Creation story
In short: A traditional narrative about how the world, people or a feature of life began.
Term
How does it work in the tale?
Te Bo ma te Maki from Kiribati begins with one being in the darkness. In Buganda, Kintu and Nambi accounts for death entering the human world. Ask which part of the familiar world each story sets out to explain.
Where does a beginning become visible?
In Kintu and Nambi, the travellers are warned against going back on their way to earth. Nambi returns for something she forgot, and Walumbe joins them. The story links death entering the human world to an everyday decision. In a creation story, look for the scene after which a familiar feature of the world is present.
Related tales in the Atlas
- Te Bo ma te Maki
- Kintu and Nambi
- Matsieng’s Footprints
- The Two Suns in a Bunun Tale
- Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky
- Anansi, the Moon and the Stars
- Uab, the Giant of Palau
- Te Pusi mo te Ali: The Eel and the Flounder
- Qat and Marawa’s Wooden People
- Fo’na, Pontan and Fouha Rock
- Tagaloa’s Net and ʻUvea
- Sina, Hina and the Eel