Awonawilona

In the myths of the Pueblo Zuni people of New Mexico, Awonawilona is known as the "Supreme life-giving power" and the creator of all[1] with a name translating to "All Container".[2][3] The deity's gender is not specified in myth and referred to as either he or she[1][4]. In the beginning, Awonawilona created and became all configurations of water in the world; as a result fog, clouds, large bodies of water, and air were formed.[1][2][3][5] In other versions, fog and steam were already existent before Awonawilona.[4] The new combination of light, clouds, and air allowed for vegetation and made Awonawilona the "essence" of life[1] as s/he created the universe[4]. The universe was made up of 9 layers: the first layer was the earth and the other 8 were homes for various animals, birds, and trees.[4]

Eventually Awonawilona chose to embody the sun and created the deity the Sun-father, which lead to the formation of several other gods such as Awitelin Tsita (The Four-Fold Containing Mother Earth), and Apoyan Tachu (All Covering Father-sky)[1] from green scum formed over the waters.[2] As the myth unfolds, the deities created by Awonawilona leads to the creation of humans and all living creatures.[1][2]

Like all mythologies, there are many different versions of the Zuni creation story. In one version, the creature Poshaiyankya escapes from the four-fold womb of Awitelin Tsita and convinces the Sun father, Awonawilona, to send the Ahayuta, the twin gods of war, to bring the rest of womb dwellers into the light.[2] Other versions of the myth say that Awonawilona sent the twin gods of war to bring forth people that would give him offerings and prayers[4].

References
  1. Gray, Louis Herbert; Moore, George Foot; MacCulloch, John Arnott (1916). The Mythology of All Races ... Marshall Jones Company.
  2. "Awonawilona". Oxford Reference.
  3. Markovich, Nicholas C.; Preiser, Wolfgang F. E.; Sturm, Fred G. (2015-06-03). Pueblo Style and Regional Architecture. Routledge. ISBN 9781317398837.
  4. Bonvillain, Nancy, author. The Zuni. ISBN 9781438163369. OCLC 940588711.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Stevenson, Matilda Coxe (1898). "Zuni Ancestral Gods and Masks". American Anthropologist. 11 (2): 33–40. doi:10.1525/aa.1898.11.2.02a00000. ISSN 0002-7294.
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