Haudenosaunee Creation Myth Student Copy PDF

Haudenosaunee Creation Myth Johanne Rabbat Dept. of Religion Haudenosaunee Creation Story What form of religious expression is this? Theoretical form (myth) Introduction Many indigenous peoples had & still have stories of creation that explain how they came to be & to live in their homelands. The...

Haudenosaunee Creation Myth Johanne Rabbat Dept. of Religion Haudenosaunee Creation Story What form of religious expression is this? Theoretical form (myth) Introduction Many indigenous peoples had & still have stories of creation that explain how they came to be & to live in their homelands. These narratives offer a glimpse into the belief systems present before Europeans entered North America. Many north-eastern indigenous peoples share a myth of how the world was created on the back of a giant sea turtle (some still refer to North America as “Turtle Island”). Many versions of this myth, including this version, are told by the Iroquois/Haudenosaunee nations. Introduction: Haudenosaunee Haudenosaunee (hoe-dee-no-SHOW-nee) literally means “people who build a house”; they are know as ‘people of the longhouse’. Name refers to a CONFEDERATION or ALLIANCE among 6 Native American nations commonly known as the Iroquois Confederacy. Each of the Six Nations has its own identity and speaks a distinct language, but many words are the same in all languages. https://native- land.ca/maps/territ ories/haudenosaun eega-confederacy  Iroquois Territory Iroquois Confederacy (originally 5 nations)later known as the "Six Nations”: Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, & Tuscarora peoples. https://americ anindian.si.ed u/sites/1/files/ pdf/education/ Haudenosaun eeGuide.pdf https://am ericanindi an.si.edu/ sites/1/file s/pdf/edu cation/Ha udenosa uneeGuid e.pdf https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal- reserves https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/aboriginal-reserves Haudenosaunee Clan Mothers http://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/clanmothers.html The Iroquois Confederacy was intended as a way to unite the nations & create a peaceful means of decision making. Through the confederacy, each of the nations of the Haudenosaunee are united by a common goal to live in harmony. Each nation maintains its own council w/ Chiefs chosen by the Clan Mother & deals w/ its own internal affairs but allows the Grand Council to deal w/ issues affecting the nations w/in the confederacy.  Haudenosaunee Clan Mothers http://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/clanmothers.html Title passed down hereditarily through a clan, usually passed on to her female relatives, 1st to her eldest sister or other sisters & if an appropriate person is not found she will then look to her eldest daughter & other daughters. If an appropriate person is still not found a candidate will be sought out in the rest of the clan. Safeguards the welfare of the clan by overseeing the actions of the Chief & ensuring that he is performing his duties in accordance w/ the Great Law. If a Chief acts improperly or is not living up to his responsibilities his Clan Mother & Faith Keepers will warn him about his actions. If he continues to act selfishly the Clan Mother may symbolically remove his antlers, thus removing his authority as Chief.  Haudenosaunee Clan Mothers http://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/clanmothers.html When a Chief passes away a Clan Mother selects a candidate to replace him. She will choose the candidate & present him to her nation. Like the Chiefs they choose, Clan Mothers must also live up to their duties & be good mothers to their children, knowledgeable of the Great Law & political structure of the Grand Council, honest & truthful & be a role model to the members of her clan. As well as selecting & deposing Chiefs, Clan Mothers are also responsible for naming children fr. their own list of clan names & approving marriages to ensure that a bride & groom do not belong to the same clan & thus to the same family.  Haudenosaunee Clan Chiefs https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/HaudenosauneeGuide.pdf Selected ‘Caretaker of Peace’: by Clan Mothers Chief of the Clan His duty: to represent his clan in the Haudenosaunee government & to help make decisions that affect the Six Nations. A hoyaneh is selected for life, & not for a defined period of time. https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/HaudenosauneeGuide.pdf HAUDENOSAUNEE CLAN SYSTEM https://americanindian.