The creation story Iroquois
The creation story Iroquois is a mythical story of how North America was formed. It shows how the native inhabitants of America came into being. The story is about a woman who is expectant with twins, and when she tells her husband the news, he throws her out of the sky where they initially lived. On landing on earth, she gives birth to two sons, who become offspring of Native Americans. One of the sons ventures into different activities that help build the community and benefit other members while the other one becomes a nuisance to the people in the community. The red jacket, is also important in showing the culture of Native Americans. The red jacket is a reply to missionary Jacob Cram who about the invasion of whites in Native America. He writes in concern of their invasion in the land. He laments how Native Americans have welcomed the Europeans, but they return the good gesture by forcing the religion of a white God on them. Through the two stories, we see some of the cultural activities of Native Americans practiced.
Religion is one of the significant cultural activity that is prevalent in the two stories. Religion is whereby people believe in a supernatural being who has controlling power. In the story, Iroquois, the people in native, had their personal belief in the turtle whom they claimed as mother earth (Levine, 22). When the woman had landed from the sky, the turtle carried her on her back as the other animals helped in carrying the earth above them. In the red jacket, religion is presented where the author laments about the Europeans who have invaded their land with the aim of introducing their white God to them. The Natives already have their God that they believe in. They believe in a great spirit that created everything that is on their land. The presence of a supernatural being in both stories shows that Native Americas had a cultural belief to a higher power.
Family and togetherness was an important factor in the culture of Native Americans. In the creation story, the woman gives birth to two sons, one of whom grows with values that help the community. The mother nurtured the boys with love and care. Through their love for family, this encouraged them to be harmonious and consider the well-being of others. Through the creation of rivers and plants, the good brother created an environment for other creatures to survive. He even made fish without bones so that they could swim easily. The plants that he made were easy for a man to eat. Through this, care and compassion for others were instilled in the community. In Red Jacket, the author talks about Native Americans welcomed the Europeans, providing them with politeness (Gustafson, 198). The Europeans were made to feel as though they already belonged and only found friends rather than enemies. Through these acts, it is clear that Native Americans had togetherness were no one was alienated, even the visitors. However, the author laments that their goodness has been taken for granted as the Europeans want to introduce their White God to them. The Red Jacket is a significant form of well-being for a community, as the author wrote with the concern of the unrest that the missionaries had brought in their land. Through his letter, he seeks to defend the native religion.
Gender role was culturally significant in the culture as both men and women had different roles to play both in society and family. From the creation story, the woman is a life-giver as well as a caregiver. The sky woman lands on earth, pregnant with twins, and gives birth to the twins. After giving birth, she provides care for both of them until they are old enough to take upon their duties. One of the twins has a sound mind, and through this, he creates rivers and plants for other creatures to survive in. Through these acts, it is clear that the male figure in the community is seen as a provider. The man is also seen as a protector because when Sapling realizes that his brother is causing harm to the community, he goes into a fight with his twin Flint. He succeeds in beating him, and this brings harmony back in the community. In the red jacket, we see that the people that are sent to go to war are young people. Young people in Native American communities were seen to be more energetic, and they had the role of going to wars to protect the community. In Red Jacket, men had the responsibility of going hunting.
Farming and hunting was a cultural activity practiced by the Natives as a way of obtaining food. In the creation story, Sapling creates plants that are used as food by animals and humans. He made the plants soft so that they could be more edible. However, in this story, hunting of animals was prohibited as they had greater respect for animals because their God was a turtle. In Red Jacket, the community practiced both hunting and gathering. They grow crops such as corn, which they used to make bread. The author states that their God created animals such as buffalo and deer, which they hunted for food. They practiced hunting as a cultural activity to clothing themselves. They hunted animals such as the bears and beavers to attain skin that they served them as clothing. Hunting was a significant activity for the people in Native America as sometimes they would have disputes because of hunting grounds.
In conclusion, Native America had different cultural practices that were embraced by all the members of the community. The cultural activities included religion, gender roles, family and well-being, farming, and hunting. Through these activities, it is evident that they lived in synchrony with the natural world where the basic needs are similar. The cultural activities allowed them to have an identity of their culture. It is also evident that the Natives were compassionate about their culture and would protect it no matter the case.
Work cited
Levine, Ellen. If you lived with the Iroquois. Scholastic Inc., 2016.
Gustafson, Sandra M. “The Varieties of Religious Expression in Early American Literature.” A Companion to American Literature 1 (2020): 196-216.