I think since I studied Cultural Anthropology to call a tribe's stories a myth would be like calling the Bible a myth if one was to be realistic rather than ethnocentric. Since the U.S. and Russia and China are likely among the most ethnocentic civilizations along with places like maybe Japan. But, I can also see an ethnocentrism to whole areas like Europe as well. However, in Europe you have a lot of diversity simply because of all the languages. So, this many languages helps to lessen problems of ethnocentrism in Europe.
This once again is a quote from research done from about 1900 to 1906 regarding (myths) of various California Tribes by the University of California at Berkeley.
Begin partial quote from:
https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/anthpubs/ucb/text/ucp004-005.pdf
Wintun.
Curtin's "Creation Myths of Primitive America" contains
twenty-two tales, the first nine from the Wintun, the last thirteen
from the Yana. The last of the Wintun stories is not a myth.
The Wintun tales are told at great length, and therefore more
than make up for their small number. They are all from the
northern Wintun, apparently not far from the Shasta region;
and as the Wintun family has a long narrow north and south
distribution, Curtin's myths must not be regarded as typical of
the entire stock.' There is every reason to believe from the gen-
eral cultural relations that the mythology of the southernmost
Wintun was nearer to that of the Pomo, and perhaps other adja-
cent groups, than to the northern Wintun material given by
Curtin. In their form also Curtin's Wintun myths cannot be
considered as typical of the character of the mythology of a large
area any more than in their locality. It would appear from their
general similarity that they may all have been obtained from a
single individual of unusual power, not only of narration, but
of mythological combination; and it is likely that the same tales
as told by the majority of the Wintun of the region may have
been much less developed both in detail and in arrangement.
Finally, the systematization of this mythology as set forth in,
the author's introduction and notes must be kept carefully apart
from the systematization actually present in the myths them-
selves.
1 It appears accordingly that while the three stocks illustrated by the col-
lections of Curtin and Dixon held the whole Sacramento valley region, the
territory actually represented by the myths given in these collections com-
prises only a comparatively small part of the region, in a restricted area in
northeastern California. This is a fact which must not be lost sight of in
making comparisons.
175
The northern Wintun conception of Olelbis, "sitting in the
above" or "he who is in heaven," shows a developed and a lofty
conception of a creator. At the same time it is very noticeable
that creation takes place not so much by actual making or calling
into existence on the part of the supreme deity, as is the case
among the Maidu, as by the origination of objects and faculties
from a number of individual beings distinct from him and
already endowed with certain powers. The water woman is the
originator of water, the child of the fire-drill of fire, Old-man
white-oak-acorn of oak trees, the cloud dogs of clouds. Similar
characters are Wind, and Katkatchila, the "swift," from whom
flint was obtained for the people of the world. The principal
incidents of the long Olelbis myth, given in sequence rather than
in the order of Curtin, are as follows:
Olelbis makes a great sweat-house in the sky with the help
of two old women whom he calls his grandmothers. People steal
flint from its possessor. In revenge he causes a world fire.
Olelbis has Water-woman put it out. The earth being then bare,
earth is brought on it and the mountains are made. This is done
by order of Olelbis; but it is to be noted that the earth with which
the world is covered, is not made by him but is found beyond
the confines of the human world. Fire is obtained from the fire
people by theft, though without the pursuit usually narrated in
American myths of the theft of fire. Then rivers are made by
Olelbis. The fish in them, however, spring from one fish left
in a pool of water after the world fire and world flood. Then
oaks are made through the power of Old-man-acorn. Deer, elk,
shells, and other objects entering into Indian life are made from
portions of the body of Wokwuk, a mythical bird with Olelbis.
The cloud dogs are caught by Olelbis and the clouds made of
their skins. Then Olelbis sends off the various people of the
world of that time, each with his specific qualities, to turn into
animals and inanimate objects.
After this creation myth are told the following stories.
In the second, Water-woman, here the wife of Olelbis, is
carried off by Wind. Water is reobtained from her.
In the third story, a woman called Norwan, of supernatural
origin, is married, and, upon her deserting her husband at a
176
dance, a battle occurs. The remainder of this long tale is filled
with accounts of fighting of an epic character, three battles tak-
ing place altogether.
The fourth story, that of Tulchuherris, tells of the hero who
is dug from the ground, a common conception both in northwest-
ern and central California as well as elsewhere in America. In
body, this myth belongs to the class telling of the successful
overcoming by the hero of his evil father-in-law, who in this case
is the sun. A number of the incidents, such as that of the
swinging on a tree with the object of dashing the opponent
against the sky, are favorites in north central as well as north-
western California.
The fifth story, that of Coyote and the buzzards, tells of the
origin of death. Its form is quite philosophical, but the ideas
it embodies are found throughout central California, and almost
invariably associated with Coyote.
The sixth-tale, that of Hawt, is one of character and super-
natural powers rather than of plot or incidents. The hero is
the lamprey eel.
The seventh story, that of Norwanchakus and Keriha, con-
tains three principal and really distinct portions. The first nar-
rates the theft of daylight, an idea found also among the coast
Indians of northern California. The second is a contest of
Keriha with the wasp. In the third part of the tale, Keriha, the
younger brother, is stolen. His location is learned from the sun.
The people then climb to the sky and he is rescued. This mythical
idea has been mentioned in connection with the northwestern
Maidu.
The eighth myth, that of wolf and Coyote, is again one of
character rather than of plot. Coyote is inferior to the being
whom he imitates. The making of persons from sticks, a com-
mon California conception, is also told.
A southern Wintun myth from middle Cache creek given
by Stephen Powers' tells of a world conflagration started in
anger, of its burning southward, of its extinction by Coyote, who
thereupon also renews water, and of his creation of people from
sticks. There is sufficient here to show that the northern Wintun
Oop. cit., 227.
177
Olelbis myth is not without some parallels in the southern part
of the family; but the creator himself is replaced by Coyote.
Dixon1 mentions that among the southern Wintun there is little
antithesis between creator and Coyote in the creation myth, and
that the story of the theft of fire resembles the northern Maidu
version more closely than does the northern Wintun on
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