The Alaskan mythology is overall very interesting to read about. It has been one of my favorites to go through so far. Now, what was really striking about the mythology as a whole, was that it felt like a nice cross between Native American mythology and Christianity. There was emphasis on the power of animals and nature which I particularly enjoy as I love animals and Transcendentalism, and the stories reflected similar stories I have seen in Christian stories - I'm looking at you, reoccuring flood motif. Anyway, I think these help the mythology of Alaska flow well and fit in with the other mythologies out there, making it a contender with some of my favorites.
Of course, back to what sets this mythology apart from all the others: the afterlife. There is only one real story I read concerning this area of spirituality and lore, but it was incredible how it portrayed death. In the story, once you die, you are escorted into the afterlife by the person you last thought of who is already dead. I thought this was actually quite a sweet sentiment. I also thought it was really cool how death ends up being much similar to life. In the story, the girl is sent to live in a home with her grandparents who had gone on before her and they sat a table to eat. Seems quite similar to life on earth.
The other aspect I thought was really cool about it was the fact that if you did something wrong in life, you were sent to an area where things were reversed on you in death. The example given in the story was that there was a village where, if you had been someone who beat dogs (again, emphasis on the importance of animals), you got to receive similar treatment and were beaten like a dog yourself. Sounds like justice to me! I really enjoyed this aspect of the afterlife, especially, since it seems like good and bad people both receive what they deserve. They have to be accountable for their actions and can't escape it in the afterlife. I love that.
Author's Note
In case you did not notice, I really enjoy stories regarding death. I just think it is really interesting to read about what others have believed to be beyond the world we know now and everything. Especially when no one is able to come from the afterlife back into this life and give us the lowdown on what all is going on. The unit I read is the Alaska section.
Chase, I am SO GLAD you picked up on this motif in the Alaska unit, and throughout the Native American units you can find some amazing stuff on afterlife beliefs and stories, ghosts, afterlife worlds, all kinds of powerful beliefs and stories. Have you picked out your next unit? You might like the Great Plains one! And a story I bet would really intrigue you is this one from the Pacific Northwest unit: Memaloose Islands. I find this type of story fascinating too!
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