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/HaudenosauneeGuide.pdf * Patrilineal groups trace their line of descent through males. HAUDENOSAUNEE CLAN SYSTEM https://www.slideserve.com/rian/the-iroquois-haudenosaunee-confederacy HAUDENOSAUNEE CLAN SYSTEM What are they? Mohawk Clans HAUDENOSAUNEE CLAN SYSTEM https://a mericani ndian.si. edu/site s/1/files/ pdf/educ ation/Ha udenosa uneeGui de.pdf https://haudenosauneenationals.com/pages/about-haudenosaunee-nationals-lacrosse https://haudenosauneenationals.com/pages/about-haudenosaunee-nationals-lacrosse https://youtu.be/TPmlaMRiCjw?si=WwCLZewe_DyBhvd6 Want to see what lacrosse looks like when it’s played? https://youtu.be/A61-MsCkRpY?si=PZ6LiHwomyAZtQmI&t=52 https://a mericani ndian.si. edu/site s/1/files/ pdf/educ ation/Ha udenosa uneeGui de.pdf https://a mericani ndian.si. edu/site s/1/files/ Giving Thanks pdf/educ ation/Ha udenosa uneeGui de.pdf Haudenosaunee http://www.haudenosauneeconfederacy.com/storytelling.html  How is this creation myth passed down in First Nations Cultures? Oral Transmission In many cultures, myths are transmitted through the oral telling of stories. Oral Transmission Oral transmission: not any less valid than written transmission. Haudenosaunee Creation Myth As you listen to the story: What do you think the moral of the story is? What lessons does it teach? What is it meant to instruct? Tortoise & the Hare  Tortoise & the Hare  Tortoise & the Hare Tortoise & the Hare  Sky Woman: Creation Story What will be the moral of this story? What is it designed to instruct, teach, or impart to the listener? Hint: More than just one teaching!  Creation Myth illustrated by Ernest Smith (1936) First Nations Creation Myth Long, long ago, where we are now, there was no land, just water & creatures of the water. But, up above, there was a place called the Sky World. Now, in the Sky World there were beings who were in some ways like human beings & in some ways they were different. The beings in Sky World had more powers than human beings have. For instance, they could make things happen just by thinking about them. First Nations Creation Myth There was a tree growing in the center of Sky World. It was called the Tree of Life. On that tree grew many different kinds of fruit. Also, there were blossoms on that tree and those blossoms glowed. They lit up Sky World. First Nations Creation Myth The beings in Sky World were told not to disturb that tree. But one day, a woman who was expecting a baby, asked for a drink of tea made from the roots of the Tree of Life. Her name meant ‘Mature Flower’. First Nations Creation Myth When her husband started to dig around near the bottom of the tree to get at the roots, the dirt caved in & some say that the tree fell down. This was terrible. The woman went to see what had happened. Some say that she lost her balance & fell into the hole. Some say that she knew she was destined to go through that hole & so she jumped. Some say that she was pushed. First Nations Creation Myth Nevertheless, she grabbed some seeds fr. the Tree of Life as she fell. Because she fell through the hole in the sky, many people refer to her as Sky Woman. First Nations Creation Myth First Nations Creation Myth Down below, there was a flock of water birds flying through the air. Some say they were geese. Some say they were blue heron. Some say they were swans. One of them [water birds] looked up & saw Sky Woman falling. He spoke to the other birds & they decided to make a great blanket w/ their bodies & catch her on their backs. They caught her. First Nations Creation Myth They tried to bring her back up to Sky World, but she was too heavy & so they lowered her to the water below. A giant turtle said that they could put her on his back. That’s what they did. That is the reason some people call this place where we live, Turtle Island [i.e., North America]. First Nations Creation Myth Sky Woman thanked the creatures, but she said that she needed dirt in order to survive. One by one, the animals dove down to try to get dirt fr. under the water. Finally, some say it was the muskrat. Some say that it was the otter. First Nations Creation Myth But finally, one creature was successful in bringing a few grains of dirt to Sky Woman. She placed the dirt on the back of the turtle. She stood up. She sang & danced in a counter-clockwise direction & when she did that, the turtle’s shell grew & the grains of dirt multiplied. She dropped the seeds fr. the Tree of Life & they started to grow right away. When she finished dancing & singing, there was land & plant life as far as she could see. First Nations Creation Myth First Nations Creation Myth First Nations Creation Myth Some time went by & Sky Woman gave birth to a baby girl. The baby girl grew up. She was told not to walk toward the west, but one day, the daughter started to walk toward the west. As soon as she did so, a wind started to blow fr. the west & a cloud started to move toward the daughter. First Nations Creation Myth The daughter saw the outline of a male-being in the cloud. The daughter fainted. When she woke up, she found two crossed arrows lying on top of her stomach. She had become the bride of the Spirit of the West Wind. That’s who she had seen in the cloud & now she