Leon's Theory about
 the Origin of Koreans
and the Korean Language
© 2007 by Leon's EFL Planet

If you've visited this page before,
please know that I've updated it
February 1, 2008 & again March 29, 2008
  Look for this: 

　Foreword:

Table of Contents:

Very Brief History of Korea

Ancient Period

Foreword:  Most historians say that the Korean peninsula was inhabited by Paleo-Siberians until around 2333 BC, when they were forced out.  [I think this is non-sense, and I'll explain why later].  The "official" history of Korea begins at 2333 BC, with Dangun, but I'm not going to start with the "official" history.  I'm going to start with the UNofficial history.

Preface:  This part is not the "official history" of Korea.  It is considered apocryphal by mainstream historians, but mainstream historians are NOT always correct (I can cite some examples, but I won't).

This is where the official history begins:

Another source gives some added information around this time period

End Ancient Period.

　 start...

"Three Kindoms Period": From 75 BC to 676 AD

There were more than three kindgoms to begin with, like the ones mentioned above, but there was a lot of fighting, and war-mongering, and there were three kingdoms that dominated during this period: Shilla, Gogeuryeo, and Baekje. In the end (676 AD), Shilla dominates and unifies all.

   start...

Shilla Period: From 676 AD to 935 AD

Shilla ruled the whole peninsula.

Then, began the "Koryo" [old romanization] Period,

   or "Goryeo" [new romanization] Period,

   which is where we get the name "Korea".

One day, I typed "Origin of Korean Language" in a search engine (Google), and this is what I found:

Conclusions (about origin of Korean Language)

At the beginning of this page, I quoted the Encyclopedia Britannica as saying that the Korean language is not closely related to any other language.

Intriguing.

But is it true?  I think NOT.  Let me explain why.

I have studied Korean (in Korea) for ten years (see my Korean Language Page).

I have studied some Japanese, Mongolian, and Manchurian.

I have studied Chinese (in China) for 1 year.

My FINDINGS:

- Korean LEXIS is VERY similar to Chinese LEXIS.  Some estimates say that 50-60% of the Korean language is from Chinese.  My studies revealed a much higher percentage, because some words that are NOT acknowledged as being from Chinese are so similar that it is uncanny.  For example, the word for this....

                      in Korean:  i-geot
                      in Chinese: ji-geo

The word for "yes" or "okay" (dweh) in Chinese is exactly the same as the Korean word for "okay" (dweh).  Are they cognates or false cognates?  I don't know.

- Korean shares no similarity with Chinese syntax.

- Korean LEXIS shares NO similarity with Mongolian or Japanese.

- Korean LEXIS shares similarities with Manchurian.

- Korean syntax is exactly the same as Mongolian, Japanese, & Manchurian syntax.

My CONCLUSIONS:

The Korean people are probably genetically related to the Mongolians, Japanese and Manchurians, and yet the influence of the Chinese lexis is VERY strong and undeniable.  This leads me to believe that the Korean people are a Tungusic people, who passed through China, picking up the lexis of the Hahn Chinese (Han Yu), but maintained their own syntax.

It makes perfect sense if you think about it.

What happens when Pidgins are made?

Well, a people adopt the lexis of another language for trading purposes, but quite generally refuse to give up their own grammar rules (e.g., syntax).

In essence, I believe that the Korean language started out as a Pidgin, but is now a Creole.

Background Information

about how this page came to be...

I had spent eight years living and teaching English in Korea.  All of my students during that time told me that they firmly believe themselves to be related to Mongolians, and even claim that they have evidence, that evidence being the so-called "mon-gol jeom" (Mongolian Spot).  All Koreans have it somewhere on their body when they are born.  They told me that only Mongolians and Koreans have the "mon-gol jeom".  Now, I don't believe everything that I hear or read.  So, I actually went to Inner Mongolia to check it out for myself.  Here is the data of my research...

I conducted a survey of my Mongolian students.  I told them about how all Koreans have what they call the "Mon Gol Jeom" (Mongolian Spot), which is a birthmark that goes away after several years.  I told them how my son is only half Korean, but he has the so-called "Mon Gol Jeom".  I also told them that every Korean believes that only Koreans and Mongolians have "Mon Gol Jeoms". 

Lastly, I told them I wanted to know if it was true.  So, I asked them if any of them had the "Mon Gol Jeom" when they were born.  None of them knew.  So, I gave them homework to ask their mother and report back to me the following week.

