Aboriginal Studies 10 RVS: Mohawk Creation Story

CREATION OF THE WORLD

In our Creation Story there was a woman that came from another world. And at one time, that world came close to this planet. And that woman came here during that time. She is our great, great Grandmother for humans. She had different names. One was Ajinjagaayonh, which means A Matured Flower. Sometimes we call her Sky-woman.

When Sky-woman came here, this planet had no land; it was a planet of water. And she was aided by the birds to get here safely. And a turtle came up and they put the woman on that turtle’s back. And She brought things from that other world when she came here: strawberries, and raspberries, and peaches. So when she was on the turtle, the animals went after the dirt that’s under the water. And they all died except one, but they brought that dirt up, and they put it on the turtle. And Sky Woman walked counter-clockwise around that turtle’s back, and that’s what made the miracle of birth happen. That’s what made seeds turn into humans, and what made a little tiny corn get to be a tall corn stock. And as she went around counter-clockwise, she chanted songs that came from that other world. Some people say that’s where our feather dance came from; that’s what she was doing. And as she went further, that miracle of birth was multiplied. And the turtle turned into the Earth, this continent, and the ground multiplied, and grew. So that’s why in all our Longhouse ceremonies we keep going in our circle that way, so the corn and beans will keep growing, and the trees will keep growing - because She made it grow. And She told us, that’s the way it’s done where she came from. Since that time, we never stopped going around in a sacred circle, counter-clockwise, following our Grandmother.

In Ojibwe or Lakota country, they go the other way, clockwise. But my elders taught me to respect that. Because when the Creator talked to the Ojibwe and Lakota, he told them what to do, and I cannot question that. So when I go to Ojibwe or Lakota country, I follow how they go, with no questions, with complete respect. They dance clockwise, and if they ask me to dance, I go right with them. And when the real Ojibwe or Lakota come here, they’re the same. They dance our way with us, no hesitation. This is the way we were told to do it by our Elders – with respect.

CREATION OF THE TWINS

So the Sky-Woman’s daughter is our Mother Earth. And that daughter died giving birth to twin brothers. And when that Sky Woman’s daughter died, she lay on the ground and they covered her with a mound of dirt. See, they used to mound the dead; they didn’t dig down and bury them deep in a grave. All through the Midwestern States, you see mounds that are a quarter mile high, and sometimes miles long. That’s from a long time ago. It’s all tied to those stories.

And of the two twin brothers that were born of Sky-Woman’s daughter, one is the night, and the other is the day - that’s the sun. And the Sky Woman favoured the nighttime brother; she didn’t like the other twin. There’s a whole long story behind that. But that’s why we call the Sky Woman Grandmother Moon: when you see the moon, that’s her. And Grandmother Moon is always with the night. Once in a while you see her shining in the daytime: because, periodically, she will go and visit her other son, who she didn’t like.

So that’s why we call them Old Brother Sun, Mother Earth, and Grandmother Moon. See, the Sky-Woman, who became Grandmother Moon, gave birth to Mother Earth, who in turn gave birth to the twins, the night and the day – or the sun, our Old Brother.

CREATION OF HUMANS

The twins, the night and the day, created us humans. See, the sun is like the Creator, in a way, making life. The light of the sun is the hands and arms of the Creator. And he’s balanced by his brother, the night.

And our spirits have three parts because when the twins finished making humans and animals, they put them in a fire and cooked them. And then when they finished cooking them, they opened their mouths, and blew in there three times. That’s what made their eyes blink and their arms move, and they had life.

And so, when we are born, each one of us has three spirits, or souls. It’s like sweetgrass: when you take three parts and braid them, they become one. And so when we are born, three different sources of energy make us the one person that we are. And then when we die, that braid comes unraveled. And each one has to go back to its origin.

And one of them goes back to the other world far above us, the place in the sky where that old Grandmother came from. Because she used the twins to make humans, and one part of our spirit came from that skyward direction. So one part of us goes back there.

And the second part came from the energy power of this planet below us, from our Mother Earth, from where the twins, the night and day, were born. It’s like taking coals from a big fire and moving them to make a new fire. That power came from that first fire, and when it’s done, that’s where it’s going back.

And then the third part, that’s the material soul. That’s the one that’s from the dirt, the body of our Mother Earth. So it goes back there.

So there’s three parts of our spirit that go back at death: two to the Earth and one to the Sky. And because we live here, our main home is here, and most of our life is here, there’s two that go back here, and one up there.

That’s why, whenever Lodenausaunee people pray, at the sunrise, or tobacco burning, they always take three big breaths of air and holler three times: to show the Creator and Mother Earth that we never forgot how we got here, and why we’re here – to show that we still know, that nothing ever derailed us since the beginning of time; nothing ever made us forget that original truth. And that’s why when you see the Senecas or Mohawks or Cayugas burn tobacco, you always hear them holler real loud three times first, proclaiming their humbleness: that it is You that give us this life, and the privilege to be here. Recognizing those three parts. Then they pray.

Last modified: Tuesday, 12 June 2012, 1:58 PM