THE WORLD ON THE TURTLE’S BACK
1. WHAT GROUP OF NATIVE AMERICANS
CREATED THIS MYTH?
Iroquois Indians
2. WHAT IS A MYTH?
A traditional story with
supernatural beings or events
that explains how some
aspect of life came to be
3. WHAT IS THE SETTING?
WHO LIVES IN THE SKY-WORLD?
The beginning of the world: unpeopled
world and Sky-World
God people who were like the Iroquois
4. WHAT TWO CHARACTERS ARE
INTRODUCED IN LINES 7-8?
A man and his wife in
the Sky-World
5. DESCRIBE THE GREAT TREE. WHAT DOES
IT SYMBOLIZE?
Tremendous tree that had grown
forever; had roots spreading along
the floor of the Sky-World
Tree of Life
6. HOW DOES THE WOMAN LEAVE THE
SKY-WORLD? WHAT DOES SHE HOLD?
She falls through a hole in
the floor
Roots from the Great Tree
7. HOW DOES THE MYTH EXPLAIN THE
BEGINNING OF PLANTS?
Plants grew from the
roots of the Great Tree
when she planted them
8. FROM WHERE DO THE ROOTS COME
THAT THE WOMAN PLANTS IN THE
WORLD?
From the Great Tree in
the Sky World
9. WHO VISITS THE GIRL AFTER SHE HAS
GROWN UP?
A man who may be from
the Sky World, perhaps
he is the West Wind
10. WHAT CAUSES THE DEATH OF THE TWINS’
MOTHER? WHAT ARE THE POSITIVE AND
NEGATIVE AFFECTS OF HER DEATH?
Left-handed twin is born through her armpit.
Positive- her grave grew food plants that
were important to the Iroquois
Negative- Right-handed twin blames lefthanded twin for her death
11. WHAT DOES THE CONFLICT BETWEEN
THE TWINS SYMBOLIZE?
The “birth” of the struggle
between good and evil in
the world
12. PARAPHRASE LINES 113-114.
The good and bad
represented in the twins is
present in all humans.
14. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE LIVING
THINGS THAT EACH TWIN CREATED?
Right- deer, squirrel, porcupine, berries,
fruits, and other food plants
Left- mountain lion, weasel, bear, briars,
poison ivy, poisonous plants, medicines for
good (doctoring) and evil (witchcraft)
15. HOW ARE LINES 103-104 IRONIC?
The grandmother favored
the twin who had killed her
16. LIST A SIMILE FROM THE PARAGRAPH
BEGINNING WITH SENTENCE 172.
When the sun rises from the east
and travels in a huge arc along
the sky dome, which rests like a
great upside-down cup on the
saucer of the earth…
17. HOW IS THE GRANDMOTHER’S
TRANSFORMATION AFTER DEATH
APPROPRIATE?
She becomes the moon that
resides in the realm (night)
of the left-handed twin, her
favorite twin
18. WHICH TWIN LIVES IN THE SKY-WORLD?
WHICH TWIN CONTROLS “THE WORLD
BELOW”?
Right-handed
Left-handed
19. HOW DO THE PEOPLE SHOW THEIR
APPRECIATION FOR BOTH TWINS?
Daytime rituals to honor the
Right-handed twin
Nighttime dances and songs to
honor the Left-handed twin
20. FROM THIS MYTH WHAT DID YOU LEARN
ABOUT THE IROQUOIS’ ATTITUDE TOWARD
NATURE?
They respect nature and the
balance of nature.
20. FROM THIS MYTH WHAT DID YOU LEARN
ABOUT THE IROQUOIS’ IMPORTANCE OF FOOD,
GAMES, AND RITUALS?
Corn, beans, and squash are
their important crops; they
enjoy the game of lacrosse
and rituals to honor/celebrate
20. FROM THIS MYTH WHAT DID YOU LEARN
ABOUT THE IROQUOIS’ BELIEFS ABOUT GOOD
AND EVIL?
Good and evil are balanced
in the world, both are
needed