At the beginning of time, the Sky Father and the Earth Mother were locked in a tight embrace that bound the Earth and Sky togeth
er, leaving no space in between. Sky was not separate from Earth or Sea. Rangi, the Sky Father, held his beloved, Papa, and together they bore many sons who were not human, but rather elements of nature. These sons loved their parents, but Rangi and Papa's embrace was so tight that they had no space to move or to lead their lives. They lay in the darkness, constricted and unhappy. –"The Māori: Genealogies and Origins in New Zealand" In the spirit world, the trickster god Raven grew bored. He decided to leave and fly over the Earth, but he found it in total darkness. The selfish Sky Chief had been hoarding daylight from the world. Raven wanted to be able to see the Earth as he flew over it, so he decided to play a trick on the chief and steal the light. Raven crept into the chief's dwelling. He appeared as a baby, with raven hair and black eyes. –"The Raven and the First Men – The Beginnings of the Haida" What similarities exist between the Māori myth and the Haida myth? Check all that apply.
The following are two similarities that exists between the Maori myth and the Haida myth: Unhappiness about darkness, and one or more children.
Explanation:
In both the Maori myth and the Haida myth there is the theme of linking darkness with unhappiness and uncertainty. In the Maori myth, due to the tight embrace between Rangi and Papa, the other creatures that lived in Earth were in total darkness, and unhappy. In the Haida myth, when the God Raven flies over Earth, he found it in total darkness, as the Sky Chief was keeping all of the daylight for himself. In both myths, darkness is depicted as a negative thing that creates unhappiness and that must be fought. Also, in both myths there are children. In the Maori myth, The Earth and the Sky are in love with each other, and together they create many sons. In the Haida myth, the God Raven plays a trick on the Sky Chief, and after doing so goes to the Chief's house and finds that this one looks like a baby now.