was going to give birth to twin boys. First Nations Creation Myth Those boys were very special. After all, their grandmother was Sky Woman & their father was the Spirit of the West Wind. The boys could talk to each other while they were growing inside their mother & they didn’t always agree w/ one another. First Nations Creation Myth When it was time for them to be born, the right- handed twin was born in the usual way. However, the left-handed twin decided to push his way out through their mother’s armpit. That’s how he was born, but it killed their mother. They buried their mother & fr. her head grew corn, beans & squash. Those are the staple foods of the traditional Haudenosaunee [Iroquois] diet. They are called The Three Sisters.  First Nations Creation Myth Fr. her heart grew sacred tobacco, which is used when there is a desire to communicate w/ the Creator. Fr. her feet grew the wild strawberry, which is known as The Big Medicine. Even in her death, the mother of the two boys was still making sure that they had what they needed to survive. She is called Mother Earth & to this day she still supports all of the people, animals & plants. First Nations Creation Myth The twin boys grew up & went about the task of creating everything that is found in the natural world. They made rivers, flowers, animals, & eventually they made the human beings. The left-handed twin became the keeper of the night & the right-handed twin became the keeper of the day. When they were done making their creations, everything was in perfect balance. https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/culture/sports/in-case-you-missed-it-best-photos-and-moments-of-this-years-wilc-2015/ First Nations Creation Myth When Sky Woman passed away, her head was flung into the night sky. She is still there. She is called Grandmother Moon. She reflects light at night. She helps the people keep track of time [as in "moons" for "months"]. She controls the rise & fall of the waters. She keeps company w/ the stars and the left-handed twin, the keeper of the night. She regulates the monthly cycles of all of the female life, which guarantees that new life will be born. She is the leader of all the female life. First Nations Creation Myth Eventually, the human beings were made. They are supposed to be the caretakers. They are supposed to make sure that everything stays in balance. However, it is the human beings who keep forgetting what they are supposed to do. The human beings forget to take only what they need & to leave the rest for the future generations to experience & enjoy. The human beings are the ones who forget that everything in the natural world is connected & is part of the same web of life & so should be respected. It is hoped that all of the people of the world will someday remember & respect their original instructions & take good care of their Mother Earth. First Nations Creation Myth What do you think the moral of the story is? What lessons does it teach? What is it meant to instruct? First Nations Creation Myth This is one very short version of the Haudenosaunee [a.k.a. Iroquois] Creation Story. The whole story may take several days to tell. Visit to the Three Sisters Garden at Dawson Visit to the Three Sisters Garden  Visit to the Three Sisters Garden A lesson in companion planting or permaculture Harvest fr. yrs past  Three Sisters Garden Permaculture (noun) The development of agricultural ecosystems intended to be sustainable & self-sufficient. Companion planting (noun) The close planting of different plants that enhance each other's growth or protect each other fr. pests. The Three Sisters Corn/maize, beans, squash 3 main agricultural crops of various indigenous people of Central & North America : maize/corn, beans & squash planted in a technique known as companion planting. Why plant these 3 together? The Three Sisters Corn/maize, beans, squash Companion planting The maize & beans often planted together in mounds formed by hilling soil around the base of the plants each year; squash is typically planted betw. the mounds. The cornstalk serves as a trellis for climbing beans, the beans fix nitrogen in their roots & stabilize the maize/corn in high winds, & the wide leaves of the squash plant shade the ground, keeping the soil moist & helping prevent the growth of weeds. In agriculture Polyculture: Practice of growing more than one crop species together in the same place at the same time. In contrast to monoculture (growing only one crop in a designated area), which had become the dominant approach in developed countries by 1950. Traditional ex. of polyculture incl. the intercropping of the Three Sisters, namely maize, beans, & squashes, by indigenous peoples of Central & North America, the rice-fish systems of Asia, & the complex mixed cropping systems of Nigeria. Three Sisters Nutritious? Nutritionally, maize, beans, & squash contain all 9 essential amino acids. The protein fr. maize is further enhanced by protein contributions fr. beans and squash seeds, while squash (pumpkin) flesh yields large amounts of vitamin A; w/ the Three Sisters, farmers harvest about the same amount of energy as fr. maize monoculture, but get more protein yield fr. the inter- planted bean & pumpkin. So, huge benefit to plating the Three Sisters together when compared to monoculture cropping, as the system yields large amounts of energy, & at the same time increases protein yields; this polyculture cropping system yielded more food & supported more people per hectare compared to monocultures of the individual crops or mixtures of monocultures. 