Explore the Mystery of Native American Creation Myths
Where did we come from?
Ideas and theories about the beginning of the world run the gamut, with different cultures, groups, and religions offering creation stories or myths, and explanations of how different parts of the world came to be.
Perhaps one of the most fascinating of these groups is the Native Americans. Across the board, Native American cultures offer many creation legends, many of which involve sacred caves or underground tunnels.
As we explore the stories offered by Native Americans as to the beginnings of everything, we also wind deeper into the Earth itself.
Apache
The Apache have several myths about creation that involve both gods and animals.
In one myth, Tepeu and Quetzalcoatl think everything into being. Essentially, their thoughts become reality, so they think everything from mountains to trees and the sky into reality. However, when they discovered these creations couldn’t praise them, they made others out of clay and wood. When these beings caused havoc on the world, the gods sent a great flood to wipe them out and start over.
Another of the Apache myths describes the beginning as an awakening of sorts, with darkness turning to light through the actions of a small, bearded man, the One Who Lives Above. They say by rubbing his face and hands, he created the Sun-God, Big Dipper, Wind, and Lightning-Rumbler, to name a few.
Then, after the gods united through a handshake, the Creator directed them to pull a brown ball that had dropped from his hands in all directions to form the Earth, and with the hummingbird’s guidance, placed four cardinal points on the Earth to make it still.
Hopi
While the Hopi have multiple legends, perhaps one of the most intriguing involves the Ant People, who are credited with saving the Hopi not once, but twice.
The so-called “First World” was destroyed by fire — be it an ejection from the sun, volcanic eruption, or asteroid strike, and the “Second World” was destroyed by ice — perhaps glaciers or a pole shift. In both instances, Hopi legends say the tribe was guided during the day by an odd-shaped cloud, and during the night by a moving star. These guides led them to a sky god named Sotuknang, who took them to the Ant People.
It was in the aforementioned subterranean caves that the Hopi found refuge during the global cataclysms occurring above. In this legend, the Ant People are seen as generous and hardworking, giving the Hopi food and teaching them about food storage when they needed it most.
Interestingly, the Babylonian sky god was named “Anu,” also the Hopi word for “ant.” “Naki” is the Hopi root word for friends. So, the Hopi Anu-naki, or “ant friends” may have some correlation with the Sumerian Annunaki.
Sioux
Such sacred caves are also a theme in Sioux legends, regarding a location in the Wind Cave National Park, in South Dakota.
In this legend, the Sioux feared a cave that had wind blowing in and out of it — they believed a breathing giant lived inside, and the giant invoked the providence of the Great Spirit.
However, one curious medicine man is said to have seen a vision from a young Indian maiden, telling him she was the immortal buffalo lady from under the Earth. She told the medicine man to tell the others the cave was a sacred place, and people should come and drop offerings and tokens, which would gain them great herds of buffalo.
Lakota
The Lakota version of events starts with adultery.
In their version of events, Inktomi, the spider trickster, causes a riff between the Sun God Takushkanshkan and his wife, the Moon. Their separation created time. While previously, the gods had lived in heaven, Inktomi and his co-conspirators were exiled to live with the cultureless humans who inhabited Earth.
Upon arrival, Inktomi travels underground to meet where humanity lived, and convinces Tokahe (“the first”) to come to the surface. He emerges from the Wind Cave to find a beautiful place, so he convinces other families to come up.
Tokahe soon figures out he was duped, as “buffalo are scarce, the weather has turned bad, and they find themselves starving.” To make matters worse, he and the other families who settled there cannot return to their home underground, and so must eke out an existence on the surface of the Earth.
Cherokee
Finally, the Cherokee also have several myths that explain the beginnings of the Earth.
In one myth, a great island floated in an ocean, attached to four thick ropes from the sky, which was rock. Because everything was dark, the animals could not see. The Great Spirit told the animals to stay awake for seven days and nights, but most of them couldn’t. However, the plants that stayed awake were able to stay green all year, and the animals that were able to stay awake such as the owl and mountain lion could also go about in the dark.
Another story describes everything being water, and the animals living above it and the sky being overcrowded. One day, a water beetle named Dayuni’si volunteered to explore underwater and found mud he brought back to the surface. He brought back so much mud he created the Earth. As the Earth hardened, they pulled a sun out from behind the rainbow and placed it high in the sky to light the path.
