South American Gods
Auchimalgen (Araucanian, Chile)
Moond goddess, wife of the sun. Only Auchimalgen cares anything
for the human race, all the rest of the gods being utterly malevolent.
Auchimalgen wards off evil spirits and turns red when some important
person is about to die.
Cupara (Jivaro)
Cupara and his wife are the parents of the sun, for whom they created
the moon from mud to be his mate. The children of the sun and moon
are the animals, and among the animals is the sloth, who was the
ancestor of the Jivaro.
Ek Chua
God of merchants and cacao growers. Black faced with a huge nose.
Evaki (Bakairi)
Goddess of night. Evaki places the sun in a pot every night and
moves the sun back to its starting point in the east every day.
Evaki stole sleep from the eyes of the lizards and shared it with
all the other living creatures.
Kami and Keri (South American generally)
Kami and Keri were born into the sky world as the sons of the jaguar
Oka and a woman created by magic. Their mother was killed by Mero,
the jaguar's mother, and in revenge, Kami and Keri burned her and
themselves up in a great fire. Bringing themselves back to life,
they came to earth as human beings where the separated the heavens
from the earth, stolfe fire from the eyes of Fox, and made the rivers
with water stolen from the Great Snake. After teaching humans how
to live together, their work was done, and they climbed to a mountain
peak where they disappeared.
Ngurvilu (Araucanian, Chile)
God of lakes and seas. Ngurvilu prowls about the waters in the form
of a wild cat. It's tail ends in a huge claw, with which Ngurvilu
might attack any human out of sheer maliciousness.
Pillan (Araucanian, Chile)
God of fire, thunder, and war, chief of all the gods. Aided by brigades
of evil spirits, pillan causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions,
blights crops, creates storms and sends war.
Tonapa also Tonapa Viracocha Nipacachan
The great god Viracocha in human form, traveling in disguise as
an old man with a staff, preaching virtue to the people, working
miracles, sleeping in the fields with nothing but his tunic for
cover. Failing more often than succeeding, widely despised, Tonapa
departed across the sea.
Tupan (Tupinamba, Brazil)
God of thunder and lightening. A bulky young man with wavy hair.
Tupan likes to visit his mother often, and when he does the passage
of his boat causes storms. The Tupinamba respect but do not worship
Tupan.
Chabe (Sioux/Osage)
Black Bear. A guardian. Symbol of long life, strength and courage.
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Native American Legends A-B