The Great Flood: A Comparision of the Native American Indian and African Ancient Mythology

Unbeknownst by some, there are many similarities between myths from various cultures. There are many similarities in several different types of myths, and the amount of similarities can ranger from many similarities to just a few small ones. One of the similarities in myths from culture to culture, is they all seem to have a myth that involves a great flood, which covers the whole land. Such is the case with the Native American Indians, and Africans. These two cultures each have a myth that involves a flood, and the flood is brought on generally in the same way.

This great flood is brought on due to anger towards someone or something in both cultures. Such as in the African myth, the great flood was delivered across the land due to Obatala not informing his superior about his plans to make humans. As his punishment, great waves were sent across the lands by Olokun. In the Native American Indian myth, it is brought on when Meshekenabek the serpent is killed by an arrow. As he is dying, he whips himself about, spreading wave upon wave across the earth. In the Native American Indian myth though, this could have be avoided had Meshekenabek not carried off with Manobozho's cousin, which caused Manobozho to kill the serpent in the first place.

Another similarity between the two cultures in their flood myths, are that humans are somehow affected by the giant flood. In the Native American Indian myth, when the flood is brought on by Meshekenabek the humans have to run to the tops of mountains. This still is not high enough though and they are forced to make rafts quickly and then get in the rafts. In the African version of the myth, the humans have to do a similar thing, although only a few think of climbing to the tops of mountains, and many people drown in the water, with there being only a few survivors.

A third similarity between the flood myths of these cultures, is that the flood is often started due to a god, or someone with godly powers. In the African version, the flood is brought on by Obatala, who is a god that was sent to create land on the earth, and to create everything that roams the earth. Also, in the African myth, the actual flood is started by another god, Olokun, who oversees and controls everything that happens in the kingdom of the earth. In the Native American Indian myth, the flood is brought on when Manobozho uses god like powers to concentrate the sun on the lakes waters causing Meshekenabek to come to the surface, when Manobozho then kills the serpent, causing the flood.

So in short, the similarities between these two flood myths are that in each humans are affected, the flood is brought on by anger, and that the flood is started by a god, or one with god like powers. This then proves that the flood myth of the Native American Indians and the flood myth of the Africans are in fact comparative myths. Therefore, this proves that two different cultures can have two similar myths, regardless of where the culture is from, and what the origins of the culture are.