The World on a Turtles Back Iroquois Myth

The World on a Turtle’s Back Iroquois Myth

Myth (genre) �Traditional story �Passed down through generations �Explains why the world is the way it is �Creation myth �Explains how the universe, earth, and life began �Oral presentation �Story may appear differently when it is written down �Varies from one teller to another

Creation myth �Function of the creation myth �Joseph Campbell �To instill a sense of awe toward the mystery of the universe �To explain the workings of the natural world �To support and validate social customs �To guide people through the trials of living

Iroquois Nation �League of 5 separate Native American peoples �Seneca �Cayuga �Oneida �Onondaga �Mohawk �Existed in what is now New York State

Iroquois Nation �Lived in longhouses & villages protected by fences �Women planted and farmed �Men hunted & fished �Men also fought in lots of battles with other nations �Created the Iroquois nation to keep from fighting and to get a larger group to fight against outside forces

Vocabulary Page 24 �contend �devious �ritual �succumb �void

Cause and Effect �One event (cause) directly brings about another event (effect) �One cause can have more than one effect

Active Reading Chart What exists What caused it to be

Myth Function Examples

Myth Function To instill awe Examples

Myth Function To instill awe To explain world Examples

Myth Function To instill awe To explain world To support customs Examples

Myth Function To instill awe To explain world To support customs To guide people Examples

Prompt Analyze the creation myth “The World on a Turtle’s Back” as a literary genre that explains the workings of the natural world. Give two examples from the text to show this purpose of the creation myth. Explain the example completely.

Analyze �Means to break the whole into its parts �Tell what a creation myth is—definition �Tell what the four functions of a creation myth are �Say that “The World on a Turtle’s Back” is a creation myth �Consider this your introduction paragraph

Give two examples �Example 1 �Choose one of the functions of the creation myth �Tell what it is �Choose an example of that from the story �Put the page number �Then explain why that meets the criteria for that function of a creation myth

Give two examples �Example 2 �Choose another function of the creation myth �Tell what it is �Choose an example of that from the story �Put the page number �Then explain why that meets the criteria for that function of a creation myth

Use Transition Words �When introducing the examples: �The first example is… �First, … �Second �The second example is… �When explaining the examples: �In other words… �This means that… �Consider this the body of the paper

Conclusion �Use transition words: �Finally �In conclusion �Overall �Restate your main idea: �What was a creation myth? �How did this story fit that criteria?

Prompt #2 Analyze the good and evil found in the creation myth “The World on a Turtle’s Back”. Give two examples from the text. Explain examples completely.

Prompt #3 Compare “The World on a Turtle’s Back” to the story of Genesis. Write about the similarities that you have found in both myths. Provide at least two examples. Explain the examples completely.