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Generations of Native Americans have told stories and created poetry for every occasion in their lives.
There are poems for healing, for mourning, for hunting, for harvesting, and for welcoming friends. Myths explain how the world began, where people came from, and the origins of local landmarks, plants, and animals. They also show the right way for people to treat one another. Here is one version of the creation myth of the Iroquois people, who live in New York and Canada.
▲ Long ago, before the Earth existed, sky people lived on an island drifting high in the air. There was no Sun, but flowers from a tree on the island gave off light. One day, a sky woman heard voices under her heart and realized that she was going to become a mother. Her husband was jealous and lost his temper. In his anger, he ripped up the light tree, which made a huge hole in the island. When the curious woman stepped up to the edge of the hole to look down, her husband pushed her in. The sky man immediately wished he hadn’t done that, but it was too late. The woman was falling through the sky to the water below, but as she fell, some sky people changed into ducks and they all flew together so they could break her fall. Below, in the water, some other sky people turned into water animals. A muskrat dived deep to the bottom of the water, brought up mud, and spread it on a turtle’s back. The sky woman landed on the turtle’s back and began to walk around. As she walked, the tiny Earth grew bigger. When the sky woman had finished walking, the Earth was as large as it is today.
