Native American myths, legends, and stories are very rich in culture. NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE WAS DETERMINED BY THEIR ENVIRONMENT(GEOGRAPHY). In the telling of tales, many things can be taught or learned. This is one of the ways that many tribes kept their cultures alive. It was not just a collection of stories, but of their beliefs, their way of life, and their reasoning. Adults used myths, legends, and stories to explain to their children how the world came to be. Many legends are still told; some old, some new, but all are part of the culture that the indigenous (group of people who share the same geographic region) people of North America have had and still have.