The Sacred Hoop: Recovering the Feminine in American Indian Traditions

thus be exiled from the perfect place he had made for them. They
were severely punished for exercising what we might call
liberty—Eve more than Adam, for hers was the greater sin (or
so the story goes):
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou
shalt not eat: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt
surely die. (Gen. 2:16–17)
The Cheyennes’ creator is somewhat wiser. He gives his
creatures needs so that they can exert their intelligence and
knowledge to satisfy those needs by working together to solve
common problems or attain common goals. Together Maheo, the
creator, and the water beings create the earth, and with the aid of
these beings, Maheo creates first man and first woman and the
creatures and environment they will need to live good and
satisfying lives. These creation stories demonstrate the basic
ordering principles of two different cultures. The Judeo-
Christian view is hierarchical. God commands first; within the
limits of those commands, man rules; woman is subject to man,
as are all the creatures, for God has brought them to Adam for
him to name (Gen. 2:18–24, 3:16). In this scheme, the one who
is higher has the power to impose penalties or even to deny life
to those who are lower:
And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as
one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth
his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live
for ever;
Therefore, the Lord God sent him forth from the garden
of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken. (Gen.
3:22–23)