Observations placeholder
Native American Wisdom - Omaha hollow mountain
Identifier
004535
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
This myth describes a hollow mountain in which not just people, but a great number of species all congregated, thus this legend is not dissimilar to the legends from Zoroastrian myths and those of the Nahuatl myths.
Among other Native American peoples, Navajo legends teach that the forerunners of man came from ‘beneath the Earth’ – from a cave. There are also connections with a ‘flood’ and the cave as a place of refuge. Once on the surface, in human form, they passed on their great knowledge to the human race before once again seeking their sanctuary.
The Pueblo Indians’ mythology also places their gods’ place of origin in the ‘Inner Earth’. The inner world was supposedly connected to the surface people by a hole in the North. The ancient writings of the Chinese, Egyptians, and Eskimos speak of a great opening in the North and of a race of people who live under the Earth .
Incidentally, if you read any self styled ‘spiritual’ or ‘new age’ web site about these myths, they inevitably translate all these myths into literal descriptions. According to them there really is a hole in the North Pole - the actual North Pole this time - under the earth’s literal crust.
All the symbolism of the original descriptions has been lost.
A description of the experience
Omaha Native Americans - Myth
Toward the coming of the sun
There the people of every kind gathered
And great animals of every kind
Truly all gathered together, all
Even insects of every description
Truly all gathered there together
By what means or manner we know not
Truly one alone of all these was the greatest
Inspiring to all minds
The great white rock
Standing and reaching as high as the heavens
Wrapped in mist
Truly as high as the heavens