One of the debates that are unending is the creation of man and the universe. Many African tribes have created some myths trying to explain their perspective on creation. In this essay I will present the creation myth of the Bushmen clan; they are also called San people. They are also found in South Africa. Firstly I will present the summary of their creation myth; then I will write about their world view derived from the myth of creation presented. Finally I will look at how this creation myth imparts knowledge about science and religion; this last topic will be largely about my opinion or views that I see from the creation myth. I am not a Bushmen; I chose this myth because I want to learn more about other clans found in South Africa and San people are the one that I have not had interaction with.
Bushmen Creation Myth
According to the Bushmen’s advent fable, people did no longer continually live on the surface of the earth. At one time people and animals lived under the earth with Kaang, the great master and lord of all life. On this area people lived collectively peacefully. They understood each other. No one ever wanted something. There wasn’t a sun however there was continually light. All through this time of bliss Kaang started out to plot the wonders he could placed in the global above (Friedman and Johnso, 2007).
First Kaang created a wondrous tree, with branches stretching over the whole country. At the bases of the tree he dug a hole that went all of the way down under neath the earth where humans and animals lived. After he had finished designing or creating the world as he pleased, he led the first man up the hole. The man sat down on the brink of the hollow. Soon, the first female came up out of the hole. All the people were amassed on the foot of the tree, awed via the world they entered in. Next Kaang started helping the animals climb out of the hole. Out of their eagerness some of the animals located a way to climb up through the tree’s roots and got here out of the branches. They endured racing out of the arena beneath till all of the animals were out (Friedman and Johnson, 2007).
Kaang called everyone including animals. He gave them a condition to live together without any distracted life. Then he turned into the man and women and warned them not to build any fires or great evil would befall them. He gave them their world and Kaang left to in which he ought to watch this international secretly. As night approached the sun commenced to sink underneath the horizon. The people and animals stood watching this phenomenon however, when the sun disappeared fear entered the hearts of the human beings. They couldn’t see every different as they did now not have the eyes like an animal which have been able to seeing inside the dark. They lacked the warm fur of the animals as properly and soon grew bloodless. Out of fear a particular man suggested that they build a fire to keep warm. They did not follow Kaang’s warning; they disobeyed him. They soon grew warm, and were once again able to see each other (Friedman and Johnson, 2007).
But, the fireplace worried the animals. They fled to the caves and mountains and ever because the human beings broke Kaang’s command. They have been no longer capable of speak with animals. Now worry has replaced the seat friendship as soon as held between the humans and animals. The Bushmen of Africa agree with that no longer handiest are plants and animals are alive, but additionally rain, thunder, the wind, spring and so forth they claim: what we see is best the outdoor shape or body. Inner is the dwelling spirit that we cannot see. These spirits can fly out of one body in to some other. For an instance, a girl’s spirit may every now and then fly in to the leopard; or a person’s spirit fly in to a lion’s frame. This is probably a part of a cause animals play a critical function of their fantasy (Friedman and Johnson, 2007)
Bushmen’s World View According to Their Creation Myth
According to the introduction fantasy above, people use to stay under the surface of the earth. It additionally states that there was once constantly light however there wasn’t sun. The world view that is common in the present time tells us that the solely element that brings light on earth is the sun. The question that arises is that what was once the source of mild earlier than they ascended to the surface of the world? It is not possible in the present word for the sun to provide the light for soothing that is underneath the surface of the world. The creation myth doesn’t say if they believe whether the earth is flat or round.
Other conations to the Spirit World, which exists in multiple locations above and below the Ordinary World, are with the aid of water, striking view features, and occasions like death and dancing. These do not permit customary access because the Spirit World is dangerous and invasive. It requires incredible skill to negotiate its pathways, cul-de-sacs, and denizens like the Spirits of the Dead (Ouzman, 2008). As it was stated in the creation myth that people come from the underworld. San people believe that there are spirits living underneath the surface of the earth.
