Which sentence from "the world on turtle's back" best illustrates why the story is considered a creation myth? the woman created a home for herself on this new earth and soon her daughter was born. she told them that if they could find some soil, she could plant the roots from the great tree that were still tangled in her hands. the woman placed the dirt on turtle’s back and performed a ritual to create the earth. she is called “our mother” and the people dance and sing to her to make the plants grow.

The woman placed the dirt on Turtle’s back and performed a ritual to create the earth. This is the correct answer.

The woman threw the seeds she had in her hand into the air and the stars were created. She did the same and the moon was created. The sun was  created in that way, too. The stars , the sun and the moon were the first and needed elements to give birth to the earth.

These answers are not right:

-The woman created a home for herself on this new earth and soon her daughter was born ( This does not refer to the creation of the world but to her personal needs).

-She told them that if they could find some soil, she could plant the roots from the Great Tree that were still tangled in her hands.  ( In fact, she used the seeds when she could throw them into the air).

-She is called “our mother” and the people dance and sing to her to make the plants grow. ( This may refer to what people do today as a ritual).

The woman placed the dirt on Turtle’s back and performed a ritual to create the earth.

Further Explanation:

The world on Turtle’s back is a Native American tradition that explains the origins of the Earth. The story surfaces from the legend that the world was created on the back of a giant turtle. The story is considered to be a creation myth because it has the engagement of supernatural powers, that have worked in consistence with her magic. This is a creation myth because the only thing supporting it is the belief in the story that has been passed down from generation to generation, as a creation story, and this belief gave rise to popular religious beliefs and customs of the Iroquois. The Iroquois creation contains all elements of creation, such as the Earth, moon, sky, ocean, fishes etc. and its mythical existence has been the basis of the religious beliefs pertaining to fertility and survival of the Native Americans.

The legend follows the importance of the Sky woman, who is the central figure of the Iroquois creation story. The cravings of the pregnant Sky Woman led to the creation of the Earth when she fell through the hole formed near the Great Tree that her husband dug out the root from. She was received on the back of the Great Turtle, where she planted the roots and bark using soil and a ritual, thereby creating Earth. The Sky Woman’s daughter was impregnated with the West Wind, she bore two twins, and died during their birth.These twins embody the balance of vital forces. The conflict between these forces can cause destruction, and the right twin finally prevailed over his evil left brother, restoring balance. He was upset at the Sky Woman’s preference of his brother and cut her head from the body, which became the moon, while her body transformed into the fishes of the ocean.  

Learn more:

1. How did California differ from the United States in terms of interactions of whites and natives?

2. What main characteristic of this text makes it a myth?

Answer Details:

Grade: High School

Chapter: The Iroquois Creation story  

Subject: History.

Keywords:

Creation myth, religious myth, supernatural elements, magic.

1. the relationship between a pronoun and its antecedent- reference

reference refers to the relationship between mainly pronoun and another unit of grammar- noun phrase or noun.

2. a singular noun naming a collection or group- collective noun.

collective noun refers to the kind of noun which refer to the name of people, thing or anything in collective. for instance bundle of sticks, herein 'bundle' is collective noun.  

3. a modifying clause whose subject and/or verb is implied- elliptical clause

it is a clause in which words are being left out. on the other hand, the missing word is understood due to the logic or pattern of the sentence.  

4. two or more nouns and/or pronouns serving the same grammatical function and followed by a pronoun that references one or all nouns- compound antecedent

compound antecedent refers to which is made up of two or more words which are joined by 'or' or 'and.'

5. an adjective clause introduced by a pronoun- relative clause.

relative clauses are the clauses which begin with the relative pronouns such as when, where, which, that or who. the noun that precedes, relative pronouns identify or define that noun.  

6. the word, phrase, or clause to which a pronoun refers- antecedent.

antecedents refers to the phrases, clauses or words which are replaced with one of the third personal pronouns.