Myth in the Yami culture help organize the different aspects of their culture into different parts. The "power of myth" creates taboos within the civilization which govern what the people do and what they must not do. These taboos are an immense part of what makes the Yami different from modern culture. The Yami's belief system is the upper echelon that they look up to, rather than a group of people who might be capable of governing them. Myth is a large facet when it comes to considering the Yami culture and how they live. The myths keep this particular society systemized and keep a firm, concrete base under the establishment of their culture. In this aspect, there is such a thing as the "power of myth."  The "power of myth" in this case, is that taboos that the myths create. Myths are usually a significant part of a religion, to explain how a culture was created, or how things in nature work, etc. And through religion are taboos created. In all religions, there are rules and regulations that must be followed in order to remain a part of that religion. All the rules and regulations of the Yami religion generate taboos; things that they are allowed to do, and things they are not allowed to do. When there are many rules and regulations against certain things, this is when taboos are created. In the bible, we have the Ten Commandments. Although they have a different word (Commandments), they are actually our taboos. Murder, stealing, adultery, etc. are all taboos for our culture. These taboos are just now easily violated, but they still have consequences in our culture. Our "myth" is also the story of God and Jesus Christ, and how the Ten Commandments came into existence. Our "myth" is followed and listened to. Therefore, this is how myths and taboos are interconnected. And through this connection the Yami form all their taboos. Taboos are only successful when a group of people believe in the taboo. When they believe in the taboo, it becomes true and also becomes widely practiced to avoid certain taboos. Of course, there are acceptable taboos, and non-acceptable taboos. Either way, the taboos are believed in by the Yami, which is what makes them taboos in the first place. Taboos are the answer to any questions that the Yami may have about their environment. For instance, if they do not know why they cannot eat a certain fish, it is because it is taboo. No other answer is needed for the Yami, nor do they question the "why" of why it is taboo. Taboos come into existence because the taboo item is highly associated with something that was taboo to begin with. If in a myth it is taboo to do a certain thing, then all things associated with that thing will eventually become taboo in order to avoid the original taboo. A cosmogony theory is usually a story about how a certain thing came to exist. Normally, it is about the creation of the universe, or the existence of the world. The Yami cosmogony consists much of the "Great Flood" myth as well as the flying fish. Something interesting about their cosmogony is that it is about how specifically the Yami came to exist. Although they do have different versions where people came down from heaven, it mostly starts when a couple living on Ivatan experiences a famine and send their daughter in a wooden boat to Irala (Songs of the Ancestors). The ocean stopped ebbing for a while, and receded. During this time, the daughter had grown a family and had died. The ocean started to rise again, and eventually almost everyone drowned. Only one couple survived, and they repopulated the island (Songs of the Ancestors). This is another variation of the Great Flood myth. There is also a hierarchy in the gods, starting with the top god, which trickles down to the lowly demons and spirits that make the Yami's lives very difficult and become the most important part of their religion. These gods may have created the Yami, according to a variation in the myths. They sent down a "heavenly being  onto the island" (Songs of the Ancestors). The Yami religion is, for the most part, polytheistic. They have different gods that are in control of different things, as well as many demons and ghosts. These deities and demons create things that the people must do or must not do in order to avoid the wrath of the same deities and demons. For instance, they have bamboos arranged in a way to resemble the cross. Although it is not the cross, they use it as a way to ward off any demons or evil spirits in the fields. They stick this cross-like object behind them for protection against their backs, where they cannot see. Although they can see ahead of them, it is difficult to see behind them (Lecture Notes). Another part of the Yami religion seems to be shamanism. Although shaman may not be the most accurate for it, in the village there is a person that knows things that only the gods should know. This person also knows the way to heal people of their ailments, and seems to even have p