Salish mythology
Encyclopedia
The Salish
are a linguistic and cultural grouping of First Nations
originally from British Columbia
, Canada
and Washington, USA
.
Coast Salish
Coast Salish languages are a subgroup of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the territory that is now the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington state around Puget Sound...
are a linguistic and cultural grouping of First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
originally from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Washington, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Elements of Salish mythology
- The creator god of the Salish is Amotken, a kind, elderly man who lives alone in heavenHeavenHeaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
. He created five women from five hairs from his head and asked them what they wanted to be. Each gave him a different answer: wickedness and cruelty, goodness, mother of the Earth, fire, water. Amotken did as they asked and declared that wickedness would rule Earth for a time, but goodness would win in the end.
- Tsauz was a crippled boy who was very ugly; in many different variations on the same story, Tsauz eventually became strong and beautiful.
- Basket woman was an ugly old woman/ogress that stole children and carried them away in her basket.