Zuni mythology

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The Zuni mythology is the mythology of the Zuni tribe, a Pueblo people located in the southwest of the United States. They have many gods called Kachinas.

These include:

Achiyalatopa is a monster with knives for feathers.

Amitolane is a rainbow spirit.

Apoyan Tachu and Awitelin Tsita are the Sun Father and Earth Mother and the parents of all life on Earth.

Awonawilona is the creator god. He made the clouds and ocean, which was covered with green algae that hardened, split and became Awitelin Tsita and Apoyan Tachu.

Kokopelli is a god that appears in many southwestern tribes belief stories. He was a humpbacked flutist. He was a rain god for the Zuni and was also known as Ololowishkya. He frequently appeared with Paiyatamu, another flutist, in maize grinding ceremonies.

Ma'l Oyattsik'i is the Salt Mother. Annual barefoot pilgrimages have been made for centuries on the trail to her home, the Zuni Salt Lake.

Uhepono is a hairy giant that lived in the underworld; it has huge eyes and human limbs.

Yanauluha is a culture hero, who brought agriculture, medicine and all the customs of the Zuni people.

[edit] Creation

The first humans came from four caves in the underworld. The Earth was a dangerous place, covered with water and monsters. The children of the sun took pity on mankind and hardened earth with lightning, then turned many animals into stone, leaving only the modern ones.

[edit] Zuni mythology in popular culture

• The Zuni religion plays a prominent role in the 1973 novel Dance Hall of the Dead, by the American writer Tony Hillerman.
• The Zuni people and their katchinas (beings) figure into the plot of Poul Anderson's 1999 novel Operation Luna. The characters seek the help of Kokopelli and "The Twin War Gods" for advice and help against evil spirits sabotaging attempts at space travel.