Only four students out of maybe four hundred Mongolian students did the homework, (and this is partly due to the sensitive, personal nature of the question, and partly due to the fact that most students could not understand the question).

Here are the results of the survey:

1.  One boy claims he had none.

2.  One boy said that he had one.

3.  One girl said that she had one.

4.  One girl said that she had one on her bum.

Grand Tally 3/4ths have had it.  That's pretty good odds.  I'll bet that not all Koreans get the Mon Gol Jeom either.

I'm convinced.  Those statistics are good enough for me.  I am fully convinced now of the Korean-Mongolian connection.

Question:  Wouldn't the Japanese also have the Mon Gol Jeom?

And writing of Japanese, we should wonder where the Japanese people and language came from...

From my lexical analysis of the Japanese, Korean, and Mongolian languages, it appears that the Japanese language has a much closer connection to Mongolian.

Of course all three languages have EXACTLY the same grammar (same syntax; AND, all three have the same suffix-like particles), and all three have VERY similar phonological traits, such as rules regarding vowel harmony.

Yet, when I write "much closer", I simply mean that there are more words in Japanese which bear resemblance to Mongolian, but the connection is still a weak one.

The Korean-Japanese ties go way back.  It has been told me that the Koreans introduced the Chinese characters to the Japanese.  Whether this is true or not, is not known to me, but it seems very plausible, given the geographical situation (i.e., Korean being between China and Japan).  The Japanese language, like Korean has "borrowed" a heck of a lot of words from Chinese.  But, both the Korean language and Japanese languages have retained many of their "original" lexis as well.  It is of this "original" lexis that I write, when I write about the connection to the Mongolian language.

However, due to the fact that much of the "original" lexis has fallen out of use and has become lost over the centuries, it is really difficult for linguists to "classify" the two languages.

Because the syntax and phonological features are remarkably similar to Altaic languages, it is logical to include them in the Altaic language group.  However, due to lexical differences, it is difficult to place them in any specific language group.

Look at the following diagram to see what I mean:

Source

One can see where I got the above information from, however, my language map is different (and superior, in my opinion, because it shows more clearly how languages "overlap").

Important Points to consider (refer to diagram above):

1.  The diagram shows how the Korean language has roots in the Tungusic Language group AND NOT THE MONGOLIAN language group.  Note:  Manchurian is part of the Tungusic language group, and Korean may have some roots from the Manchu language.

2.  The diagram shows how the Korean and Japanese languages have been heavily influenced by the Han-Chinese language.

3.  The diagram shows how the Japanese language has some roots in the Mongolian language group.  Hence, the lexis of "pure" Japanese is closer to Mongolian than that of the "pure" Korean.

4.  The diagram shows how the Korean language has been influenced by the Austronesian language group.

5.  It is not known (by me) whether the Japanese language has been influenced by the Austronesian language group or not.  Therefore, I have not extended the Japanese language into that "field".

6.  The funny thing is, according to genetic maps (on above SOURCE page), the Koreans and Japanese are more closely related to Tibetans than Mongolians. (see diagram below): 

But, look at this language pedigree chart:

All right, now!  There is something screwy going on here.  The Ainu, Siberians, Tibetans and Eskimos are all closely related genetically, yet the Tibetan language is in a totally different language group (not on chart above; see chart below).  If you examine the chart closely, you see that languages are grouped based upon their geographic location (i.e., the location of the people that speak them).  And yet, logic tells us that you cannot do that, simply because people move around a lot.  For example the Lapp people claim to have come from Tibet; And, I'll bet that there is not one single similarity between the "pure" Lapp language and the "pure" Finnish language.  The Samoyeds, likewise are genetically different from the Finnish people.  They look more like Eskimos.

Notice all the question marks in the chart above.  That is to say that most linguists aren't sure of the links, but some linguists go with it out of convenience, I'm sure.  I've read in a book about the Korean language (and heard as well) that the Korean language is linguistically related to the Finnish language.  I now see why such is reported, but my own studies of the two languages show no similarities, neither in lexis nor in grammar.

Japanese and Korean are often linked with Mongolian, because they all share exactly the same grammatical features.  They even share some phonological features.  Yet, my studies have shown NO lexical similarities between the Japanese language and the Korean language, and NO lexical similarities between the Mongolian language and the Korean language.  I HAVE, however, noticed similarities in lexis between the Japanese language and the Mongolian language.

