lizard. Gopher teaches Child of Water to burrow underground and lizard concealment. From these Cochise and others Apaches learned that the landscape/camouflage/deception can overcome numbers and technology. Cleverness is superior to brawn as is humility over pride and that planning; having at least 4 rendezvous points is a better way to protect the band from sudden attack than only one or two. Later however “Child of Water” and “Killer of Enemies” split into adversaries: “Child of Water” would be creative force for Apaches and “Killer of Enemies” for the Pindah. The Apaches chose bow /arrows and were to live close to land “on yucca fruit, pinon nuts, and all other wild plants”, whereas whites the gun and to live on corn and wealth. This cultural divide symbolize by bow/rifle represented a significant cultural/paradigm clash between Apache/Pindah about man’s life and relationship to Nature that would deepen the conflict between them.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

April 6 White Painted Lady

           Apache Creation Tale/White Painted Lady: According to the Apaches the “Giver of Life” Ussen warned  White Painted Lady of a coming deluge and directed her to take refuge in  a floating abalone shell which came to rest after the waters receded at White Sands , New Mexico, birth place of the Apache people. There she gave birth to 2 boys: “Child of Water” and “Killer of Enemies”. White Painted Lady is viewed by Morris Edward Opler (Myths and Tales of the Chiricahua Apache Indians, Univ. Nebraska Press, 1994) as a cultural archetype of life, fertility and renewal. She taught the people how to rid the world of evil represented by giant, eagle, buffalo and antelope by “making” for her children, especially Child of Water, a bow and arrows which he used to slay the Giant. Upon slaying these “Dragons” then the world came into existence with people, animals, and flora. Later however “Child of Water” and “Killer of Enemies” broke into different people: “Child of Water” would be creative force for Apaches and “Killer of Enemies” for the Pindah. The Apaches were to live “on yucca fruit, pinon nuts, and all other wild plants”, whereas whites on corn and wealth, which later represented a significant cultural/paradigm divide between tribal and modern thinking about life and man’s relationship to Nature.