Michael Rapuano
Ms. DelGrego
English 3 L1
10/13/11
Woman as Creators
The Iroquois Indian’s creation myth “The Woman Who Fell from the Sky” is a
representation of the role of woman as creators in these myths and stories.
In the myth Sky Woman creates the Earth’s land mass with land collected by animals
from the bottom of the sea floor. She spreads the land around Great Turtles shell which produces
an enormous expanse of dry land called Great Island. Great Turtle was the creature who
supported Sky Woman so she wouldn’t drown because there was no dry land when she first fell
from the sky. The turtle is a symbol of life in many Indian cultures so it’s ironic that Sky Woman
makes him the foundation of Great Island. This “Great Island” is the lands the Iroquois inhabited
then and now. Many know this as the continent of North America because that’s where the
Iroquois lived and this story explains its creation using a woman as its creator. “Great Turtle
gave the earth to Sky Woman, who spread it carefully around the edges of Great Turtles shell.
The more earth she spread, the larger grew Great Turtle’s shell and the more earth there was to
spread.” This quote explains what the thesis states, that woman are represented as creators in
these myths and stories. Not only does she use the turtles shell as a base to hold up the island but
she creates more land seemingly out of the blue while putting it around Great Turtle’s shell. She
is the creator of the Great Island it’s her doing because woman are represented as creators in
these stories and myths.
The Iroquois must have believed in the importance of woman as creators not just of lands
but of creators of life. After Sky Woman creates the Great Island she soon gives birth to a child
who became known as Earth Woman. Sky Woman starts populating Great Island when she gives
birth to her daughter. Now sometime in the story Earth Woman gets pregnant by the east wind.
Who does she end up giving birth to? Man the most destructive or conservative inventors on the
planet today. There is always a good and evil side to every man which is why she gives birth to
twins. “Just as her birth pangs were beginning, Earth woman heard the twin sons within her body
angrily arguing about when and how to be born. Evil Twin, who was bold and selfish, was
determined o emerge first, from his mother’s armpit. Good twin, who was gentle and unselfish,
was content to emerge second from the usual way. So it came to pass that, while Good Twin was
being born, Evil Twin burst forth from their mother’s side causing her death.” While Sky
Woman created some good things, a mass of dry land and her daughter. It doesn’t exclude the
fact that woman can create bad things as well hence Evil twin. But the creation of Good Twin is
a counter weight to Evil Twin. So even though Earth Woman created evil she created the
opposite to keep order which is good.
The Iroquois Indian’s creation myth “The Woman Who Fell from the Sky” is a
representation of the role of woman as creators in these myths and stories. Due to what these
woman are able to create such as the first dry land “Great Island” and the creation of man which
in turn creates good and evil. These elements would later form the Iroquois themselves and the
world and all the creatures, land masses, and elements we see today.
Story: “The Woman Who Fell from the Sky” Author: Iroquois Indians