Native Americans are believed to have begun populating the American lands over 12,000 years ago. Each of these groups formed a tribe and had its own distinct traditions and languages. The Caddo, Agawam, and Esopus Indians are just a few of those numerous Native American groups. These 3 tribes are similar, but at the same time very different. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Just like traditions and languages, each tribe has a different creation story. Each story is a myth that explains how the world began and how humans began to inhabit it. These creation myths or stories are often considered sacred to the tribe to which they belong. All stories have a unique plot and characters that can easily transform. Most Native American traditions revolve around the belief of how the world came to be. The Caddos believe that hundreds of years ago, males and animals were closely related like brothers and sisters. They lived together underground. Then, their leader, Neesh, revealed the entrance to a cave that led to the Earth's outer surface. All the brothers and sisters divided into groups, each with a leader and a drum to play. They began to travel through the cave while drumming and were not allowed to look back. Soon they reached the surface. First, an old man came out of the cave carrying fire and a pipe in one hand and a drum in the other. Secondly, the old man's wife arrived, bringing corn, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Then came the people and animals who followed the old couple out of the cave. People didn't know that a wolf was not far away. When the wolf came down, he turned and looked back at the cave entrance. The openings in the cave began to close, leaving the rest of the people and animals underground. Because the ancestors of the Caddo people came from the underworld, they call the middle world “ina`” or mother. The Caddo believe they will return to land when they pass. The Agawam Indians are an Algonquian tribe. These Native Americans believe that there was a man named Algon. Algon was a great hunter who always roamed the grasslands in search of food. One day, while he was grazing on the prairie, he found a strange circle cut in the tall grass. He decided to hide behind the bushes, so he could find out what was causing this bizarre sight. Not long after, a basket containing 12 girls fell from the sky. The girls jumped out of the basket and started singing spiritual songs and started doing circle dances. They were all beautiful, but the youngest was the most beautiful. Algon was immediately infatuated. He ran towards the 12 girls in the hope of taking the youngest away. The girls got scared and flew into the sky again, and this process was repeated 3 more times. Algon became frustrated and developed a plan. Placing a hollow tree trunk full of mice next to the circle, he took some spells and transformed himself into a mouse. When the girls returned for the fourth time, the mice came out of the tree trunk and began chasing them. The girls crushed and killed the mice, but not Algon. Algon retained his human traits and managed to get his girlfriend. They later fell in love and had a child together. Years passed and the sky girl became homesick. He constructed another magical basket and placed Algon's son and some gifts for his heavenly family in it. He ascended, returned to the sky and remained there for many years. Algon became sad, lonely and old. He sat next to the circle in the grass, waiting for their return. In the worldheavenly, his son was becoming a man. She always asked her mother about her father, and it made her miss Algon. The men from heaven returned to Earth and were delighted to see each other again. The leader of the sky wanted an animal trait in exchange for sending the woman and child back to Earth. The sky girl soon returned with a hawk feather and the sky leader said that they would always have the freedom to travel between Earth and the sky world whenever they wanted. Algon and the maiden became hawks and still fly over the forests and prairies. The Esopus Indians are part of the Lenape tribe. They believe that before creation there was nothing but black, empty space. In the darkness there was a spirit that fell asleep and had a dream about the world we have today. He woke up and returned to the empty darkness that was there before. He first created helper spirits to do their work, and together they created the Earth. He then created trees and from the roots of the trees a man was born. When the tree bent down to kiss the earth, woman was created. The people and animals all got along well until they started fighting over a bear's tooth. This tooth could grant magical powers to the owner. The wars between them became so intense that animals and people began to drift apart, and everyone created new tribes and traditions. Native American lifestyles are notable for their great diversity and variety. Many Indian tribes share the same culture and traditions. What is culture? Culture is a term that can mean various things. It usually describes some group of people who share the same beliefs and practices in a population. The culture is passed down for generations by Native Americans. Some Caddo, Agawam, and Esopus Indians still practice their culture that was passed down from their early ancestors. The Caddo people originate from the Native Americans of the southeast. They lived in East Texas among the pine forests. The Caddo Indians today speak English, but they spoke their native Caddoan language. They lived in tall cone-shaped huts built of grass. The cabins were well furnished inside with comfortable furniture. Often these huts were relatively large and several families lived together in one hut. Caddo men were hunters and went to war to protect their families. They wore their hair in a mohawk style or shaved it. They also wore breeches made from tree bark or buckskin. The women were farmers, cooks and took care of children. They wore their hair tied in a bun. They also wore a knee-length skirt made of tree bark or buckskin. Both men and women were responsible for storytelling, art, and music. Caddo children had more household chores and less time to play than today's children. They had dolls, toys and played with the other Caddo children. In one game, children threw a dart through a moving hoop. The Caddo people had a surplus of food to eat. They grew corn, beans, squash and squash. They also hunted deer, bear, fox, turkey, and rabbit. The river near the villages provided fish. Food was cooked into cornbread and soups, and a log mortar always stood near their homes. There were many formal ceremonies and traditions within the Caddo trine and marriage was not one of them. Sometimes the couple simply lived together and were already seen as a married couple. Marriage between one man and several women was also not an unusual event. The Agawam people lived in small, temporary, mobile villages. This was beneficial because they were able to find locations with the best food supply. The houses were seasonal. In the spring and summer they lived in wigwam huts.