CREATION STORY

The story
of Ataensic

(ATSI’TSIAKA:ION) From “Creation Story”

“Long, long ago, in the world we are now, we believe there was no land, just water and creatures of the water. But, up above, there was a place called Karonhia:ke, The Sky World. In Sky World there were beings who were in some ways like human beings and in some ways they were different. The beings in Sky World had more powers and strength than human beings have, for instance, they could make things happen just by thinking
about it!

There was a tree growing in the center of Sky World we called the Tree of Life. On that tree grew many different kinds of fruit and the blossoms on that tree glowed a most beautiful light that lit up Sky World. The beings in Sky World were told not to disturb that tree, but one day, a woman who was expecting a baby, asked for a drink of tea made from the roots of the Tree of Life. Her name was Atsi’tsiaka:ion which means Mature Flower. When her husband started to dig near the bottom of the tree to get at the roots, the dirt caved in and some say that the tree fell down creating a massive hole in the floor of Sky World, this was terrible. The woman went to see what had happened. Some say that she lost her balance while gazing, and fell into the hole. Some say that she knew she was destined to go through that hole, her insights coming from dreams she had had and so she jumped.


Some say that she was pushed. Nevertheless, when she did fall she grabbed some seeds from the roots of and around the Tree of Life. Because she fell through the hole in the sky, many people refer to her as Sky Woman. Down below, there was a flock of water birds flying through the air. Some say they were geese. Some say they were blue heron. Some say they were swans. One of them looked and up and saw Sky Woman falling. He spoke to the other birds and they decided to make a great blanket with their bodies and catch her on their backs. When they caught her they tried to bring her back up toward the Sky World, but she was too heavy and so they lowered her to the water below. A giant turtle said that they could put her on his back, that his shell would be able to support her, so that’s what they did. That is the reason some people call North America, Turtle Island.”

—Kay Olan (Mohawk), Storyteller
Tyendinaga
Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte,
Home of the Peacemaker