About this myth
Dayuni'si (Water Beetle) Genesis is a
In a nutshell
Myth summary
The earth was a floating island in the water, held up by cords to each of the four cardinal points of the sky. It was crowded and they knew the world would fall soon. Our earth came about when Dâyuni'sï (Beaver's Grandchild), the Water beetle from Gälûñ'lätï, the sky realm, came to see what was below the water. The beetle dove in the water, pulled up mud, and the mud expanded into the earth we have today. The other animals soon followed and the first humans were a brother and sister. After being hit with a fish, the sister was told to reproduce and did so by giving birth to a child every seven days.
Belief system
Cherokee Culture
Polytheistic
Cherokee culture refers to the shared spiritual beliefs of the Cherokee peoples indigenous to the southeastern United States (primarily North Carolina).
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Dâyuni'sï
Main deity
Dâyuni'sï was a water beetle involved with creation in some Cherokee traditions.
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Translation
"How the World was Made": Cherokee Creation Myth by James Mooney
Book · James Mooney · 1902
"How the World was Made" is a segment of chapter four (IV) of James Mooney's work on Cherokee cultural beliefs. It was published in 1902 and provides a creation myth.
More information
Today, many Cherokees practice some denomination of Christianity.[1]
Notes
Cite this page
OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "Dayuni'si (Water Beetle) Genesis." OMNIKA – World Mythology Index, OMNIKA Foundation, 10 Apr. 2019, omnika.org/stable/55. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
OMNIKA (2019, April 10). Dayuni'si (Water Beetle) Genesis. Retrieved from https://omnika.org/stable/55
OMNIKA Foundation Contributors. "Dayuni'si (Water Beetle) Genesis." Las Vegas, NV: OMNIKA Foundation. Created April 10, 2019. Accessed April 16, 2024. https://omnika.org/stable/55.
