Native American Indian Alligator Myth

 In Southeastern Native American culture, they believe that alligators share their hunting powers with humans who respect the alligator's. There are tribal dance traditions in the Caddo and Seminole tribe. Going more in depth with searching I found a Choctaw legend titled "The Alligator and The Hunter" which justifies the beliefs Native Americans have towards alligators. The tale starts as a man who doesn't have luck of hunting deer and couldn't provide for his family. He was known in the village as the strongest but had bad luck as far as deer hunting. During his journey through deep swamps he would spot a deer and the deer's would run away every chance he gets to kill them. He hunted for 3 days with no success until the fourth day when he came across a alligator that was resting on sand. The season in the tale is late summer so the swamps are dried out. The alligator has been without water for days and the hunter felt that the alligator was having worse luck than him. The alligator and hunter came to an agreement of helping the alligator get to the springs with cool water, in return the alligator would make him a great hunter. The hunter was afraid that the alligator might harm him, so he tied up his legs and jaw in order to protect himself. The hunter and alligator kept their promises and the hunter had to follow a set of rules in order to become a great hunter. He would have to go up to a small doe, large doe, and small buck and only greet but not kill. Lastly, once he meets an old buck that has been on Earth longer and is ready to be captured, the hunter should kill the buck, greet and thank it for giving itself to him. The hunter followed these steps and became the greatest hunter, he told the village and they too became great hunters. This tribe the Choctaws are known for great deer hunting, and they've kept the alligators wisdom and teaching in order to survive.

The attitude towards alligators in the folktale is positive and they shouldn't fear an alligator, or kill. Analyzing the tale I think that its in favor of the alligators to not become extinct near this tribe's location but if someone believes that a alligator is trustworthy over their instinct of it harming them, then I think that could lead to a dangerous situation. But in the tale the hunter is precautious about the alligator harming him. In the portrait it shows the alligator being bind so it couldn't harm the hunter while on its journey to the springs.  Also, with hunting I've heard that  you should pay your respects to the animal you've captured or accidently ran over and thank/greet them. Especially look the animal in its eyes while it passes. Native Americans are known for being in tuned with nature and animals which is why they're able to survive without a lot generic resources. Maybe if American and others didn't hunt so many different animals, and would take the time to learn them, then possibly those animals would've repaid us in a ways we wouldn't notice.  

https://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TheAlligatorandtheHunter-Choctaw.html