The spirit is in the air. When you dance it comes down to you. When it receives into you, you can see it as a string of light. The mild carries you in the dance. It can take you to another person who needs healing or it can elevate you to every other village in the sky. The light is num. It doesn’t have any other name than num (Ouzman, 2008). The creation story tells us that they did not have an Idea of the sun; however they continually lived in the light before they surfaced the earth. The sun was the one that made them to ruin the promise between their God and them. It is clear now that the light performs a vital role in their world view.
The Ordinary World has nodal topography studded with campsites, looking grounds and what hoansi call oresi –bundles of relationships and responsibilities between animals, beings, people, places, flora and things. Material traces of these relationships date back millennia, appearing as artifacts archaeologists classify on a continuum between functional and symbolic. Thus, artisanal artefacts such as stone equipment and bone points grade into no utilitarian items like ostrich eggshell beads and decorations, which intensify into symbolic crystals and rock art. Some say performance is less difficult to prove than symbolism. Yet our nice proof of San existence (Ouzman, 2008). According to the creation myth people and animals have a special relationship in such a way that they can switch spirits. They once live together peacefully.
How This World View Imparts Knowledge in Within the Science and Religion Discourse
Science is a logical activity that builds and organizes information in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the cosmos (Wikipedia, na). A religious study, also known as the study of religion, is an academic field devoted to research into religious beliefs, behaviours, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives (Wikipedia, na).
From the explanations of science and religion provided above it is clear that a human person is the centre of both of these disciplines. A human person seeks to understand the world around him/her using science and religion studies. A human person sat down and studied the beliefs and practices of the San people; studied also their behaviour in deferent situations and created this story. In creating this myth, I believe, the aim was to try and explain where and how did the San people come from and the source of their religion. However it seems like they were not using scientific means to investigate their or in trying to explain their origin; they only used their religion. This is because they were not exposed to scientific world view.
As science was trying to investigate the origin of everything in the universe, they came to a conclusion that human beings came to be as a result of evolution. This could mean that according to science everything came to be from the cause of nature itself. Science also says that it is by the big bang theory that the universe came to be. According to the San people’s creation myth, a supreme being called Kaang is the one that created everything in the universe including human beings. Kaang gave the land to the people and left them with instructions. From this point of view it seems like science and religion have some differences. Fortunately for science it provides proofs of their theory and the San people it only the myth. We learn that by the time the San people thought of this myth, the scientific means of explaining were not yet established.
In their notion of the spirits, the Bushmen clan say that human have the ability to switch spirits with animals; that is according to their religion and beliefs. They also say that it there spirits living under the earth. Science world say that there must be similarities between human beings and animals that would enable the animal’s spirit to function well in the body of a human, vice versa. In the religion they believe that it there is some connection which is special between these two because according to the creation myth they were able to live together peacefully, unlike in the present time.
Before they were brought up from underneath the earth where they were living, according to the creation myth, San people did not have an idea of a sun but they never lived in darkness. It is only when they were in the surface of the earth where they experienced the sun. This means that underneath the surface they were only bound by their religion and beliefs; when they came up they were exposed to the scientific world and they were shocked and tried to live under the new circumstances of science. This led to the breaking of the agreement between them and their God (religion). Initially science contradicted the religion.
There are other means they use in their religion to connect with the spirit. They paint rocks on anything they see around them to illustrate the beauty of nature around them. They usually draw animals as stated in under the topic of the world view. They use these drawings to connect with the spirit and also to store their religion from generation to generation. Their means of storing information and communication were not scientific but they were religious.
Conclusion
The bushman creation myth shows that the San people have long lived without science; they have only lived by their religion. This is because I see that there is no interaction between their religion and science. Science seems to lay no role in their world view. They used natural phenomenon to explain their environment. For San people, unlike science, a supreme being created everything on earth and that being is called Kaang.