Also, I have noticed some similarities between the Manchurian language, which is dying quickly, and the Korean language.  It is my goal to study, learn, and document the Manchurian language before it completely dies from the face of the earth.  If only somebody would finance the goal.

It should be noted that that the Tibeto-Burman language groups consists of roughly 250 languages, and the Chinese language group consists of countless dialects (if you could even call them dialects).  The Sino-Caucasian Language group is expanded to look like this (according to "linguists"):

But it is a joke to group the Han-Chinese language and Tibeto-Burman language group together, because they are not linguistically related.  It is also a joke to link the Basque language and Caucasian language group together, because they are not linguistically related either.  AND, it is an even bigger joke to link the Sino-Tibetan group with the Basque-Caucasian group, because you probably couldn't find a single linguistic similarity.  

For more information on the Basque language, see (and click on) the link below:

http://www.cogs.susx.ac.uk/users/larryt/basque.html

For more information on the Sino-Tibetan group, see (and click on) the link below:

http://stedt.berkeley.edu/html/STfamily.html

For more information on the Tungusic language group, see (and click on) the link below:

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~trg/endangered.html

However, there is a theory that some linguists have which I fancy, because it matches my own.  The following passage is from a web-article contained in the Sino-Tibetan Etymological Dictionary and Thesaurus (STEDT):

Without beating around the bush, my final theory is:  There were 4 cradles of civilization:

1.  Summerian

2.  Himalayan

3.  Egyptian (or African)

4.  American

This also goes along with my other theory about the history of the human race.

It comes from the Lakota (It's not my theory, actually, but I've adopted it as my own).

According to the Lakota, the sky-people made four ADAMS (and four EVES), representing the four races.

1. Caucasoid ADAM and EVE (or White Adam & Eve)

2. Mongoloid ADAM and EVE (or Yellow Adam & Eve)

3. Negroid ADAM and EVE (or Black Adam & Eve)

4. American Aboriginal ADAM and EVE (or Red Adam & Eve)

The gods chose four EDEN-like places, where great rivers flowed, where the land was fertile, and where all manner of fruits and vegetables grew wild, for their four Adams.

The Caucasoid ADAM & EVE in Summeria, between the great Euphrates and Tigrus Rivers;

The Mongoloid ADAM & EVE in the Himalayas, source of the Yellow, Yangtze, Mekong, Brahmaputra, Salween, and Irrawaddy Rivers;

The Negroid ADAM & EVE in Egypt, along the Nile;

And the American Aboriginal ADAM & EVE in Meso-America along the Amazon.

Post Note:

I'm not a religionist.  But, I believe that our ancient myths and legends contain truths.  If we look at the commonalities of all ancient creation myths, we might be able to "see" the truth.

Let's look at some creation myths, and then I'll wrap things up.

Abrahamic Lineage (Israelites / Ishmaelites)

The whole of creation took 6 days.  The number 6 is not to be taken literally, but rather is symbolic.  See my Numerology Page for details.

On the sixth day, Elohim (the Gods) said, "Let us make man [humans] in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

So Elohim (the Gods) created man [humans] in their own image, in the image of Elohim created [they] him; male and female created [they] them.

It was written that the Gods took dust of the earth, and from that dust created the first man.  From the man's rib, a female was created to be a companion for the man.  The first man was named "Adam", which means dust.  Adam named his companion "Eve", which means mother of all living.

[Leon's Note:  Notice that I put "us" and "our" and "their" in bold print.  That is because clearly the ancient Hebrews knew of the plurality of Gods.  The later Hebrews came to know only ONE GOD, Jehovah, but it is suspected by this author, that it was NOT to deny the existence of other gods, but that only one should be worshipped.  Jehovah, was therefore, king of the Gods (the king of kings, the lord of lords), and the only one to deserve obeisance.]

More notes:  Baal (also spelled Bel) was the Hittite equivalent to Jehovah, and so why the Israelites should take so much offense at the worship of Bel is unknown.  Perhaps it had less to do with Bel, and more to do with the manner in which the Hittites worshipped, by self-mutilations and possibly even human sacrifices.  

