Cahuilla Mythology
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Cahuilla Mythology
For the Cahuillas, cosmological values and concepts were established when the world was created by Mukat. The Cahuilla creation story tells of the origin of the world, the death of god (Mukat), and the consequences of that death for humans (e.g., the need for death, social roles, and so forth). It also describes the basic concepts of supernatural power and its proper use in the contemporary world. At the beginning of creation, all creatures were said to be much larger than they were today. These were called ''nukatem''. Over time, the nukatem stopped being active and shrank, turning into natural objects such as mirages, rainbows, earth and other things. Deities * Kutya'i – Spirit of wind, mischievous, nocturnal, steals clothing. * Menily – Lunar deity * Mukat – Creator. * Muut – Psychopomp, often depicted as an owl. * Pemtemweha – Protector of animals, often seen as a white deer. * Sungrey – Medicine, founded the spring Agua Caliente (Hot Water) in the desert. * Taqwu ...
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Cahuilla
The Cahuilla , also known as ʔívil̃uqaletem or Ivilyuqaletem, are a Native American people of the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the inland areas of southern California."California Indians and Their Reservations.
''SDSU Library and Information Access.''
Their original territory included an area of about . The traditional Cahuilla territory was near the geographic center of . It was bounded to the north by the , to the south by
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Cosmology
Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount (lexicographer), Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in Latin by German philosophy, German philosopher Christian Wolff (philosopher), Christian Wolff, in ''Cosmologia Generalis''. Religious cosmology, Religious or mythological cosmology is a body of beliefs based on Mythology, mythological, Religion, religious, and Esotericism, esoteric literature and traditions of Cosmogony, creation myths and eschatology. In the science of astronomy it is concerned with the study of the chronology of the universe. Physical cosmology is the study of the observable universe's origin, its large-scale structures and dynamics, and the ultimate fate of the universe, including the laws of science that govern these areas. It is investigated by scientists, such as astronomers and physicists, as well as Philosophy, ph ...
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Muut
Muut was the personification and messenger of death in the culture of the Native American Cahuilla people of southern California and northern Mexico, and was usually depicted as an owl or as the unseen hooting of owls. He was one of the most active and vividly remembered of the ''nukatem,'' a special classification of beings who were created by Mukat, the Creator figure, in the 'beginning.' Death was considered a necessary part of life by the Cahuilla, and thus Muut was seen as more of a psychopomp than a frightening grim reaper Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ... character. This role was assigned by Mukat, who argued that overpopulation would have dire consequences. References Cahuilla Gods of the indigenous peoples of North America Death gods Psychopomps M ...
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Psychopomp
Psychopomps (from the Greek word , , literally meaning the 'guide of souls') are supernatural creatures, spirits, entities, angels, demons or deities in many religions whose responsibility is to escort newly deceased souls from Earth to the afterlife. Their role is not to judge the deceased, but simply to guide them. Appearing frequently on funerary art, psychopomps have been depicted at different times and in different cultures as anthropomorphic entities, horses, deer, dogs, whip-poor-wills, ravens, crows, vultures, owls, sparrows, and cuckoos. In the case of birds, these are often seen in huge masses, waiting outside the home of the dying. Overview Ancient religion Classical examples of a psychopomp are the ancient Egyptian god Anubis, the deity Yama in Hinduism, the Greek ferryman Charon, the goddess Hecate, and god Hermes, the Roman god Mercury, the Norse Valkyries, the Aztec Xolotl, Slavic Morana and the Etruscan Vanth. Modern religion Heibai Wuchang, literally "Bla ...
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Agua Caliente Indian Reservation
The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians of the Agua Caliente Indian Reservation is a federally recognized tribe of the Cahuilla, located in Riverside County, California, United States.California Indians and Their Reservations.
''San Diego State University Library and Information Access.'' 2009. Retrieved Nov 1, 2012.
They inhabited the Coachella Valley desert and surrounding mountains between 5000 Common Era, BCE and 500 Common Era, CE. With the establishment of the reservations, the Cahuilla were officially divided into 10 sovereign nations, including the Agua Caliente Band.


Reservation


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Tahquitz (spirit)
Tahquitz (, sometimes ) is a spirit found in the legends of the Cahuilla, Kumeyaay and Luiseño Native American people of Southern California. Accounts of the legend vary significantly, but most agree that Tahquitz represents evil or death, and his spirit makes its home on Mount San Jacinto. Some accounts report that he steals people and/or their souls and devours them on the mountain. Tahquitz manifests himself in the form of fireballs, lighting, meteors and thunderous sounds on the mountain and in the canyons.Gudde, p. 352.Gunther, pp. 521–524. Agua Caliente Legend Some accounts of the legend state that Tahquitz Canyon played a key role in the story. The canyon is located on the Agua Caliente reservation lands, and is an important cultural site. The tribal group's web page dedicated to the canyon describes ''The Legend of Taquitz'' as follows: ''Mukat's People'' Author Lowell John Bean, in his book ''Mukat's People; The Cauilla Indians of Southern California'', applies a di ...
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Trickster God
In mythology and the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a character in a story (god, goddess, spirit, human or anthropomorphisation) who exhibits a great degree of intellect or secret knowledge and uses it to play tricks or otherwise disobey normal rules and defy conventional behavior. Mythology Tricksters, as archetypal characters, appear in the myths of many different cultures. Lewis Hyde describes the trickster as a "boundary-crosser".Hyde, Lewis. ''Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art''. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998. The trickster crosses and often breaks both physical and societal rules: Tricksters "violate principles of social and natural order, playfully disrupting normal life and then re-establishing it on a new basis." Often, this bending or breaking of rules takes the form of tricks or thievery. Tricksters can be cunning or foolish or both. The trickster openly questions, disrupts or mocks authority. Many cultures have tales of ...
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Cahuilla Traditional Narratives
Cahuilla traditional narratives include myths, legends, tales, and oral histories preserved by the Cahuilla people of the Colorado Desert and Peninsular Ranges of southern California. Cahuilla oral literature has much in common with the traditions of the other Takic-speaking groups of southern California and with the Yumans of southern California, western Arizona, and northern Baja California. (''See also'' Traditional narratives (Native California).) Sources for Cahuilla narratives * Apodaca, Paul (1999). ''Tradition, myth, and performance of Cahuilla bird songs''. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Folklore & Mythology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA. * Apodaca, Paul (with Luke Madrigal) (1999). "Cahuilla bird songs", ''California Chronicles'', 2(2): 4–8. * Bean, Lowell John (1992). "Menil (Moon): Symbolic Representation of Cahuilla Woman". In ''Earth & Sky: Visions of the Cosmos in Native American Folklore'', edited by Ray A. Williamson and Claire R. ...
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