The World on the Turtle's Back Questions 4-7

4) The World on The Turtle’s Back compares to another creation myth, Adam and Eve. There was a tree of the knowledge of good and evil that grew in the Garden of Eden in which Adam and Eve lived. They were not allowed eat the fruit that it bore, or they would die. Eve is persuaded into trying the fruit by a serpent, and convinces Adam to do the same. In both myths, the women eat something sacred, therefore leading to creation and exploration.

5) The right-handed twin was honest, always tried to do what was right. The left-handed twin was very dishonest, and always did the opposite of what was right. The Iroquois honored these brothers balanced the world out, making the ratio of everything good enough so that life can be successful. The twins show the balance of good and evil in the world. The right-handed twin represented the daylight and everything that was good in the world and the left-handed was the night and everything dark in the world.

6) The Iroquois’ attitude towards nature is that it is a central part of their history in cultures because they depended on it for sustenance. Their have multiple gods, and have two main gods- the left-handed twin and the right-handed twin. The Iroquois believed in an equal balance between the two gods. In the Iroquois society, tobacco was used in a lot of various ceremonies. They also believed in dancing a certain way to help the crops grow. The Iroquois knew the importance of both good and evil, and worshipped both. They understood the need to have a balance between the two.

7) Yes, it gives an explanation of why the human race exists as we are, and it offers an explanation for where we came from. The sky world is like a heaven, its inhabitants functioning as gods. It showcases the battle between good and evil, and how the world needs balance to function. It also shows how plants and animals came to exist (clay). It also explains night, day, and the moon. Like all creation myths, it gives people a reason for their being and something to believe in.