The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas

The Sea-Ringed World: Sacred Stories of the Americas — page 3
Fifteen thousand years before Europeans stepped foot in the Americas people had already spread from tip to tip and coast to coast Like all humans these Native Americans sought to understand their place in the universe the nature of their re lationship with the divine and the origin of the world into which their ancestors had emerged The answers lay in their sacred stories Passed down through the generations these narratives cre ated an unbroken strand of indigenous wisdom lore that guided life and love warfare and worship When men arrived from the East in massive boats a trag edy was set in motion that wiped out millions of souls and broad swaths of their wisdom Some sacred stories survived recorded in the invaders alphabet or by the invaders very pens Others kept on burning like secret flames in the hearts of the original peoples Many are recounted to this very day It is nearly impossible to get even a bird’s-eye view of this vast if tattered lore from such a multitude of nations across the conti nent What we have sought to do in these pages however is take up the threads of some indigenous cultures and weave a unique and varied tapestry that gives just a glimpse of their traditions vi