The World On The Turtle's Back Creation Story
Creation stories are some of the oldest pieces of literature that exist. Before creation stories were written down and printed, they were retold through generations. Creation stories often describe to people who or what they are, why they are in a particular place, and how they should continue to live in that particular place. “The World on the Turtle’s Back” reminds the people of those three things.
In the creation story “The World on the Turtle’s Back”, the people are told who and what they are. As the story tells, “Far above this unpeopled world, there was a sky-world. Here lived the gods who were like people- like Iroquois (Iroquois 38).” The people are told that they resemble the form of the gods. This explains what they look like and why. The story states, “These two brothers, as they grew up, represented two ways of the world which are in all people” (Iroquois 42), so the people are not all good or all malicious. Specifically, this stories tells …show more content…
The story tells that the woman was rescued by the birds and that “The great sea turtle came and agreed to receive her on his back”(Iroquois 40). After the woman is placed on the turtle’s back, she wants to know if there is any soil for her to plant the roots that she was able to hold onto from the sky-world as she fell downward. None of the animals know where to find soil, but they suggest that there could possibly be some at the bottom of the ocean. After several animals unsuccessfully ventured to the bottom of the ocean, the muskrat is the only one able to gather some soil for the woman. Still on the turtle’s back, she “... took the tiny wad of dirt and placed it in the middle of the great sea turtle’s back. The the woman began to walk in a circle around it, moving in the direction the sun goes. The earth began to grow.” (Iroquois 40) Due to the fact that earth was produced, man was able to live in that
In the creation story “The World on the Turtle’s Back”, the people are told who and what they are. As the story tells, “Far above this unpeopled world, there was a sky-world. Here lived the gods who were like people- like Iroquois (Iroquois 38).” The people are told that they resemble the form of the gods. This explains what they look like and why. The story states, “These two brothers, as they grew up, represented two ways of the world which are in all people” (Iroquois 42), so the people are not all good or all malicious. Specifically, this stories tells …show more content…
The story tells that the woman was rescued by the birds and that “The great sea turtle came and agreed to receive her on his back”(Iroquois 40). After the woman is placed on the turtle’s back, she wants to know if there is any soil for her to plant the roots that she was able to hold onto from the sky-world as she fell downward. None of the animals know where to find soil, but they suggest that there could possibly be some at the bottom of the ocean. After several animals unsuccessfully ventured to the bottom of the ocean, the muskrat is the only one able to gather some soil for the woman. Still on the turtle’s back, she “... took the tiny wad of dirt and placed it in the middle of the great sea turtle’s back. The the woman began to walk in a circle around it, moving in the direction the sun goes. The earth began to grow.” (Iroquois 40) Due to the fact that earth was produced, man was able to live in that