Americans usually associate creation with Genesis the first book in the Bible. But Native Americans have their own stories of creation. There are also the Native Americans’ different versions of creation. The stories I am familiar with are the ones about Reelfoot Lake.

The creation myth of Reelfoot Lake, which is located in Tennessee, is about a Chickasaw Indian chief named Reelfoot that was born with a deformed foot. The chief fell in love with Starlight a Choctaw Indian princess. Reelfoot was forbidden to marry Starlight by her father. Reelfoot stole her and angered the Great Spirit which made him stomp his foot in anger and created Reelfoot Lake. Of course this is the short version. It’s actually quite a tale. In reality the lake was caused by an earthquake in 1812.

The Navajo Tribes’ version of creation consists of everything from the creation of the earth to the creation of man and woman.

The Navajo Tribe’s story of creation depicts four worlds. The first world only having six beings and everything was black. The six beings were first man, the sun of night and the blue sky over sunset, the first daughter of day break and the yellow sky of sunset, the salt woman, the fire god, coyote and Begochiddy, having blue eyes and golden hair and was both man and woman. Begochiddy made the plants, mountains, and insects. The Fire God was jealous so he burned everything that was made. Begochiddy created a big hollow reed which grew up to the second world. The second world was blue and included swallow people and cat people. Of course they weren’t happy so they grew the reed up to the third world which was yellow did not have a moon or stars. Rivers, water animals, trees, birds, and lightening as well as human beings were made in this one. Then there were signs of evil to come. The coyote heard the salt woman saying that she had seen a baby in the river. The coyote went and got the baby and hid it. After four days storms came from the east, west, and north. They tried to grow the reed up away from the rising waters to the fourth world. But the reed had stopped growing. Begochiddy knew what coyote had done and told him to give the baby back to the waters. As he did so the waters stopped rising and they made it to the fourth world where everything was placed in order the mountains, animals, the sun, the moon and the stars. Begochiddy gave everyone different languages and scattered them all over the world. Also at this time Changing Woman came to be. She also destroyed monsters that threatened the people. And this is their story of how everything came to be as it is. The Navajo till this day say that like the worlds before this one too will be destroyed if people do not live a proper life.

There is also the Iroquois myth of creation. Similar to the Navajos’ consisting of more than one world. The Iroquois story depicts two worlds before it was fully formed.

The two worlds were the world above and the lower world below. The lower world only consisted of water and water creatures. As the story goes a woman fell from the world above. She was pregnant with twins, one good and one bad. Two swans broke her fall but she was too heavy for them so the great turtle took her. The water creatures wanted to save her from waters. The animals decided to go to the bottom of the sea and gather earth for her. The beaver was the first to try but the sea was too deep and he died. The otter was second and he died as well. The last one to try was the frog he died also but had managed to bring some earth back with him. The turtle put the earth on his back where it grew to become earth as we know it.

These are both fascinating stories. But as we all know they are just that, stories. Unless you really believe that we are riding on the back of a turtle right now.