Babyonia/Sumeria

　[Enki and Nintu (the birth-goddess) work to create man]
We-ila [a god], who had a personality
They slaughtered in their assembly.
From his flesh and blood
Nintu mixed clay.
For the rest of the time they heard the drum,
From the flesh of the god there was a spirit.
It proclaimed living man as its sign,
And so that this was not forgotten there was a spirit.
After she had mixed that clay
She summoned the Anunnaki, the great gods.
The Igigi, the great gods,
Spat upon the clay.
Mami [Nintu] opened her mouth
And addressed the great gods,
'You commanded me a task, I have completed it;
You have slaughtered a god together with his personality.'
[snip]
They entered the house of destiny
Did Prince Ea [Enki] and the wise Mami
With the birth-goddesses assembled
He trod the clay in her presence.
She kept reciting the incantation,
Ea, seated before her, was prompting her.
After she had finished her incantation
She nipped off fourteen pieces of clay.
Seven she put on the right
Seven she put on the left.
Between them she placed the brick
She [line damaged] the cutter of the umbilical cord [line damaged]
The wise and the learned
Twice seven birth-goddesses had assembled,
Seven produced males,
Seven produced females.
The birth-goddesses, creatress of destiny-
They completed them in pairs.

Source

Norse (Norway) [Dark Blue stuff in these dark blue brackets is my commentary]

Muspell
The first world to exist was Muspell, a place of light and heat whose flames are so hot that those who are not native to that land cannot endure it.  Surt sits at Muspell's border, guarding the land with a flaming sword. [That's interesting!] At the end of the world he will vanquish all the gods and burn the whole world with fire.
Ginnungagap and Niflheim
Beyond Muspell lay the great and yawning void named Ginnungagap, and beyond Ginnungagap lay the dark, cold realm of Niflheim.  Ice, frost, wind, rain and heavy cold emanated from Niflheim, meeting in Ginnungagap the soft air, heat, light, and soft air from Muspell.
Ymir
Where heat and cold met appeared thawing drops, and this running fluid grew into a giant frost ogre named Ymir.
Frost ogres
Ymir slept, falling into a sweat. Under his left arm there grew a man [not human, I'm guessing] and a woman [likewise not human, I'm guessing]. And one of his legs begot a son with the other. This was the beginning of the frost ogres.
[possibly the first hominids]
Audhumla
Thawing frost then became a cow called Audhumla. Four rivers of milk ran from her teats, and she fed Ymir.
Buri, Bor, and Bestla
The cow licked salty ice blocks. After one day of licking, she freed a man's [humanoid, but not yet human, I'm guessing] hair from the ice. After two days, his head appeared. On the third day the whole man was there. His name was Buri, and he was tall, strong, and handsome [Well, there was no basis for comparison]. Buri begot a son named Bor, and Bor married Bestla, the daughter of a giant [Where did the giants come from? Frost Ogres?].
Odin, Vili, and Vé
Bor and Bestla had three sons: Odin was the first, Vili the second, and Vé the third.  It is believed that Odin, in association with his brothers, is the ruler of heaven and earth.  He is the greatest and most famous of all men [humanoids].
The death of Ymir
Odin, Vili, and Vé killed the giant Ymir. When Ymir fell, there issued from his wounds such a flood of blood, that all the frost ogres were drowned, except for the giant Bergelmir who escaped with his wife by climbing onto a lur (a hollowed-out tree trunk that could serve either as a boat or a coffin). From them spring the families of frost ogres.
[Allusion to the great deluge, and the destruction of the primitive hominids, except two, of course.]
Earth, trees, and mountains
The sons of Bor then carried Ymir to the middle of Ginnungagap and made the world from him. From his blood they made the sea and the lakes; from his flesh the earth; from his hair the trees; and from his bones the mountains. They made rocks and pebbles from his teeth and jaws and those bones that were broken.
Dwarfs
Maggots appeared in Ymir's flesh and came to life.  [Interesting: maggot may be a metaphor for DNA strands].  By the decree of the gods they acquired human understanding and the appearance of men, only smaller, like dwarves, although they lived in the earth and in rocks. [Evolution?]
Sky, clouds, and stars
From Ymir's skull the sons of Bor made the sky and set it over the earth with its four sides. Under each corner they put a dwarf, whose names are East, West, North, and South.  The sons of Bor flung Ymir's brains into the air, and they became the clouds.  Then they took the sparks and burning embers that were flying about after they had been blown out of Muspell, and placed them in the midst of Ginnungagap to give light to heaven above and earth beneath. To the stars they gave appointed places and paths.  The earth was surrounded by a deep sea. The sons of Bor gave lands near the sea to the families of giants for their settlements.  [giants? maybe giants = ogres]
Midgard
To protect themselves from the hostile giants, the sons of Bor built for themselves an inland stronghold, using Ymir's eyebrows. This stronghold they named Midgard.
Ask and Embla
While walking along the sea shore the sons of Bor found two trees, and from them they created a man and a woman [the first humans].  Odin gave the man and the woman spirit and life. Vili gave them understanding and the power of movement. Vé gave them clothing and names. The man was named Ask [which is the old spelling of Ash (the tree)] and the woman Embla [which some say could mean Elm, but I think means Emma (all-container; i.e., womb of all)]. From Ask and Embla have sprung the races of men who lived in Midgard.

