Every culture on Earth has developed some form of creation myth to explain how they came to be and how they were placed in their environment. This myth typically explains how the land they stand on was formed, how the creatures and plants on this land were made and how people came to dominate this environment. By understanding what these myths are, anthropologists and others can begin to understand the ethics of the culture in terms of how the people understood their relationship with their environment, with other people and within their own community. The Iroquois people of the North American continent have a mythology that is significantly different from the Christian-influenced European mythology that came to conquer.
In Iroquois legend, the world was formed as a result of the combined efforts of the animals who were already there. There are, of course, various versions of the legend reported, but one thing they all agree on is that the nature of the earth is a bit of mud spread across the back of a giant turtle who floats endlessly in the sea below the island of the Sky People to whom all people on Earth owe their gratitude. The versions shift regarding the origin of the Sky-Woman who was the first being to come down to our plane of existence with some saying she was the child of the Great Spirit who had become pregnant illicitly (Klinck & Talman, 1970), some saying she was the wife of a man angry that she had become pregnant (Iroquois Creation Myth, 1997) and still others saying she had opted to come down because she was attracted to the seas below Sky-Island and wanted to start a new people (Hooker, 1996). To prevent her from drowning, the animals dove down to the bottom of the ocean and brought back mud and muck, but couldn’t hold it together. The turtle volunteered and the mud was spread across his back to become the continent of North America. The legends vary slightly again in discussing just how the continent was formed, whether it was the animals (Iroquois Creation Myth, 1997), the Sky-Woman as she awaited the birth of her child (Klinck & Talman, 1970) or the twins she bore (Hooker, 1996).
Perhaps the more accurate version of the myth provides a clear distinction between the Sky-People who were magical and the Earth-people who were not. The version reported in the Klinck and Talman (1970) version is considered to be more accurate because it was originally taken at an earlier time (in the 1800s) from a sympathetic and more direct source. This version claims the Sky-Woman gave birth to a daughter and together they worked to build the continent until the daughter became of age.
The man who came to marry her turns out to have been the great turtle, making the twins who are conceived a combination of Sky-People and Earth. The twins are sharply divided with one being good and the other evil, killing his mother during the birthing process and working against his brother in their continuing devotion to building a world with their grandmother. Eventually, the twins fight with each point of contention giving rise to a new people. Because the tones of their voices as they fought shifted and changed, the different peoples who were born in this way spoke different languages. Finally, the good twin overcame the bad twin and forced him underground, where he continues to try to cause trouble by spitting fire from the earth in the form of volcanoes.
This creation myth goes a long way toward explaining not only the human role on the planet and their origin, but also many of the natural processes that can cause terror and questioning. The origin of the continent highlights the people’s extreme dependence on the good will of the animals as a means of support and sustenance. Without the animals, there would have been no earth and without the turtle, the earth that is available sinks back under the sea. Natural events such as earthquakes and volcanoes are explained as shifts of the turtle in his eternally floating state or as attempts by the bad twin to disrupt life on the surface where the good twin was busily making life as sweet as possible for the people. From this myth, it can be inferred that the Iroquois people had a largely benevolent outlook on life in which all life was sacred and to be respected.
They generally lived in concert with their environment and with the other peoples of the continent whom they recognized as their brothers. However, they also understood that sometimes brothers made the fiercest enemies and that sometimes it was necessary to fight with one another in order to preserve the sweet life that the good twin wished them to lead. As a result of this understanding, it is probable that within the tribe, the people also worked hard to ensure a benevolent peace among them with a reduction in fighting but recognition that sometimes this was necessary. Depending on the version of the myth, it might also be recognized that there is an element of gender relations contained in it, emphasizing both the extreme importance of the woman as the source of all human life and her concern for the population of the continent as well as her lower status as compared with the Sky-Men.
Through the Iroquois creation myth, a great deal of information can be gleaned about the probable make-up of their early society. Although the tribes prior to the arrival of Europeans probably attempted to live peaceful lives in close connection with a natural environment that they revered as a living thing, they were also open to the idea that sometimes life could not be so easy. They recognized the possibility for great natural disasters such as giant waves, shaking earth or spouting volcanoes, but they also recognized their own dependence on the natural world for their well-being and support. While they understood they shared a connection with Sky-Beings and the other peoples of the continent, it was to the great turtle and the other animals that they truly owed their respect and gratitude. When the Europeans arrived with their Bibles and prayers to the sky, the Iroquois must have thought these pale people had lost all sense of perspective.
Works Cited
Hooker, Richard. “The Iroquois Creation.” World Civilizations. (1996). Web.
“Iroquois Creation Myth.” (1997). Web.
Klinck, Carl F. & Talman, James J. (Eds.). The Journal of John Norton, 1816. Toronto: Champlain Society, 1970: 88-91.