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Clan Animals on the Turtle’s Back
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The nine clan animals of the Cayuga nation stand on the great turtle’s back. Clockwise from the turtle’s head, they are hawk, snipe, wolf, beaver, turtle, eel, deer, heron, and bear (center). The turtle plays a large part in the Iroquois story of the Earth’s origin. Long ago, according to the story, Sky Woman fell through a hole in the sky, down toward the vast waters below. The birds flew and caught her on their wings, but there was no place below for her to land. The turtle offered to support a world on his back, and the muskrat succeeded in bringing from the bottom of the sea some mud that he placed on the turtle’s back. When Sky Woman landed, the Earth was ready for her on the back of the great turtle.
Moose antler (Alces alces), steel, adhesive, L 31.0 x W 24.0 x H 14.5 cm; 36182-1
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