[Midgard, probably means: Middle Garden (akin to the Judaic Garden of Eden).]

Source

Hinduism

The primal being (Purusha) was sacrificed.  He became butter.  From that butter, all things in heaven and earth were created, including the gods, and including the first mortals (humans):  Yama & Manu.

Vivaswat (The Sun) begot Yama first (the first mortal), then Manu.  From Manu came all humans that still exist on earth.  [Source]

Other sources say that Manu was the son of Brahma.  [Source]

Manu was a hermaphrodite.  Manu impregnated him/herself and from the offspring sprang all humans.  [Source] 

Korea:

The Korean Legend of Dan Gun

There are two versions.  Both versions agree on Dan Gun's pedigree. He was begotten by his father, Hwan-ung, son of the god Hwan-in. Nothing is mentioned about the origins of Hwan-in.  Version 1:

One version says the heaven and earth were one, and all animals could communicate with humans and gods. Hwan-ung wanted earthly rule, so his father, Hwan-in sent him to earth to gain his desire. With him, Hwan-ung took the lower-level gods of Wind General, Rain Governor, and Cloud Teacher. (I personally think that "master" is probably a better translation over "teacher").  Also, Hwan-ung took three thousand other lower-level gods. (probably as servants and/or soldiers).  Version 2:

The other version say that the gods were living on earth and Hwan-in sent his son, Hwan-ung to the East to establish a new country/kingdom. With him, Hwan-ung took three thousand "followers" (probably lower level gods). Also, he took Lord of Wind, Master of Rain, and Master of Clouds.  From thereon, the two versions pretty much agree...thusly:

Hwan-ung and his entourage is reported to have settled at Tae Baek Mountain (which is in what is currently known as North Korea). Hwan-ung met a tiger and a bear who "prayed" to become human. Hwan-ung proposed a test, which if completed would make the contestant a human. The tiger and bear (both female I guess, 'cause you'll see why later), were given wormwood and twenty cloves of garlic and told to stay out of the sunshine (in a cave) for 100 days. The tiger could not endure. The bear did endure, and after 100 days, became a human (woman). The woman was lonely. And prayed for a mate. So, Hwan-ung took her as a wife, and Dan Gun was born as a result of their union. Dan Gun is said to be the progenitor of the Korean race.  Source: (oops! it would appear that I've lost the source).

It should be noted that Version 2 (of the legend of Dan Gun) gives another name for the mountain besides "Tae Baek" (which would be Sino-Korean, Tae being (Great) and Baek being (White). The other name of the Mountain is "Myo Hyang" Mountain, which sounds very "Pure" Korean to me, and may be the pure-Korean name of the mountain that I have been looking for.

Incidentally, it is the tallest mountain on the Korean peninsula, if that means anything to you (it does, to me).

Tibet  [my comments in brackets]

According to myth, the Tibetan people owe their existence to the union of an [extra-terrestrial] ogress and a [terrestrial] monkey on Gangpo Ri mountain at Tsetang.  Another legend tells of how the first Tibetan king descended from heaven on a sky-cord.  [Source]

[LINGUISTIC NOTES:  It should be noted that translations are not always accurate.  For instance,...

1.  The word "ogre" is often a mistranslation, because what people in the WEST think of an "ogre", and what the people in the FAR EAST think of whatever the word "ogre" is translated from, are two different things.  Let me give an example:

          English: Ogre = an ugly (by human standards) giant which eats humans for breakfast

          Korean: Doggaebi [도깨비] (usually translated as "ogre") = a playful sprite or mischievous goblin; sometimes actually benefactors of humans

          While appearance may be similar, they are quite different in disposition.

2.  FURTHERMORE, "monkey" may be a mistranslation as well, because in many East Asian languages there is only 1 word for both "ape" and "monkey".  A more proper translation, therefore, might be "ape".]