5 Mt. Pleasant, Jane (2016). "Food Yields and Nutrient Analyses of the Three Sisters: A Haudenosaunee Cropping System". Ethnobiology Letters. 7 (1): 87– 98. doi:10.14237/ebl.7.1.2016.721. ISSN 2159-8126. JSTOR 26423653. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/adv/article-what-the-story-of-the-three-sisters-teaches-us-about- farming/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20fact%20that%20the%20sisters,gardening%20technique%2C%E2%80%9D %20Alexander%20says. https://a mericani ndian.si. edu/site s/1/files/ pdf/educ ation/Ha udenosa uneeGui de.pdf https://a mericani ndian.si. edu/site s/1/files/ pdf/educ ation/Ha udenosa uneeGui de.pdf The story of Sky Woman, part of the creation narratives of various Indigenous cultures, particularly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), teaches several important lessons: 1. Interconnectedness of Life: Sky Woman falls from the Sky World & is supported by animals in her descent, particularly the turtle, which becomes the foundation of the Earth (Turtle Island). This symbolizes the deep connection betw. humans, animals, & nature. All forms of life work together to sustain the world. The story of Sky Woman, part of the creation narratives of various Indigenous cultures, particularly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), teaches several important lessons: 2. Balance and Reciprocity: The story illustrates how life requires balance & reciprocity. Sky Woman brings seeds w/ her, which she plants on Turtle’s back, beginning the cycle of life on Earth. This suggests that humans must care for the Earth & give back as much as they take. The story of Sky Woman, part of the creation narratives of various Indigenous cultures, particularly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), teaches several important lessons: 3. Feminine Power and Creation: Sky Woman’s role in creating the Earth emphasizes the importance of women in creation & life-giving processes. Many Indigenous cultures view women as bearers of life & central to community wellbeing. The story of Sky Woman, part of the creation narratives of various Indigenous cultures, particularly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), teaches several important lessons: 4. Respect for the Earth: The story reinforces a deep respect for the land & the natural world, teaching that humans are part of the Earth, not separate fr. it. The Earth provides everything we need, & in return, we are responsible for protecting it. The story of Sky Woman, part of the creation narratives of various Indigenous cultures, particularly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), teaches several important lessons: Overall, the Sky Woman story teaches harmony w/ nature, the power of community & cooperation, & the importance of respecting the Earth’s gifts.  The story of Sky Woman, part of the creation narratives of various Indigenous cultures, particularly the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), teaches several important lessons: Recap 1. Interconnectedness of Life: Sky Woman falls from the Sky World & is supported by animals in her descent, particularly the turtle, which becomes the foundation of the Earth (Turtle Island). This symbolizes the deep connection betw. humans, animals, & nature. All forms of life work together to sustain the world. 2. Balance and Reciprocity: The story illustrates how life requires balance & reciprocity. Sky Woman brings seeds w/ her, which she plants on Turtle’s back, beginning the cycle of life on Earth. This suggests that humans must care for the Earth & give back as much as they take. 3. Feminine Power and Creation: Sky Woman’s role in creating the Earth emphasizes the importance of women in creation & life-giving processes. Many Indigenous cultures view women as bearers of life & central to community wellbeing. 4. Respect for the Earth: The story reinforces a deep respect for the land & the natural world, teaching that humans are part of the Earth, not separate fr. it. The Earth provides everything we need, & in return, we are responsible for protecting it. Overall, the Sky Woman story teaches harmony w/ nature, the power of community & cooperation, & the importance of respecting the Earth’s gifts.