NAME:______DATE:______

Myths Worksheet

Directions: Answer the following questions to the best of your ability independently. You may use your literature book pages 22-27. If you have any questions raise your hand and I will be around to help you.

The Earth on Turtles Back

1.)What do they chief’s words to his wife tell you about the beliefs of the Onondaga?

  1. The Onondaga people are naive
  2. The Onondaga people strongly believe in dreams
  3. The Onondaga people do not believe in dreams
  4. The dreams have no meaning and should be ignored

2.)What animal was finally responsible for bringing up the earth?

  1. Muskrat
  2. Beaver
  3. Duck
  4. Loon

3.)What started the chain of events that eventually started the earth’s creation?

  1. The tree falling over
  2. Animals pulling up the land
  3. The seeds from a tree
  4. The young wife’s dream

4.)What are the ways of the sky people when they have a powerful dream?

  1. The dreams must be obeyed
  2. The dreams tell the future
  3. The dreams do not matter
  4. The dreams are to be written down

When Grizzlies Walked Upright

1.)In the eyes of the chief of the sky spirit, what was the true crime of the grizzly bears?

  1. Being destructive
  2. Eating all the fish
  3. Taking his daughter
  4. Mixing races

2.)Howdid the Chief of the Sky Spirits create Mount Shasta?

  1. He had help from the grizzly bears
  2. He used his walking stick
  3. He carved a hole in the sky and pushed ice/snow below
  4. He used magic

3.)What was created from the red haired girl and the grizzly bear?

  1. Birds
  2. Indians
  3. Cavemen
  4. Foxes

4.)Why do the Indians around Mount Shasta look down on killing grizzly bears?

  1. They believe that is where they came from
  2. Grizzly bears protect the Indians
  3. They think of them as people
  4. They love grizzly bears

The Navajo Origin Legend

1.)Which was not one of the four colors of the Navajo Gods?

  1. White
  2. Blue
  3. Yellow
  4. Green

2.)According to the myth, which of the following was not used to create the first man and woman?

  1. Corn
  2. Wind
  3. Eagle Feather
  4. Stone

3.)What significance does the wind have in this myth?

  1. The Gods use it for transportation
  2. It creates Earth’s landscape
  3. It provides a nice breeze
  4. It gives life to humans

4.)In what ways are these three myths similar?

  1. They all include Indians
  2. They all have animals in the story
  3. The story of how the Earth was created
  4. Someone is sacrificed in each story