Genesis Vs Iroquois
As Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth,” but according to the Iroquois, the creation of life took place in a much different way. Throughout the book of Genesis in the New Testament, the description of the creation goes by days. In the story “The World on a Turtle’s Back,” the creation of Earth happens in a series of events, all caused by the gods in the Sky World. According to the Hebrews, the sky and Earth were created by the commanding of God, unlike what the Iroquois foretold. Consequently, God was said to have commanded that the Earth create all sorts of animals, including wild and tame ones, but the Iroquois state that the left-handed and right-handed twins created the animals that still roam Earth to this day. Moreover, in the Iroquois myth, the formation of man occurred when the pregnant
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wife of the Sky World gave birth to a daughter on what is now Earth, and that daughter gave birth to two sons, one of which created humans.
In the story “The World on a Turtle’s Back,” Earth is created during a series of events caused by descendants of gods from the Sky World. In the book of Genesis, Earth is said to have been created in a series of days, and the creation was a work of God. For example, while it says in Genesis that God created sky, the sky already existed in “The World on a Turtle’s Back,” and was where the Sky gods resided. Also, throughout the story told by the Iroquois, the gods from the sky world are responsible for the creation of
Earth, rather than one single God.
Unlike in the story “The World on a Turtle’s Back,” animals in the book of Genesis are created when God says, “I command the Earth to give life to all kinds of tame animals, wild animals, and reptiles.” Comparatively, the animals in the
Iroquois story are created by the left-handed and right-handed twins. According to the story, the left-handed twin created aggressive and carnivorous animals such as the bear and weasel, while the right-handed twin created smarter and tamer animals such as the ground squirrel and the porcupine. Correspondingly, the balance that occurs between the animals of Earth is due to the differences between the left and right-handed twins. Unlike the left-handed twin, the right-handed twin created creatures that would outsmart the ferocious animals that his brother brought to life. Sure enough, the left-handed twin continued to create a series of different animals that could slaughter the creatures his brother put on Earth. In the end, the two different categories of creatures balanced each other out, and to this day, this balance is what maintains populations in all
ecosystems.
Uniquely, the formation of man is told in two different ways between the Hebrews and Iroquois. As the Hebrews believed, God created man almost last, after the creation of the rest of Earth. In the bible, God says, “Now we will make humans, and they will be like us.” Later on in the story, God takes a handful of soil and creates a man. Unlike this version of how man came to be, the Iroquois believed that man was created by the right-handed twin, but the left-handed twin was foretold to have done a majority of the creation also.
In summary, there were many differences and similarities between the two different stories of creation. Throughout the book of Genesis, the description of the creation goes by days, rather than in a series of different events. In the book of Genesis, God commands that the sky be created, but in “The World on a Turtle’s Back” the sky already exists. Lastly, the creation of man is different in the two stories told by the Hebrews and the Iroquois.
wife of the Sky World gave birth to a daughter on what is now Earth, and that daughter gave birth to two sons, one of which created humans.
In the story “The World on a Turtle’s Back,” Earth is created during a series of events caused by descendants of gods from the Sky World. In the book of Genesis, Earth is said to have been created in a series of days, and the creation was a work of God. For example, while it says in Genesis that God created sky, the sky already existed in “The World on a Turtle’s Back,” and was where the Sky gods resided. Also, throughout the story told by the Iroquois, the gods from the sky world are responsible for the creation of
Earth, rather than one single God.
Unlike in the story “The World on a Turtle’s Back,” animals in the book of Genesis are created when God says, “I command the Earth to give life to all kinds of tame animals, wild animals, and reptiles.” Comparatively, the animals in the
Iroquois story are created by the left-handed and right-handed twins. According to the story, the left-handed twin created aggressive and carnivorous animals such as the bear and weasel, while the right-handed twin created smarter and tamer animals such as the ground squirrel and the porcupine. Correspondingly, the balance that occurs between the animals of Earth is due to the differences between the left and right-handed twins. Unlike the left-handed twin, the right-handed twin created creatures that would outsmart the ferocious animals that his brother brought to life. Sure enough, the left-handed twin continued to create a series of different animals that could slaughter the creatures his brother put on Earth. In the end, the two different categories of creatures balanced each other out, and to this day, this balance is what maintains populations in all
ecosystems.
Uniquely, the formation of man is told in two different ways between the Hebrews and Iroquois. As the Hebrews believed, God created man almost last, after the creation of the rest of Earth. In the bible, God says, “Now we will make humans, and they will be like us.” Later on in the story, God takes a handful of soil and creates a man. Unlike this version of how man came to be, the Iroquois believed that man was created by the right-handed twin, but the left-handed twin was foretold to have done a majority of the creation also.
In summary, there were many differences and similarities between the two different stories of creation. Throughout the book of Genesis, the description of the creation goes by days, rather than in a series of different events. In the book of Genesis, God commands that the sky be created, but in “The World on a Turtle’s Back” the sky already exists. Lastly, the creation of man is different in the two stories told by the Hebrews and the Iroquois.