In both of these legends, the animals came first, and the humans second.
Exploring the Connections Between Native American Legends
Without a doubt, the stories and legends behind the beginning of the world vary greatly depending on the Native American tribe attached to them.
However, many of the similarities and links among the stories bring about questions and curiosities about what might lie inside the Earth, and how it affected the creation of the world as we know it today.
Want more like this article?
Don’t miss Ancient Civilizations on Gaia to journey through humanity’s suppressed origins and examine the secret code left behind by our ancestors.
About the Author
What Are the Earth’s Chakras and Where Are They Located
The Earth’s chakras are geographical points where planetary energy is concentrated and distributed. They act as centers of power that influence ecosystems and human consciousness. In this article, we explore what these centers are and where they are located from the perspective of Matías De Stefano, who offers an integrative interpretation of the Earth’s energetic map.
Table of Contents
- The Earth as a Living Being With Energetic Centers
- Planetary Chakras and Human Chakras: An Energetic Connection
- The 7 Main Chakras of the Earth
- First Chakra: Africa as the Planet’s Root Center
- Second Chakra: Asia and Oceania as Centers of Creative Energy
- Third Chakra: South America as the Solar Plexus and Center of Identity
- Fourth Chakra: Europe as the Planet’s Heart Center
- Fifth Chakra: North America as the Channel of Global Communication
- Sixth Chakra: The Andes and Andean Regions as the Planetary Third Eye
- Seventh Chakra: Antarctica as the Connection With the Divine
- Vortices, Ley Lines, and Energy Portals: The Planet’s Hidden Network
- Why Are the Earth’s Chakras Changing?
- How to Connect With the Energy of the Earth’s Chakras
The Earth as a Living Being With Energetic Centers
The idea that the Earth is a living organism is not new. Various ancient cultures already regarded it as a conscious entity, capable of feeling, transforming, and evolving. This view is compatible with an energetic understanding of the planet, in which each area fulfills a specific function within a greater system.
From this perspective, continents, mountain ranges, rivers, and oceans are not isolated elements, but interconnected parts of a body in motion. Just as a nervous system regulates the functioning of the human body, the Earth also possesses an energetic network that maintains balance among the planet’s different elements. This system is activated or weakened according to the state of consciousness of those who inhabit it.
The Earth’s chakras are points of high energetic concentration that regulate the planet’s vital flow. Through these centers circulate impulses that affect both ecosystems and human societies. Understanding the function of each one allows not only for honoring the territory, but also for aligning with a way of life that is more coherent with the environment.
Planetary Chakras and Human Chakras: An Energetic Connection
The relationship between human chakras and those of the Earth is not merely symbolic. Both systems share a structure of seven main centers, each associated with a specific function: survival, creativity, identity, love, expression, vision, and higher consciousness. This correspondence confirms that there is a direct resonance between the human body and the planetary body.
When a person works on their inner development, they also influence the collective energetic field. In the same way, changes in the planet’s chakras impact people’s emotional and spiritual states. This connection is strengthened when one consciously visits these energetic centers or participates in practices that activate them.
Living in a territory is not a casual fact. Each person is born in a zone with a specific energetic frequency that offers particular lessons and challenges. Connecting with the chakra corresponding to the place where one lives brings clarity about personal and collective purpose, while also strengthening the bond with the Earth.
The 7 Main Chakras of the Earth
Just like the human body, the Earth has seven main chakras that channel its vital energy. Each of these centers is manifested in a specific continent and fulfills a key role in planetary evolution. In this section, we explore the location and meaning of these chakras from the perspective of Matías De Stefano, who presents them in the series Initiation, available on Gaia.
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First Chakra: Africa as the Planet’s Root Center
The first chakra of the Earth is located in Africa, considered the point of origin of the planet’s vital energy. This root center represents the connection to matter, survival, and ancestral memory. Africa holds the energetic foundation of humanity and is the point from which the Earth’s kundalini begins to flow.
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Second Chakra: Asia and Oceania as Centers of Creative Energy
The second chakra is associated with Asia and Oceania, areas that act as centers of creative and emotional processing. This energy relates to movement, fertility, relationships, and the expression of life in its diversity. At this point, energy transforms and divides, generating momentum and expansion.
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Third Chakra: South America as the Solar Plexus and Center of Identity
South America represents the planet’s solar plexus, where energy becomes conscious of itself. This chakra is related to self-recognition, willpower, and personal strength. It is a key territory for developing a new collective identity based on connection with the Earth and spiritual awakening.
