The Importance Of Myth In The Earth On Turtle's Back

How does this myth
 fulfill
 the
 four 
functions 
of 
myths? (look 
on 
p.
31
 in 
your
 textbook 
or 
p.
37 
in
 the
 online
book)

Scientists have found that the Earth was formed about 4.6 billion years ago by collisions in the giant disc-shaped cloud of material that also formed the Sun. As gravity slowly gathered this gas and dust together into clumps, it became asteroids and small early planets called planetesimals. These objects collided repeatedly and gradually got bigger, building up the planets in the Solar System. Although scientists are very close to answering the question, they still continue to search for the exact answer to how the Earth was created. With all the evidence presented, it is hard to refute from scientific theories. This becomes cumbersome to many religions because in their eyes God has always been the creator of the Earth.

Author, Henry David Thoreau and Mary Oliver are both very passionate about nature and what it has to offer in life, as well as the symbolism behind nature and its creatures in their works of literature, in “Walden”, and “The House of Light”, Both authors discuss their views of nature and the beauty of the world that they want to make familiar to their audience. In this essay, I’ll provide my reasoning behind this statement.

Creation myths have similar aspects involving the importance of issues allowed by the gods, nature, duality, and creation songs that all relate to the beginning of life, that are expressed in different ways. The Iroquois cultures in “The World on the Turtle’s Back” and the Hopi cultures in“The Four Kingdoms” both explore these different aspects specifically. They show how life can be created and maintained in different ways.

Many Native American myths commonly emphasized the idea of equality between genders, species, races, and age, in the Native Americans eyes, everything had had a spirit, and no one spirit was better than the other, this allowed the Natives to look at the world, through a deeper spiritual light. In the Native American myth The Sky Tree the chief asks his wife to save him by collecting a fruit for him, and when all goes wrong she is

The creatures in this story are very intellectual and have a system of understanding between them. This proves that the Iroquois people thought that animals weren’t mindless but intelligent creatures.

Stories are central to the Lakota way of life, specifically their story of how the world came to be. The Lakota Indians believe that the Great Spirit created everything. They say that there was once another world, but the Great Spirit was upset with those people because they had lost the sacredness of the land, so he destroyed it and made a new one. To bring water, he sang a song, but by the fourth song, the Earth was flooded. The flood killed all of the animals except the crow, Kangi, illustrating the necessity of balance in life. Kangi begged the Great Spirit for a place to rest, so the Great Spirit called forth four animals that could survive under the water, they were an otter, beaver, loon, and a turtle. The Great Spirit then asked them to go and retrieve some mud from under the water.

So her trek into the woods was to kill an elk, like she had done with her father. However, it was the encounter with two older men, who assisted in gutting out the elk, that she had learned the most. “Did this make them somehow, distinctly like… fathers and daughter? The two men becoming the soil then, in their burial, as had her father- becoming as still and silent as stone.” Here, the connection between human interaction, and experiences with nature is shown vividly.

The Native American’s way of living was different from the Europeans. They believed that man is ruled by respect and reverence for nature and that nature is an

The Apache Creation Story is a reliving of the creation that takes on a more personal, familial and dialogue-based approach to how the world and mankind came to be. The story depicts how the natural environment was created, from the earth itself to the four cardinal points to the clouds, the animals, and the trees. Because of the nature of the Apache’s nomadic life, the legend remains generalized in terms of its location. Typically the story is told in order to preserve their tribal history as well as social and instructional purposes. These occasions range from the campfire to rites of passage to simply a parent teaching their child of their historical identity. The legend of creation is central to the spiritual practices and beliefs of the Apache, especially when it comes to their relationship with the natural world. As explained in the first two phrases of the story, “animals, elements, the solar system, and natural phenomena are revered by the Apaches.” By sharing this story with younger tribe members, the Apache engage them in understanding their traditions. It also teaches them of the morality they must have and pass on when it comes to nature, as Montejo mentions (21). It tells of the role of all living beings on earth and the importance of them all working harmoniously to keep the universe balanced.

In the story “Coyote Finishes His Work” the importance of farming, hunting, and nature is expressed which are all aspects of Native American culture. Coyote teaches the people various life lessons including how to hunt, gather, make shelter, what to wear, and how to dance. The belief in Mother Nature is mentioned which showed that they strongly believed in devoting some parts of their life to her and they had cultural ties to nature. Old Man states that “All people will live together. Earthmother will go back to her first shape and live as a mother among her children. Then things will be made right.” This symbolizes that a higher being will return and create a more desirable living condition for all.

“Owls” by Mary Oliver is a complex and imaginative view of nature and an analysis of its beauty and, at the same time, frightening aspects through the lens of Oliver. Throughout her story, Oliver explores the paradoxical anomalies of nature: the beauty contrasted with the fear as well as the complexity contrasted with simplicity. Using sensory language, parallel structure, and alliteration, Oliver establishes her awe-struck yet cautious view of nature as a paradoxical masterpiece.

Storytelling continues to be an integral part of Native American culture, providing us with an understanding of what was important to the Native Americans. Through their stories, Native Americans expressed an understanding of the environment, and the relationship that existed between themselves and their environment. These stories also provide us with a look at Native American legends, history, and a collection of knowledge critical to their survival. Native American stories are deeply rooted in their relationship with Mother Earth. Their many years connected with land, life, water and sky has created many stories explaining these important bonds with Mother Earth. From ancient times the Native Americans have looked to their

The poem “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver connects the both the natural and human world as it compares human life to the travels of wild geese. Touching on the landscapes of the natural world and emotions faced by the average person; Oliver manages to use devices such as tone, metaphors and descriptive images to convey a message that helps a person view life from a different perspective. Oliver makes it clear that the relationship between the wild and the human is coexistence; where one universe continues on if the parallel seems to have stopped. Thus, Oliver is able to move the reader on a comforting journey as she entangles the natural world and human world, showing that the natural world has more

After the chief uprooted the Great Tree the young wife thought she saw something and fell down the hole the tree made. This generates concern among the animals because the woman has no place to stand and can’t live in water.The animals all try to dive deep below the water to try and bring up Earth for the woman. These actions show the kind of love one has when another is needed or needs help. It shows that the muskrat is the weakest and smallest of all animals but has a bigger heart. The message was that when all have failed try and try again never give up. The muskrat’s swim was hard and stupid. Her decision to make it was for a good cause so that's what made it important. Society benefits from the actions like those of the muskrat was