1. Iroquois The Creation of Earth

2. Iroquois The Iroquois tribe was originally located in upstate New York. In their prime their empire included a large amount of the U.S, but they mostly occupied their villages in upstate New York. The Iroquois believed in many spirit gods. They also believed that whatever happened in their dreams had to come true. For example, if they had a dream that they were wounded they would ask someone to cut them slightly so that the dream would come true. Each village had a special longhouse just for ceremonies. One of the most important rituals the Iroquois practiced is those with false faces and medicine masks. All of the masks were different except for the fact that they all had a crooked nose. Any man who wore this mask was believed to have the power to drive away evil sprits and injuries. The Iroquois practiced a religion where they believed in many spirits. They believed in spirits like the sky, earth, and spirits. Each clan was lead by a clan matron, or the oldest woman. She controlled the food, selected the chiefs, and arranged marriages. The Iroquois also had a head council. Each village and clan had a council. Once a year the council met for days and created new laws and solved problems. Families were the clans. Each clan, or family was named by an animal. Once you were born into a clan, you were in that clan for life.

3. Once upon a time, far before the earth had even been created yet, a little island floated up in the sky. And in the center on this island was a big beautiful tree that gave light for the whole island.

4. On that island was where the special sky people lived. These people were always happy, and they always stayed the same. But one day, a sky woman found out that she was going to have two little babies.

5. This made the sky woman’s husband very angry. He was so mad that he tore up the tree of light, creating a large hole that showed the waters of earth down below. He pushed the sky woman right through it, letting her fall down to the earth!

6. She began falling on to the earth below, and before she could land two birds saved her and set her on the back of Big Turtle. Little turtle wanted to help the woman so he swam to the bottom of the sea and created land for her. Then she created the moon, sun, and stars.

7. Then the sky woman had two sons that she named flint and sapling. Sapling created all that was good. Like animals that helped the humans and rivers with boneless fish and plants for humans to eat. Flint created all that was bad, and ruined some of saplings work. He gave fish bones and put thorns on the bushes. He also created winter.

8. But sapling created spring to melt the winter, and drove flints monsters under the earth. And the Earth was created.