The Creation Myth In The Way To Rainy Mountain

The creation myth found in The Way to Rainy Mountain fulfills the characteristics described on page 33. This myth describes how the universe and life began. For example, “it (tree) began to rise into the air …the seven sisters were borne into the sky, and they became the stars of the Big Dipper” (55). Secondly, The Way to Rainy Mountain creation myth explains the workings of the natural world. By way of illustration, the seven sisters came to the stump of a tree while being chased by a bear, whose goal was to kill them. When they got to the stump, the tree bade they climb upon it, which in fact saved them. Therefore, the bear represents the aggressiveness of humans and animals and how they kill others, while the tree represents life and safety. This creation myth also supports and validates social customs and values. For example, the bear (boy) signifies the dominance and violence of men. One example of the violence of the bear is, “the bear came to kill them…it scored the bark

In the story “The World on the Turtle’s Back”, men were characterized as people pleasers, cautious, and afraid. Men did not grasp their typical leadership role in the family. On the other hand, The Way to Rainy Mountain described men as dominant, aggressive, and violent. Possibly taking the leadership role to an extreme. These characteristics were clearly demonstrated in these stories. For example, the Iroquois’ creation myth states the man did not want to dig roots from the Great Tree because, “he didn’t like the idea…he knew it was wrong…he gave in… and he was terrified” (34). Whereas, the man (bear) in The way to Rainy Mountain showed aggressiveness. For example, “the bear (brother) came to kill them (the sisters)…it reared against the tree and scored the bark” (55). The men’s roles proved to be far apart in characteristics and behavior within the two creation