Southern China

Among the Miao, Yao, Li and other nationalities of southern China, a legend concerns Pan Gu the ancestor of all mankind, with a man's body and a dog's head. It runs like this: Up in Heaven the God in charge of the earth, King Gao Xin, owned a beautiful spotted dog. He reared him on a plate (pan in Chinese ) inside a gourd (hu, which is close to the sound gu ), so the dog was known as Pan Gu . Among the Gods there was great enmity between King Gao Xin and his rival King Fang. "Whoever can bring me the head of King Fang may marry my daughter, " he proclaimed, but nobody was willing to try because they were afraid of King Fang's strong soldiers and sturdy horses.

The dog Pan Gu overheard what was said, and when Gao Xin was sleeping, slipped out of the palace and ran to King Fang. The latter was glad to see him standing there wagging his tail. "You see, King Gao Xin is near his end. Even his dog has left him," Fang said, and held a banquet for the occasion with the dog at his side.

At midnight when all was quiet and Fang was overcome with drink, Pan Gu jumped onto the king's bed, bit off his head and ran back to his master with it . King Gao Xin was overjoyed to see the head of his rival, and gave orders to bring Pan Gu some fresh meat. But Pan Gu left the meat untouched and curled himself up in a corner to sleep. For three days he ate nothing and did not stir.

The king was puzzled and asked, "Why don't you eat? Is it because I failed to keep my promise of marrying a dog?" To his surprise Pan Gu began to speak. "Don't worry, my King. Just cover me with your golden bell and in seven days and seven nights I'll become a man." The King did as he said, but on the sixth day, fearing he would starve to death, out of solicitude the princess peeped under the bell. Pan Gu's body had already changed into that of a man, but his head was still that of a dog. However, once the bell was raised, the magic change stopped, and he had to remain a man with a dog's head.

He married the princess, but she didn't want to be seen with such a man so they moved to the earth and settled in the remote mountains of south China. There they lived happily and had four children, three boys and a girl, who became the ancestors of mankind.

Source

Other Chinese Mythology

Nu Wa (女娲) is the goddess credited with creating humans.  (AKA: Nuwa)

Her husband her husband Fu Xi (伏羲), was the mythical First Emperor of China.  He is reputed to be the inventor of writing, fishing and trapping.  (AKA: Fu Hsi)

They lived between 2852 BCE and 3322 BCE.

They were the first of the San Huang: The Three August Ones and the Five Emperors (三皇五帝;san¹ huang² wu³ di⁴).

(AKA: the mythological rulers of China during the period preceding the Xia Dynasty in Chinese mythology from 2500 BC to 2205 BC).

With Fu Xi, Nu Wa is often depicted with the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a snake or dragon.  [Compare Hindu Nagas].

The Creation of the Human Race:

It is said that Nuwa began creating men from yellow clay sculpting each one individually yet after she had created hundreds of figures in this way she still had more to make but had grown tired of the laborious process. So instead of hand crafting each figure she dipped a rope in clay and flicked it so blobs of clay landed everywhere each of these blobs became a person. In this way, the story relates that nobles were created from the hand-crafted figurines, and commoners were created from the blobs.  Another variation on this story relates that some of the figures melted in the rain as Nuwa was waiting for them to dry and in this way sickness and physical abnormalities came into existence.

Source

********************

Lakota (American Aborigine Tribe of Northwestern US and Southern Canada)

There was another world before this one. But the people of that world did not behave themselves. Displeased, the Creating Power set out to make a new world. He sang several songs to bring rain, which poured stronger with each song. 

As he sang the fourth song, the earth split apart and water gushed up through the many cracks, causing a flood. By the time the rain stopped, all of the people and nearly all of the animals had drowned. Only Kangi the crow survived.

Kangi pleaded with the Creating Power to make him a new place to rest. So the Creating Power decided the time had come to make his new world. From his huge pipe bag, which contained all types of animals and birds, the Creating Power selected four animals known for their ability to remain under water for a long time. He sent each in turn to retrieve a lump of mud from beneath the floodwaters. First the loon dove deep into the dark waters, but it was unable to reach the bottom. The otter, even with its strong webbed feet, also failed. Next, the beaver used its large flat tail to propel itself deep under the water, but it too brought nothing back. Finally, the Creating Power took the turtle from his pipe bag and urged it to bring back some mud.

Turtle stayed under the water for so long that everyone was sure it had drowned. Then, with a splash, the turtle broke the water's surface! Mud filled its feet and claws and the cracks between its upper and lower shells. Singing, the Creating Power shaped the mud in his hands and spread it on the water, where it was just big enough for himself and the crow. He then shook two long eagle wing feathers over the mud until earth spread wide and varied, overcoming the waters. Feeling sadness for the dry land, the Creating Power cried tears that became oceans, streams, and lakes. He named the new land Turtle Continent in honor of the turtle who provided the mud from which it was formed.

