HOME | DD

Description
Mother Turtle
A Wyandot (Huron) Origin Story

Many years ago the world had two parts. Animals lived in the lower
part,
which was completely covered in water and had no land or soil. Above
was
the Sky World, where the sky people lived. The Sky World had lots of
soil,
with beautiful mountains and valleys. One day a girl from the Sky
World
went for a long walk and became very tired.

"I'm so tired, I need to rest," she said. She sat down under the
spreading
branches of an apple tree and quickly fell asleep. Suddenly, there
was a
rumbling sound like thunder and the ground began to crack. A big hole
opened up next to the apple tree.

"What's happening?" screamed the frightened girl. She tried to move
but
it was too late. She and the tree slid through the hole and tumbled
over
and over towards the watery world below.

"Help me! Help me!" screamed the girl. Luckily two swans were
swimming
below and saw the girl tumbling down from the sky. "Come on!" yelled
one
swan. "Let's catch her before she hits the water." "Okay!" yelled the
other.
The swans spread their wings together and caught the girl on their
soft
feather backs. "Whew! That was lucky," said the girl. "But what do I
do now?
I can't get back up to the Sky World and I can't stay on your backs
forever."

"We'll take you to Mother Turtle," said the swans. "She knows
everything." After
hearing what happened, the Big Turtle called all the animals in the
water world
to a meeting. She told them an old story about soil being found deep
under the water. "If we can get some of that soil, we can build an
island on my back for
you to live on," said the Big Turtle.

"Sounds good to me," said the young girl.

The Otter, Beaver and Muskrat started arguing over whom would dive
for the
soil. "I'll go," said the sleek Otter, brushing his glossy fur. "No!
I'll go," said
Beaver, slapping the water with his big flat tail. "I'm the best
swimmer," said
Muskrat "I'll go."

"Aaaachooo!" sneezed the young girl." Please, please, would just one
of you go.
These swan feathers are getting up my nose and making me sneeze."

"Sorry" said the swans.

"That's alright," said the young Sky girl.

Then Toskwaye the little Toad popped up out of the water. "I'll go. I
can dive
very deep," she said. The other animals started laughing and pointing
at
Toskwaye.

"You! You're too small and ugly to help." Cried the others, laughing.

"Be quite!" said Old Turtle in a loud, stern voice. "Everyone is
equal and
everyone will have a chance to try". The sleek Otter smoothed his
glossy
fur, took a deep breath and slid into the water. Otter was gone for a
long
time before coming up gasping for air. "It was too deep," said Otter.
"I
couldn't dive that far."

"Now it's my turn," said Beaver, slapping the water with his tail as
she
disappeared. After a long time Beaver came to the surface again,
gasping, "It's
too far". "No one can dive that deep."

Then Muskrat tried next and failed.

"Aaaachoo!" sneezed the young girl. "This is not looking good."

"Now it's my turn," said little Toskwaye the Toad. She took a deep
breath and
jumped into the water. She was gone a very long time and everyone
thought
they wouldn't see her again.

Suddenly Otter pointed at the water, shouting, and "Look, look
bubbles!"
Toskwaye's small, ugly face appeared through the water. She spat a
few
grains of soil onto the Big Turtle's back, then fell back into the
water, dead.

Turtle ordered the others to rub the soil grains and spread them
around on
her shell. The grains grew and grew, until a large island was formed
- big
enough for the girl to live on. It grew into our world, Turtle
Island, as we
know it today. The descendants of the Sky girl became the Earth's
people.

Today, some people say the whole world still rests on Big Turtles
back. When
she gets tired and changes position, we have earthquakes.

Toad has not been forgotten either. American native Indians call her
"Mashutaha", which means 'Our Grandmother'.

The people always protect her from harm.

Description
Mother Turtle
A Wyandot (Huron) Origin Story

Many years ago the world had two parts. Animals lived in the lower
part,
which was completely covered in water and had no land or soil. Above
was
the Sky World, where the sky people lived. The Sky World had lots of
soil,
with beautiful mountains and valleys. One day a girl from the Sky
World
went for a long walk and became very tired.

"I'm so tired, I need to rest," she said. She sat down under the
spreading
branches of an apple tree and quickly fell asleep. Suddenly, there
was a
rumbling sound like thunder and the ground began to crack. A big hole
opened up next to the apple tree.

"What's happening?" screamed the frightened girl. She tried to move
but
it was too late. She and the tree slid through the hole and tumbled
over
and over towards the watery world below.

"Help me! Help me!" screamed the girl. Luckily two swans were
swimming
below and saw the girl tumbling down from the sky. "Come on!" yelled
one
swan. "Let's catch her before she hits the water." "Okay!" yelled the
other.
The swans spread their wings together and caught the girl on their
soft
feather backs. "Whew! That was lucky," said the girl. "But what do I
do now?
I can't get back up to the Sky World and I can't stay on your backs
forever."

"We'll take you to Mother Turtle," said the swans. "She knows
everything." After
hearing what happened, the Big Turtle called all the animals in the
water world
to a meeting. She told them an old story about soil being found deep
under the water. "If we can get some of that soil, we can build an
island on my back for
you to live on," said the Big Turtle.

"Sounds good to me," said the young girl.

The Otter, Beaver and Muskrat started arguing over whom would dive
for the
soil. "I'll go," said the sleek Otter, brushing his glossy fur. "No!
I'll go," said
Beaver, slapping the water with his big flat tail. "I'm the best
swimmer," said
Muskrat "I'll go."

"Aaaachooo!" sneezed the young girl." Please, please, would just one
of you go.
These swan feathers are getting up my nose and making me sneeze."

"Sorry" said the swans.

"That's alright," said the young Sky girl.

Then Toskwaye the little Toad popped up out of the water. "I'll go. I
can dive
very deep," she said. The other animals started laughing and pointing
at
Toskwaye.

"You! You're too small and ugly to help." Cried the others, laughing.

"Be quite!" said Old Turtle in a loud, stern voice. "Everyone is
equal and
everyone will have a chance to try". The sleek Otter smoothed his
glossy
fur, took a deep breath and slid into the water. Otter was gone for a
long
time before coming up gasping for air. "It was too deep," said Otter.
"I
couldn't dive that far."

"Now it's my turn," said Beaver, slapping the water with his tail as
she
disappeared. After a long time Beaver came to the surface again,
gasping, "It's
too far". "No one can dive that deep."

Then Muskrat tried next and failed.

"Aaaachoo!" sneezed the young girl. "This is not looking good."

"Now it's my turn," said little Toskwaye the Toad. She took a deep
breath and
jumped into the water. She was gone a very long time and everyone
thought
they wouldn't see her again.

Suddenly Otter pointed at the water, shouting, and "Look, look
bubbles!"
Toskwaye's small, ugly face appeared through the water. She spat a
few
grains of soil onto the Big Turtle's back, then fell back into the
water, dead.

Turtle ordered the others to rub the soil grains and spread them
around on
her shell. The grains grew and grew, until a large island was formed
- big
enough for the girl to live on. It grew into our world, Turtle
Island, as we
know it today. The descendants of the Sky girl became the Earth's
people.

Today, some people say the whole world still rests on Big Turtles
back. When
she gets tired and changes position, we have earthquakes.

Toad has not been forgotten either. American native Indians call her
"Mashutaha", which means 'Our Grandmother'.

The people always protect her from harm.