The World on a Turtle’s Back Iroquois Myth
Myth (genre) Traditional story Creation myth Oral presentation Passed down through generations Explains why the world is the way it is Creation myth Explains how the universe, earth, and life began Oral presentation Story may appear differently when it is written down Varies from one teller to another
Creation myth Function of the creation myth Joseph Campbell To instill a sense of awe toward the mystery of the universe To explain the workings of the natural world To support and validate social customs To guide people through the trials of living
Iroquois Nation League of 5 separate Native American peoples Seneca Cayuga Oneida Onondaga Mohawk Existed in what is now New York State
Iroquois Nation Lived in longhouses & villages protected by fences Women planted and farmed Men hunted & fished Men also fought in lots of battles with other nations Created the Iroquois nation to keep from fighting and to get a larger group to fight against outside forces
Vocabulary Page 24 contend devious ritual succumb void
Cause and Effect One event (cause) directly brings about another event (effect) One cause can have more than one effect
Active Reading Chart What exists What caused it to be
Myth Function Examples
Myth Function Examples To instill awe
Myth Function Examples To instill awe To explain world
Myth Function Examples To instill awe To explain world To support customs
Myth Function Examples To instill awe To explain world To support customs To guide people
Prompt Analyze the creation myth “The World on a Turtle’s Back” as a literary genre that explains the workings of the natural world. Give two examples from the text to show this purpose of the creation myth. Explain the example completely.
Analyze Means to break the whole into its parts Tell what a creation myth is—definition Tell what the four functions of a creation myth are Say that “The World on a Turtle’s Back” is a creation myth Consider this your introduction paragraph
Give two examples Example 1 Choose one of the functions of the creation myth Tell what it is Choose an example of that from the story Put the page number Then explain why that meets the criteria for that function of a creation myth
Give two examples Example 2 Choose another function of the creation myth Tell what it is Choose an example of that from the story Put the page number Then explain why that meets the criteria for that function of a creation myth
Use Transition Words When introducing the examples: The first example is… First,… Second The second example is… When explaining the examples: In other words… This means that… Consider this the body of the paper
Conclusion Use transition words: Restate your main idea: Finally In conclusion Overall Restate your main idea: What was a creation myth? How did this story fit that criteria?
Prompt #2 Analyze the good and evil found in the creation myth “The World on a Turtle’s Back”. Give two examples from the text. Explain examples completely.
Prompt #3 Compare “The World on a Turtle’s Back” to the story of Genesis. Write about the similarities that you have found in both myths. Provide at least two examples. Explain the examples completely.