The Creating Power then took many animals and birds from his great pipe bag and spread them across the earth. From red, white, black, and yellow earth, he made men and women. The Creating Power gave the people his sacred pipe and told them to live by it. He warned them about the fate of the people who came before them. He promised all would be well if all living things learned to live in harmony. But the world would be destroyed again if they made it bad and ugly.

Source

Navajo (American Aborigine tribe of Southern US)

The first people came up through three worlds and settled in the fourth world. They had been driven from each successive world because they had quarreled with one another and committed adultery. 

In previous worlds they found no other people like themselves, but in the fourth world they found the Kisani or Pueblo people. 

The surface of the fourth world was mixed black and white, and the sky was mostly blue and black. There were no no sun, no moon, no stars, but there were four great snow-covered peaks on the horizon in each of the cardinal directions. 

Late in the autumn they heard in the east the distant sound of a great voice calling. They listened and waited, and soon heard the voice nearer and louder than before. Once more they listened and heard it louder still, very near. 

A moment later four mysterious beings appeared. These were White Body, god of this world; Blue Body, the sprinkler; Yellow Body; and Black Body, the god of fire [Probably had an asbestos suit on.  Ha, ha, ha]. Using signs but without speaking, the gods tried to instruct the people, but they were not understood. 

[This is very interesting, because there is one version of the Chinese creation myth, which says that Pangu created humans with the help of a white tiger, a blue/green dragon,  yellow/red phoenix, and a black tortoise.  Now, if that isn't scary, then I don't know what is!]

When the gods had gone, the people discussed their mysterious visit and tried without success to figure out the signs. The gods appeared on four days in succession and attempted to communicate through signs, but their efforts came to nothing. 

On the fourth day when the other gods departed, Black Body remained behind and spoke to the people in their own language: "You do not seem to understand our signs, so I must tell you what they mean. We want to make people who look more like us. You have bodies like ours, but you have the teeth, the feet and the claws of beasts and insects. The new humans will have hands and feet like ours. Also, you are unclean; you smell bad. We will come back in twelve days. Be clean when we return." 

On the morning of the twelfth day the people washed themselves well. Then the women dried their skin with yellow cornmeal, the men with white cornmeal. Soon they heard the distant call, shouted four times, of the approaching gods. 

When the gods appeared, Blue Body and Black Body each carried a sacred buckskin. White Body carried two ears of corn, one yellow, one white, each covered completely with grains. The gods laid one buckskin on the ground with the head to the west, and on this they placed the two ears of corn with their tips to the east. Under the white ear they put the feather of a white eagle; under the yellow the feather of a yellow eagle. 

Then they told the people to stand back and allow the wind to enter. Between the skins the wind wind blew from the east and the yellow wind from the west. While the wind was blowing the eight of the gods, the Mirage People, came and walked around the objects on the ground four times. As they walked, the eagle feathers, whose tips protruded from the buckskins, were seen to move. 

When the Mirage People had finished their walk, the upper buckskin was lifted. The ears of corn had disappeared; a man and a woman lay in their place. The white ear of corn had become the man, the yellow ear the woman, First Man and First Woman. It was the wind that gave them life, and it is the wind that comes out of our mouths now that gives us life.  

When this ceases to blow, we die.

Source 

Kenya

The Akamba say that God lowered the first pair or two of mankind from the clouds to the earth. They brought with them cattle, sheep and goats; and the two pairs reproduced so that their children intermarried and formed families of mankind on earth. In a related set of myths, it is held that among the Maasai and Nandi that men came originally from a leg or knee. This knee or leg belonged to some other being, evidently like men. The leg got swollen until finally it burst, letting out a male person on one side and a female on the other side. 

Source

Quiche-Maya (From the Popol Vuh)

.....All the animals of the earth and the ocean and the air had gone to their proper places, had taken on the life that had been given them, but they could not name the old ones. Each animal spoke with the voice of its kind but could not speak the names that they had been commanded to speak.

     And so, the old ones [the gods] spoke once again:

     You do not obey us, and so your lives will be very different. You will live lives of fear, lives spent in causing fear and in feeling fear. You will eat other animals, and you will be eaten.

