Turtle Island: The Story of North America's First People
North America Pacific Ocean Atlantic Ocean 8
Chapter 1 Finding Our Way to the Past The Way to Turtle Island g The Story Myths Tell g The Story Science Tells g The Story Your Imagination Tells g Together they are a path that takes us into the past 9
The Story Myths Tell Even though thousands of years have gone by we have ways to step back into the past One way is by listening to ancient myths or tradi tional stories that are handed down from one generation to another Writing and papermaking were not traditions among the peoples of North America Instead the past is captured in myths preserved for us thanks to memory and storytelling Some myths are based on facts some tell about the deeds of gods and heroes and some describe rituals Creation myths such as the story of Sky Woman tell how the world came to be Others explain what happens to us after we die And still others tell us how we should behave during the time in between Whether they are funny frightening or full of information myths are sacred to the peo ple who tell them listen to them and pass them on Myths don’t just belong to the past Indigenous people still tell the ancient stories because they value their spoken traditions as a vital way to understand history For instance geologists know that earthquakes were common in the past We know the exact date in late January 1700 when the last great earthquake shook the West Coast The tsunami it generated was even recorded in Japan Perhaps it also inspired the story Thunderbird and Whale Bill Reid’s Raven and the First Men was carved from a giant block of yellow cedar In Haida myth Raven found a clamshell on the seashore with tiny people emerging from it He coaxed them out so that they could share in the wonderful world 10 FindinG our WAy to the pAst
ØØØÙ the People of the Northwest Pacific Coast From the Tradition of Thunderbird and Whale Thunderbird and Whale were gigantic Whale was so enormous that every living thing in the world could rest on top of him As for Thunderbird he was also huge He could carry a whole lake on his broad back He was so mighty that if he shifted a single feather he could unleash thunder and make the lake send a torrent of water cascading to earth One day Thunderbird landed on Whale’s back He dug his sharp talons into Whale’s flesh Desperate to dis lodge Thunderbird Whale dove to the deepest part of the ocean But though Thunderbird was dragged underwater he wouldn’t let go As the two struggled and thrashed their battle unleashed a mighty buckling of the earth and ocean The story of Thunderbird and Whale is a memorable way to tell the story of an earthquake and a tsunami A Mohawk elder is speaking at a council meeting In her hand she holds a story belt woven with reminders of what she wishes to say Storytellers sometimes used stone carvings shells rugs or pottery to illustrate the stories they were telling or to jog their memories This wampum belt is a reminder for the Haudenosaunee people who live near the Great Lakes Special symbols and details of events were woven into wampum belts to act as cues to the storyteller
