Apache Creation Myth

The myth begins with a tale of noth

ingness, a tale of nothing but darkness, water, cyclone, and an all-knowing force called the Hactcin. If darkness, water, cyclone, and the Hactcin existed in the beginning, I find it incorrect to tell stories of nothingness. Although no living things existed, the world was not empty. At first, one would find similarity between Hindu and Jicarilla Apache creation myth. In fact, Hindu creation myth truly tells a story of nothingness. “There was neither non-existence nor existence then; there was neither the realm of space nor the sky which is beyond” (Bierlein, 37). “All the Hactcin were here from the beginning” (Sproul, 263). The myth contradicts it’s own wording from the very beginning. Hactcin are personifications for the power of natural objects and give every object in the world power. These are the guidelines for Jicarilla Apache creation. The Hactcin possessed all the material from which each earthly object and living thing would be created. The Hactcin are the creators they provide the means to give life and create as they see fit.

Collectively, the Hactcin created the world first. They made the earth, the underworld, and the sky. The earth was created in the form of woman and the sky was created in the form of man. The Hactcin called the earth Mother and the sky Father. In the beginning everything had a Hactcin. “The mountains had a Hactcin, the different kinds of fruit each had one, everything had a Hactcin” (Sproul, 263). At this point in time, the Jicarilla lived under the earth. There was nothing but darkness and everything was perfect. The people at this time were not of flesh and blood they were simply shadows of the underworld. This aspect of the myth coincides with typical Native American creation myth. Many times we see in Native American culture where people originated from the earth. Often, people must emerge from their earthly dwellings in search of food or resources but the commonality in Native American myth shows us the ultimate respect Native Americans have for their Mother, earth.

The Jicarilla Apache myth presents a new idea of the creation of man. The very first man could be argued as being god-like. Although Black Hactcin created the first man, he no doubt possessed the ability to create life. The first woman was not indeed created by a divine force or from the earthly elements but rather from her own kind. This is the most fascinating aspect of Jicari

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