Myth Analysis : The Iroquois Creation Myth

Before the Europeans came to Canada, Natives had their own culture, traditions and norms. These differences were obvious to the Europeans who sailed to Canada, their interactions with the Native peoples proved these vast differences. One major difference noted was that the Iroquois organized their societies on different lines than did the patrilineal western Europeans. Iroquois women “by virtue of her functions as wife and mother, exercised an influence but little short of despotic, not only in the wigwam but also around the council fire.” “She indeed possessed and exercised all civil and political power and authority. The country, the land, the fields with their harvests and fruits belonged to her … her plans and wishes modeled the policy and inspired the decisions of council.” The Europeans were astounded by this way of life.

Women also play a very vital role in the Iroquois governing system. In contrast to the society of the United States, the women are looked upon as equals to the men. They are very important in maintaining balance and harmony within the clan. The Great Law of Peace states that the women shall

Creation stories are tools used to try to explain the unexplainable. For centuries humans have been searching for answers to the what, when, why, and how questions that encompass life. Genesis and the Iroquois Creation Myth are two different stories that seek to describe the creation of Earth and the universe that surrounds it. Genesis describes a Christian perspective, particularly one of the most popular Western explanations to life on Earth. The Iroquois Creation Myth, on the other hand, takes a less traditional approach, while only mildly alluding to religion. The similarities between the two lie in the timeless battle of good versus evil.

The Hopi Legend and The World on the Turtle’s Back are two Native American myths that tell the story of how their world was created. Both myths are somewhat similar; however, the two myths are precisely different. In other words, both stories began with different events and views of understandings. To exemplify, the Hopi Legend begins with two Gods, Tawa and Spider Woman, who created a world using the forces of nature and magic to form life. The story later ends with a rich feeling of relief as Spider Woman leaves the people with rules to follow on, almost as if life can be perfected. To contrast with the Iroquois’ myth, The World on the Turtle’s Back are filled with flaws. The first event that led to how the world was created was when the pregnant woman fell from the Sky-World after coming near the Great Tree. The story ended after her daughter grew up and had two twins of her own, who created more of the world with the exception of perfection. Above all, two different myths share and differentiate features of symbolism, culture, and the

There were many notiable differnce between the the cultures of native american tiabes and their Europian counterparters. One particularly exceptional differnce is that Native American women seemed to enjoy a bit more respect, freedom, and even a little power. The politice of many native american tibes in a way centerned on women, although femail elders were not the leaders themsevels they frequently particpated in the politics of the tribe to some degree and even helped choose tribal leader.. Also spitituality and religious practices were a very important part of the native americans way of life and the women played a crucal role in number religous events. Furthermore A majorty of Native American societies would even have the childern

The Iroquois were a Native American tribe living in the Northeast of the North American continent before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492. The people

In the evening when being tucked into bed all a kid wants is for their parents to tell them a bedtime story so they can fall asleep with ease. Stories are always more interesting when someone is saying what happened because it feels so real and leaves a lasting impression. Most the stories in the world today are stories that were passed down through oral tradition. During the time period that pertained to Native American tribes they had similar traditions to one’s today. One of the types of stories these natives would recite to their family and friends were creation myths. A creation myth is a story that explains how people thought the world came to be. Although they are referred to as myths, they are actually what people believed in at the

“Let There Be Light”, A saying used to illustrate the illumination, or beginning of something. Through creation stories and myths, we can analyze, or have a better understanding of how past civilizations may have looked at life, science, and nature. I will compare the similarities, and point out the differences between the Greek culture, Christian/Jewish, and Iroquois Indian civilizations. How they characterized the primordial, creation, and the gender gap through narrative. This gives us insight to their societies values and beliefs at the time they were written. As discussed in class, and watched a video of Alan Watts speaking about the concept of something from nothing, the term Tao says that space and form go

Throughout history, different Native American tribes, such as the Apache, Iroquois, and Navajo people, have produced a variety of accounts of creation that perpetuated their own long-held beliefs. Native Americans have used tales to explain life's mysteries, improve their way of life, and uphold their own cultural identity. The diverse cultures have manipulated these creation stories to be told to fit customs and traditions, which revealed their beliefs about the creation of the world, the presence of the first people, the role of humans in the universe, and the accomplishments of gods and heroes. " They were strands woven together in the various tales and stories that defined peoples' identity and gave order and meaning to their lives. The most serious of these were myths about how the gods created and ordered the universe and about the origins of important things

The Iroquois society’s religion and beliefs represent a monotheism religion, which is the belief in a single god or a creator. The society called their god the, "Great Spirit.” They believed that the Great Spirit created everything on Earth. The Iroquois tribe also believed in other forces like the, “Evil Spirit", and the, “Good Spirit". The Good Spirit made all the great things in life. On the other hand, the Evil Spirit made all the dreadful things in life. This tribe also believed in an afterlife. They believed that in the afterlife, they will join the Good Spirit in this astonishing place. The Iroquois tribe believed in a legend. The legend includes this man called, “The Spirit Medicine Man”, and a stranger. The Spirit Medicine Man has

The first article provides a complete understanding of how Iroquois women’s cultural and traditional identity in 18th century. Carson mentions that both male and female have power in Iroquois society but they received power from different sources and present them in a variety of way. For example, woman is usually responsible for farming as to provide corns, beans, squash that they grew. The Men takes care of outdoor job such as hunting. More importantly, men tried to consolidate and extend their powers in every aspect. According to the article, “male chiefs governed the villages and the larger confederacy, but in order to build a powerful consensus behind their leadership.” As a result, this economic relationship between I men and women allow them to have right and prerogatives.

While studying the creation stories and the founding laws of both the Iroquois and Navajo tribes, it was evident that these tribes have traditions that are passed down from century to century which consist of their gender roles, relationships to nature, and religious views. All of these traditions allows us to learn about the common elements of Native societies, including, relationships to nature, kinship, and gender. The relationship to nature was something that was shared by the Iroquois and Navajo tribes. In Interpreting a Continent, the Iroquoian people were very thankful to nature for providing for their needs “…thanks to the earth where men dwell, to the streams of water, the pools, the springs and the lakes, to the corn and the fruits…”

Before talking about the creation story, I want to introduce a few facts about the Iroquois people. The Iroquois had six different languages including Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Tuscarora. They used bow and arrows, stone axes, knives, and spears to hunt and fish. Each Iroquois tribe had their own elected chiefs who would get together to make major decisions for the Iroquois Nation as a whole. The Iroquois Great Council exists even today.

“We place you upon those seats, spread soft with the feathery down of the globe thistle, there beneath the shade of the spreading branches of the Tree of Peace” (Dekanawida 49). The Iroquois use a tree to symbolize their binding law and peaceful constitution.

As the Iroquois Creation Story begins, from my point of view it starts stating that just how the good existed there is evil as making reference to the earth having monsters and the mankind. As followed to what nature and unnatural represent since the beginning for example; the woman is representing the mother earth and its spontaneous actions, leading to the twins on the other hand who would help in the representation of balance between right and left. One of the details I saw that the Iroquois Creation focused on the good twin since the moment he was born was nature, the one who in a future would help create the universe we live on now. Not forgetting the faith, in which it represents God in the bible as well. This by him having to have a