Many a legend has been written by the Elders.
Turtle Island is a name for Earth or North America, used by some Indigenous peoples in Canada and the United States, as well as by some Indigenous rights activists. The name is based on a common North American Indigenous creation story and is in some cultures synonymous with “North America.”
There are a number of contemporary works which continue to use and/or tell the story of the Turtle Island creation story.
Lenape
The Lenape story of the “Great Turtle” was first recorded by Europeans between 1678 and 1680 by Jasper Danckaerts. The story is shared by other Northeastern Woodlands tribes, notably those of the Iroquois Confederacy.[2][4]
Haudenosaunee
Sky Woman (1936), by Seneca artist Ernest Smith, depicts the story of Turtle Island.
According to Iroquois oral tradition, “the earth was the thought of [a ruler] of a great island which floats in space [and] is a place of eternal peace.” Sky Woman fell down to the earth when it was covered with water, or more specifically, when there was a “great cloud sea”. Various animals tried to swim to the bottom of the ocean to bring back dirt to create land. Muskrat succeeded in gathering dirt, which was placed on the back of a turtle. This dirt began to multiply and also caused the turtle to grow bigger. The turtle continued to grow bigger and bigger and the dirt continued to multiply until it became a huge expanse of land. Thus, when Iroquois cultures refer to the earth, they often call it Turtle Island.
‘Turtle Island‘ is the name for the lands now known as North and Central America. It is a name used by some Indigenous peoples who believe their land was formed on the back of a turtle.
Though regional versions exist, the core of this creation story relates to a time when the planet was covered in water. Different animals all tried to swim to the bottom of the ocean to bring back dirt to create land but they all failed. A muskrat was the last animal to attempt the task. The muskrat swam deep and remained under water for a long time. Eventually the muskrat resurfaced with some wet soil in its paws. Sadly the swim took the muskrat’s life, but Nanabush (a supernatural being who has the power to create life) took the soil and placed it on the back of a turtle. With this act, land began to form and so became Turtle Island.
Origin and Definition
Turtle Island is the name many Algonquian- and Iroquoian-speaking peoples mainly in the northeastern part of North America use to refer to the continent. In various Indigenous origin stories, the turtle is said to support the world, and is an icon of life itself. Turtle Island therefore speaks to various spiritual beliefs about creation and for some, the turtle is a marker of identity, culture, autonomy and a deeply-held respect for the environment.
Story of Turtle Island
The story of Turtle Island varies among Indigenous communities, but by most accounts, it acts as a creation story that places emphasis on the turtle as a symbol of life and earth. The following versions are brief reinterpretations of stories shared by Indigenous peoples. In no way do these examples represent all variations of the tale; they merely seek to demonstrate general characteristics and plots of different stories.
The Ojibwa and some other First Nations people, refer to the world as Turtle Island. Different people have different ways of telling the story of how this part of the world was created…sort of how the Protestants and the Catholics put a spin on their versions of Bible stories. But this is what I was told about how the world came to be.
Origin and Definition
Turtle Island is the name many Algonquian- and Iroquoian-speaking peoples mainly in the northeastern part of North America use to refer to the continent. In various Indigenous origin stories, the turtle is said to support the world, and is an icon of life itself. Turtle Island therefore speaks to various spiritual beliefs about creation and for some, the turtle is a marker of identity, culture, autonomy and a deeply-held respect for the environment.
Story of Turtle Island
The story of Turtle Island varies among Indigenous communities, but by most accounts, it acts as a creation story that places emphasis on the turtle as a symbol of life and earth. The following versions are brief reinterpretations of stories shared by Indigenous peoples. In no way do these examples represent all variations of the tale; they merely seek to demonstrate general characteristics and plots of different stories.
There are many Aboriginal nations from Turtle Island, but the most widespread nation of them all is the Anishinaabek. They range from the Canadian Sub-Arctic to southern Mexico. They also, because of their widespread, have the most accepted Aboriginal language in Turtle Island. At one point there were a total of 53 different native languages in Canada!
Creation Story
The Objiwba people have a very different perspective on how Turtle Island (now known as North America) was created. They believed that the beautiful goddess Mother Earth and The powerful sprit Kitchi Manitou had children.
Not all Indigenous creation stories feature a turtle. In many Northwest Coast Indigenous cultures, Raven features prominently in origin tales. According to the Haida, for example, Raven created Haida Gwaii and brought light into the world. Sedna, the ocean spirit, whose fingers created all the sea creatures, is central to Inuit creation stories. For some Innu peoples, it is Kuekuatsheu (Wolverine) that made land out of rocks and mud. Creation stories may not always feature animals and are not always about the origins of the land. Sometimes, these tales speak about how all lifeforms came to be, or about how humans learned valuable life lessons.
Kitchi Manitou, the greatest of spirits, the most powerful being in the universe had to ask a woman for help.
He asked if she would bear his essence. He asked if she would join with him in creating an image of himself in the world. He asked if she would love and nurture his children.
Sky Woman agreed.
They joined together and Sky Woman became pregnant with the children of Kitchi Manitou.
And then the blighter disappeared. He went off and did whatever men and Manitou’s do after they get their women pregnant!
The Creation of Turtle Island
To understand the Ojibway people, one must understand their legends. The Ojibway people are their legends. Their legends originate from the special relationship that the Ojibway people have had with the land on which they have survived for many long years. To the Ojibway people, these legends are sacred as they form the basis for their spiritual beliefs.
The Ojibway people have a primarily oral culture. This means that their legends have been passed from one generation to another by the telling of stories. For centuries Ojibway people sat around a bonfire where the elders recounted these legends to the younger members of the Nation.
Many Ojibway people like to refer to themselves as Anishinabe, which means original man. One legend is the creation of Turtle Island which represents North America. The Anishinabe see themselves as the original humans of North America.
Indigenous Peoples Literature 