     Then, they dipped their hands into the wet clay and formed new beings, but these were weak and crumbled and did not have the gift of understanding. [First attempt to create humans]

     Next, the old ones gathered wood and made new beings, beings that could stand, like the trees from which they were made, but when they fell, like the trees from which they were made, they could not stand again. They walked without knowing where they walked, without knowledge of who had made them. So the old ones sent fire to burn them, and then a flood to wash away the ashes. [Second attempt to create humans]

     After the flood, the animals hid in the forests, and in the fields, corn sprouted. With corn and water, the old ones shaped four beings, four men, and the animals watched. These men were in some ways like the beings of clay and the beings of wood. But they had within themselves knowledge of the earth and the ocean and the sky, and they had voices to express that knowledge: [Third time's a charm]

     We know who we are, and we know who made us. We know that there is much more that we do not know, but we know that in time, it will be shown to us.

     Then, they fell into a deep sleep, and while the slept, the old ones made women to be their companions. And so, the earth was populated, and the new generations worked and prayed and learned the names in which they heard the story of their birth and of their life and of their death. So let us, even now, remember and honor the names of Water, Fire, and Thunder, and let us listen to the stories that we hear in those names.

Source

Australian

There was a time when everything was still. All the spirits of the earth were asleep - or almost all. The great Father of All Spirits was the only one awake. Gently he awoke the Sun Mother. As she opened her eyes a warm ray of light spread out towards the sleeping earth. The Father of All Spirits said to the Sun Mother, 
"Mother, I have work for you. Go down to the Earth and awake the sleeping spirits. Give them forms." 

[bla, bla, bla... the creation of the animals took place]

At first the animal children lived together peacefully, but eventually envy crept into their hearts. They began to argue. The Sun Mother was forced to come down from her home in the sky to mediate their bickering. She gave each creature the power to change their form to whatever they chose. However she was not pleased with the end result. The rats she had made had changed into bats; there were giant lizards and fish with blue tongues and feet. However the oddest of the new animals was an animal with a bill like a duck, teeth for chewing, a tail like a beavers and the ability to lay egg. It was called the platypus. 

The Sun Mother looked down upon the Earth and thought to herself that she must create new creatures less the Father of All Spirits be angered by what she now saw. She gave birth to two gods:  the Morning Star (male) and the Moon (female).  Two children were born to the Morning Star and Moon, and these she sent to Earth. They became our [human] ancestors. She made them superior to the animals because they had part of her mind and would never want to change their shape. 

Source

Another Australian Myth

There was a great Creator, known by such tribal names as Baiamai, Punjil, Nuralli, who made all things, and who still lives in the heavens above; in the work of creation, he carried a great knife, with which to shape the toil of his hands; in this work he is assisted by a demiurge whom the Kamalarai tribe call Dharamulan, and certain birds and animals are also associated with him as agents; Punjil first made two men each of a lump of clay, which he gradually fashioned from the feet upwards into the human form; and, as the figures grew in symmetry and beauty, he danced round them, well satisfied with his work; then he breathed very hard on them and they lived, and began to move about as full-grown men. The one had straight hair, and the other had curly hair.

Punjil's brother had control of all waters, great and small; and so, one day, he brought up by a hook from a muddy-pool two young women, and they became the companions of the two men. Some time after, Punjil came down and visited the camp of the humans; and, becoming very angry, he used his great knife on the men, women, and children there, and cut them into very small pieces, which still lived and wriggled about like worms; these he carried into the sky, and then dropped them wherever he pleased; the pieces became men and women, and peopled the whole land.

[maybe 'worms' = DNA strands]

Source

Samoa

Tangaloa, the creator, the only being that existed in the great expanse before the world was made, created islands in the sea by simply thinking and they arose from the sea.  But the newly-created islands were, as yet, rough and rugged and unfit for the occupation of humans; and so Tangaloa came down and tread upon them, and prepared them for people to dwell upon. And, he [it, whatever] looked on all his work, and said, 'It is good.' To people these lands, he causes Tangaloa-sāváli to take a native climbing-plant, a Fue, and lay it outside in the sun. Under the Sun's heat, its juice brought forth a great multitude of worms; these, Tangaloa fashioned into men and women, and gave them intelligence, and thus he peopled the lands.

[There seems to be a double entandra, because Fue is also said to be Tangaloa's son, as well as a vine, that grows on the Samoan island(s)].

[Perhaps 'worms' = DNA strands]

Source

Caucasoid:

Mongoloid:

Negroid

Meso-South American

Polynesian