The Iroquois Creation Myth: "The World on Turtle's Back"

Iroquois view of women

Women were respected because they helped create and sustain the world

Courage and sacrifice

valued traits of the Iroquois The creation myth tells of the courageous muskrat, who 'disappeared into the cold depth of the ocean' when no other animal would. The sacrifice nearly ended the brave creature's life, but he 'was successful in bringing forth the soil to make the earth grow' and is remembered by the Iroquois people as 'the Earth-Diver." The myth reminds the people of the importance of courage and sacrifice for the good of all.

the title of the Iroquois creation myth, "The World On Turtle's Back,"

we can infer that the turtle is highly valued by the culture.

"The animals thought that perhaps there was dirt at the depths of the ocean, but they had never tried to reach the bottom before. One by one, they tried to swim down, but their attempts were futile. Finally, the muskrat appeared into the cold depth of the ocean. After a lengthy amount of time, he drifted to the surface with a tiny speck of earth in his hand. He appeared to be dead, but the animals prayed and chanted, and finally he stirred. The earth diver was successful in bringing forth the soil to make the earth grow."

It's attempting to explain how the earth came to be. More specifically, landform the character responsible for creating this land form The muskrat,What was so special about the muskrat? Why was he different than these other animals? we can infer that the muskrat had more skill or courage other animals. Notice that they had never tried to reach the bottom to conclude, based on this text, that the Iroquois people value courage and sacrifice. They probably have a special place in their heart for our friend the muskrat as well.

inferences

These are educated guesses based on the information found in the text

Iroquois

a language that is shared among Native Americans in the Northeastern part of the United States

oral storytelling

a method used for passing history, culture, and heritage from one generation to the next

creation myth

a myth about the origin of the universe, Earth, and all living things, like plant and animal life

values

a set of ideas or things that a culture considers to be of great importance and worth.

myths

beliefs