ABSTRACT
Several authorities on northern Athapaskan religion have cited as an aspect of individualism, the considerable variation in beliefs that was characteristic of different persons sharing the same religious heritage. Belief in and fear of a large number of spirits and supernatural beings necessitated many magico-religious practices involving the use of omens, charms, amulets, songs, and taboos. The myths can be relied upon to give valuable insights into many different aspects of the aboriginal way of life. A survey of Athapaskan myths clearly indicates that there was widespread belief in a mythological period during which the world and specific natural environments were in the process of creation. There were impersonal spirits which animated the elements of nature, such as fire, the wind, and rivers. There was the human spirit or soul on which a person's death went to live in the land of the dead.
