The creation of the earth

Journal Entry One
The Creation of the Earth from the Yuchi people and The Iroquois Creation Story from the Iroquois people show slightly different worldviews, yet both stories opinion of creation have the element of earth being built, created, as their titles each allude to. These stories worldviews are more alike than not because they each build from the view that earth’s creations come from a higher being or savior. The savior in each story consciously altered what already naturally existed of earth at that time. This element of creation by a something or someone is where the stories converge. In the Yuchi story the creators of earth are Godly animal-like creatures that have their own unique traits; this allows them to build the land, hills and valleys of earth together. In the Iroquis story the creators of earth are what the monsters (lower beings) of the story would understand to be the offspring and body of a mythical being from above, what they know to be called a human woman and her twin sons. The underlining creator in each story is “the mother,” contrast from the dominant Christian worldview, which emphasizes “the farther,” as the superior and ultimate creator. Both stories also personify light and the objects that give light.
Today’s human family dynamics can be exhibited in both stories. However, the story diverges as one portrays collectivism while the other portrays a child-centered family dynamic. Support is provided for this idea in The Creation of Earth, “when it was said, ‘who will make the light?’” (PG.1139) Yohan the Star, Shar-pah the Moon, and T-cho the Sun all agreed to make light, similar to the ideas of families working together in a collectivism culture. This quote also creates an image of persons or conscious beings providing the light themselves. After Yohan and Shar-pah fail to make enough light, T-cho says, “You are my children I am your mother, I will make the light. I will shine for you,” (PG.1139) Exemplifying T-cho as the savior who became a superior light.
A similar image of the mother providing light for her children is also provided in The Iroquois Creation Story. The Iroquois describes how the good mind created earth, “At first he took the parent’s head, (the deceased) of which he created an orb, and established it in the centre of the firmament, and it became of a very superior nature to bestow light to the new world, (now the sun)…” (PG.22) Showing a women’s body as the sun giving light to her children and the monsters of the lower world, clarifies the mother as the ultimate savior and supports a child-centered family from an individualistic culture.
They further diverge when each savior’s motivations are shown. In one the creators work together and prosper as a family shedding light on the world. The sacrifice is a conscious choice made by the mother. In the Iroquois story by contrast, the good mind uses his mother’s body to create orbs to give light to the world. The mother is forced to give herself to her children so they may prosper. Each story illuminates the mother as the dominant creator, but they diverge in different ideals of how or why the creation of earth came about.