that she is emerging from below. This rather small detail would not be so important if we were unaware that in some of the creation myths, the process of creation starts below the earth and is a slow process of coming up to the surface. Another common theme in this story is that of the birds diving beneath the water in order to obtain some earth on which the new world can be built. This is a common motif in many of the North American creation myths. Remaining on the topic of creation from above and below, the preceding stories quite apparently fit the mold of creation from above. In both of these stories, the initial act of creation takes place in the heavens and is then duplicated on the earth below. The main difference between these two accounts is that in the Eskimo myth, The act of creation seems to have been planned. This is due to the fact that it is through the existence of both Father Raven and the sparrow that the earth comes into existence. If these two beings did not exist then the acts of creation would not be fulfilled. In the Ongwe creation myth, the same motif is utilized, however it can be said that the acts of creation occur accidentally. One may be lead to believe that it is the chief who is responsible for the initial act of creation, as he pushes the woman though the hole in heaven, causing her to fall to the earth and therefore setting the scene for the act of creation to commence. This is not the case however, since the story apparently consists of two repetitive subplots. In the first portion of the story, the woman became pregnant and immediately following this, her husband becomes ill and dies. In the second portion, this same plot repeats itself, however it is only because the chief pushed his wife into the hole that he overcomes his illness. It is stated in the story that he immediately feels better after his wife begins her fall from the heavens. Therefore it can be said that the chief is not r...
