Native America: "The World on the Turtle's Back" - Read

Question 1

important points about the Native American tradition

Answer 1

• Native Americans were not just one group; they were a diversity of separate tribes (over 300 cultures, 200 languages)
• there was no written language; they preferred an oral tradition of remembering and passing down
• with the coming of white man came war and sickness. some tribes lost 90% of their people. much of their oral tradition was also lost
• in the oral tradition that survived among the different tribes are many diverse yet similar stories. one of these is the Creation story or myth
• a representative example of this story is the Iroquois creation myth called “The World on the Turtle’s Back.”

Question 2

which is not true of the twin who was first born

Answer 2

wanted humans to have an easy life

Question 3

the ill young woman was pushed from the sky because

Answer 3

a young man was angry that she had caused the loss of their food source

Question 4

who helped the young woman who fell from the sky

Answer 4

the waterfowl

Question 5

in the beginning, where did the human beings live

Answer 5

in the sky

Question 6

when it was time to increase the size of the island, the twins

Answer 6

worked separately but agreed to examine each other’s creations