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Fourth Chakra: Europe as the Planet’s Heart Center
Europe represents the heart of the Earth, the point where both cultural expansion and processes of integration and conflict converge. This chakra is connected to love, empathy, and the ability to connect with others from a human place. From Europe emerged movements that promoted freedom, science, and cooperation, as well as structures that also imposed domination. Its energy reflects the duality of the heart: the power to unite or to divide.
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Fifth Chakra: North America as the Channel of Global Communication
The planet’s fifth chakra is located in North America and is related to expression, technology, and outward projection. It is the center of global communication, where messages, narratives, and innovations that influence the world are generated. Through this point, planetary energy is translated into action, speech, and collective impact. It also represents the challenge of finding an authentic voice amidst global noise.
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Sixth Chakra: The Andes and Andean Regions as the Planetary Third Eye
The sixth chakra, associated with the third eye, is manifested in the Andes and Andean regions of South America. This area is key for activating spiritual vision and deep perception of reality. In this territory, ancestral memory is preserved and knowledge is cultivated that connects the human with the sacred. It is a center of consciousness that invites us to see beyond the visible and awaken a new way of looking at the world.
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Seventh Chakra: Antarctica as the Connection With the Divine
Antarctica is the seventh chakra of the planet, the highest point on the energetic scale, where the connection with the divine and universal consciousness is anchored. Its isolation, purity, and natural silence make it a space of integration with the most subtle aspects of the cosmos. It is a land without ownership, without permanent population, which reinforces its role as a portal to the transcendent. There, energy is not expressed through form, but through presence.
Vortices, Ley Lines, and Energy Portals: The Planet’s Hidden Network
In addition to the main chakras, the planet is traversed by a subtle energy grid formed by ley lines and vortices. These lines are invisible routes that connect points of high vibration and intersect in areas considered energy portals. Throughout history, many cultures have built temples, pyramids, and ceremonial centers at these intersections, intuitively recognizing their power.
Energy vortices act as activation or amplification points for Earth’s energy. They are located in places where multiple ley lines converge and where energy flows more intensely. Some are widely known, such as Machu Picchu, Uluru, or the pyramids of Giza, and they are often surrounded by natural or spiritual phenomena that are difficult to explain through rational means.
Energy portals are not only linked to physical geography but also to collective consciousness. They are activated when people engage with them through intention, respect, and deep connection. These points function as bridges between dimensions, facilitating experiences of personal and collective transformation, as well as access to information or higher states of consciousness.
Why Are the Earth’s Chakras Changing?
According to Matías De Stefano, the Earth’s chakras are not static; they are undergoing reconfiguration due to shifts in the planet’s frequency. The energy that once circulated through certain regions is now moving to adapt to a new evolutionary stage. This adjustment is linked to the awakening of a global consciousness more aligned with cooperation, unity, and regeneration.
Energetic movement responds both to cosmic cycles and to human actions. When people become aware of the territory they inhabit and recognize it as part of a whole, they activate healing and transformation processes that directly impact the planet’s energy network. In this way, what happens in one specific place can have effects in other parts of the world.
This shift also calls for a new kind of relationship with the Earth. Instead of seeking to control the environment, the invitation is to listen to it, feel it, and collaborate with it. Understanding the relocation of the planetary chakras helps align with this transition, both personally and collectively.
How to Connect With the Energy of the Earth’s Chakras
Connecting with the Earth’s chakras doesn’t require physically traveling to each of them—although visiting them can enhance the experience. The key lies in developing a conscious relationship with the territory one inhabits: observing its geography, acknowledging its history, and feeling its vibration. Each place has a specific frequency and offers a particular teaching.
There are practices that can facilitate this connection: focused meditations, sound work, circular dances, ceremonies with the Earth, and symbolic acts of gratitude or healing. These actions not only activate the energy of the place but also awaken internal memories that have lain dormant. Simply bringing attention and presence to a site already creates an impact.
Matías De Stefano encourages each person to discover the energetic role of their territory and how they can contribute to the global process from there. This approach doesn’t arise from obligation but from recognition: by understanding the function of the place we inhabit, we can align our actions with the collective purpose of the planet. In this way, connecting with the Earth’s chakras becomes a path to the awakening of a new humanity.
