wesson1 John Wesson Dr.Nader 2/27/2023 HU 327 Contrary to so many mythological cosmogonies and stories where the gods directly intervene in creating the world, in Taíno mythology the gods leave it up to the people to create the world by provoking human emotions. In The Golden Flower, a Taíno myth, humans lead to the creation of the island of Puerto Rico because of curiosity, where a child plants seeds to create a forest, to the greed of two humans over a pumpkin once it begins to grow. Because they lose control of the pumpkin, greed is displayed negatively. However, there is no punishment for this human display of emotion. Instead, the sea is formed and the island of Puerto Rico comes to be. In How The Sea Began, something similar happens: human curiosity of Yayeal’s bow and arrow lead to a broken gourd and the sea forms. Therefore, Taíno mythology displays non-interfering gods who let humans figure things out by themselves. In these two myths the sea was formed in different ways. In The Golden Flower the sea was born from a massive pumpkin. “Whoosh! Waves of water poured out of the pumpkin. The water bubbles and foams. The waves began to cover the earth, flooding the desert plain, rising higher and higher(13)”. The ocean was formed from the breakage of a massive pumpkin. It broke from the Tiano people fighting over it. It was full human play that made the ocean in this myth. Then in How The Sea Began Yayael left behind a gorge for the Tiano people when he passed. The children liked to play around it and were very interested in what it was. “The gorge fell to the ground and broke open. Water rushed out of the broken gorge. In an instant everything in the wesson2 hut was afloat(7)”. This is how the ocean was made and flooded the whole mountain. With this happening it created a new opportunity for the people to have a new source of food and survive a little easier. In both myths the sea was created from human interaction. The differences are in The Golden Flower it was the human emotion greed taking over the Tainos heads. One of the Tiano people said “ If that shining ball were mine, I would have the power of the sun(10)”. Greed made them fight over the pumpkin and forced the sea to be born. In How the Sea Began it was curiosity that broke the gorge. “One boy stood up on tiptoe and tried to peer into the gorge.(6)” It was the curiosity of the boys that caused the creation of the ocean in this myth. Add a quote from sources. In The Golden Flower, the child goes to the top of the mountain and plants flowers. That causes the creation of the large pumpkin. It indirectly was the creation of the sea. “ He planted the seeds and waited. One morning, a tiny green leaf appeared(6)”. The god planted the seed to the opportunity for the creation of the sea and a source of food. In How the Sea Began Yayael’s bow and arrow indirectly fed everyone. It was a magical bow that would get all kinds of food for the people. “Yayael went out hunting, he always brought back game(3)”. The magical bow and arrow was a way that kept the people fed. He was gifted the boy making it indirectly helping the Tiano people. In the two myths it's how they were similar in how the gods didn't give them the answer right away and made them find it. On the contrary to them being similar they are also different. In The Golden Flower it was the pumpkin that was given to them; they just had to figure out that it was the creation of the sea inside of it. “That vine there grew a flower more beautiful than the rest(7)”. It was hinted that it was different then everything else but the people still had to figure it out. In How the Sea Began no hint was left behind that made it obvious of what it was. All that was left behind after Yayael was his bow and arrow and a gorge. “Hang the wesson3 gourd for the ceiling of their hut, where the bow and arrow would be safe(5)”. The Tiano people hung it themselves and had no idea that it was going to come crashing down from the kids being kids and create the sea. In The Golden flower the gods did not directly intervene but at the end they did supply the sea with the breakage of the pumpkin. It supplied food and a new area for the people to live. “But when the water reached the edge of the magic forest the little boy had planted, it stopped(14)”. It covered all that was not made by the magic seeds. Gave the people a new area to hunt and gather food. The god at the end did provide for the people but did it by allowing the people to figure it out for themselves. In How the Sea Began at the end the god did provide the sea and a whole assortment of food for the people. “Water continued to flow from the ground. It flowed and rose to cover the ground(7)”. With the gourd being broken it rushed water and covered the land. The god did not hand them the opportunity to have the sea but gave them a chance to find and achieve it. Then in The golden flower the people did not celebrate the sea being born it was just the child that planted the seeds. “The child laughed and sang as the sun shone down and the breeze blew(16)”. Just the child was having a blast when the sea rose and took over the land. This is different from how the people in How the Sea Began. The people dressed up and celebrated when the water rose to the level it was going to be at and they thanked Yayael for providing. “They gave their thanks to Yachau(7)”. They celebrated what he did for them and the new opportunities that have been given to this group of Tianos to thrive. These myths The Golden Flower and How the Sea Began have a lot in common. One was the creation of the sea and how it is seen in today's world. With the breaking of the pumpkin and the breakage of the gourd. Along with how the gods did not give them the answers right away and made them figure it out for themselves. In The Golden Flower it was the creation of the wesson4 pumpkin and in How the Sea Began it was Yayael and his bow and arrow being hung out in the gourd. Then it was at the end of the day the gods did provide a new way of life for the people. Within both stories the ocean was made and a new source of food was created. They were also different in areas. With the planting of the seeds started the making of the pumpkin and how the magical bow and arrow were always a source of food until Yayeal left and started the process of the creation of the sea. At the end the people acted differently too. In The Golden Flower the people did not celebrate it, the child just came back and he was the one only to celebrate after. In How the Sea Began the people gathered around and dressed up and sang and ate to honor Yayael and thanked him for what he did for them. wesson5 Work cited Published by ghwelker3 Glenn Welker is an author, et al. “Mythologies of the Taino.” Indigenous Peoples Literature, 2 Aug. 2022, https://indigenouspeoplenet.wordpress.com/2022/08/02/mythologies-ofthe-taino/. “Taino Indian Culture.” Welcome to Puerto Rico!, https://welcome.topuertorico.org/reference/taino.shtml. “Taínos & Caribbean Indigenous Peoples.” ORIAS, https://orias.berkeley.edu/resourcesteachers/societies-americas/ta%C3%ADnos-caribbean-indigenous-peoples.
