Indians of Arkasnas Homepage


How do we learn about the past?

Indians Before Europeans
American Indian Perspectives
Origins of the Middle World
Creation of the World (Osage)
Creation of the World (Caddo)
Creation of the Sun (Tunica)
The Daughters and the Serpent Monster (Caddo)
How Tlanuwa Deafeated Uktena (Cherokee)
Lightning Defeats the Underground Monster (Caddo)
Chaos into Order
Maintaining Order in Osage Communities
How People Came to Hunt Animals (Caddo)
Origins of Corn (Natchez)
Origins of Fire (Cherokee)
Natchez Sacred Fire
Understanding the World Through Stories
Caddo Creation Stories
Story 1: Creation and Early Migration
Story 2: Creation of Day and Night
Story 3: Origin of Animals
Story 4: Coyote and the Origins of Death
Story 5: Origin of the Medicine Men
Story 6: Lightning and Thunder
Academic Perspectives
Ice Age Migrations
Paleoindians
The Dalton Culture
Archaic Period Cultures
Woodland Period Cultures
The Mississippi Period

First Encounters

Historic Arkansas Indians
The Quapaw Indians
The Caddo Indians
Tunica and Koroa Indians
The Osage Indians
The Chickasaws
The Natchez Indians

Indians After Europeans
Indians and Colonists
Indians in the Old South
Indians in the New South
Indians Today

Current Research
Ancient Foodways
Arkansas Novaculite Project
Bruce Catt
3LO226
Caddo Dance
CARV Project
Research Design
Introduction
Background
Project Goals
Previous Research
Project Organization
Arkansas Archeological Survey
Caddo Nation
Osage Nation
Quapaw Nation
Project Methods
Collection Inventory and Analysis
GIS, Remote Sensing, and Excavation
Summary
References Cited
Project Accomplishments
Project Initiation Meeting
Memorandum
NMAI Inventory
Gilcrease Museum Inventory
LSEM Inventory
UA Collection Inventory
3YE347 Survey
3PP274 Survey
3YE25 Survey
3YE25 Tree Planting
3YE25 Geophysics
3YE25 Excavations
3YE347 Analysis
3YE25 Analysis
3CN213 Analysis
Ozark Reservoir Analysis
Lithic Raw Materials
Year 2 Project Meeting

Writing Prompts

Learning Exercises
Indians and Animals
The Three-Layer Universe
Trade Goods
What is a Map?
Frontier Exchange Economy
Creation Stories
Children of the Middle Waters (Osage)
Origin of the Middle World (Yuchi)
The First People (Caddo)
Origin of the Supreme Being (Caddo)
Origin of Animals (Caddo)
Origin of Corn (Natchez)
Origin of Beans (Tunica)
Origin of Fire (Cherokee)
The Calumet Ceremony in the Mississippi Valley
Marquette Account
Gravier Account
Du Poisson Account
First Encounters: Cultural Perspectives
Gentleman of Elvas: Chapter XXII
Gentleman of Elvas: Chapter XXIII
Gentleman of Elvas: Chapter XXVI
Gentleman of Elvas: Chapter XXIX
Gentleman of Elvas: Chapter XXXII and XXXIII
Ritual Analysis
Caddo Harvest Ritual
Natchez Harvest Ceremony
Smoking Ceremony from the Songs of the Wa-Xo'-Be (Osage)
Transcending Themes

Project Background and History


End of Left Side of Page

Lightning Defeats the Underground Monster (Caddo)

Lightning
The Caddos tell how Lightning defeated the Underground Monster.
The Caddos tell another story that highlights the antithetical relationship between the Above and Below Worlds. Lightning lived on Earth a very long time ago, but he became so powerful and killed so many people that he was banished to the sky. Not long after, an underground monster began to carry people away. The people tried every way to kill the monster but could not because he always disappeared below the ground. Lightning appeared and told the people he would kill the monster, make the Earth safe for people, and not harm them if they allowed him to return. The people decided to let Lightning come back, because no one else was powerful enough to kill the monster.

How Tlanuwa Deafeated Uktena (Cherokee) 		Chaos into Order

 
 

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Last Updated: February 27, 2007 at 2:40:36 PM Central Time