"Birth of Turtle Island"
- Updated July 12, 2024
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MISHI MIKINAAKOMINIS NIIGIWIN, Birth of the Great Turtle Island by
Zhaawano Giizhik.
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In this blog post, I'm going to dwell a little further on my art and the teaching stories that I share along with it. Part 7 of a new series.
The above pencil drawing, which I made in 2011, tells the OJIBWE CREATION STORY of the world as we know it. The drawing is made in the X-ray Woodland art line drawing style of the Medicine Painters.
The image depicts a stylized image of MIKINAAK (the Great Snapping Turtle), or MISHIIKENH (the Mud Turtle). It serves as an illustration to the story of the Great Sea Turtle and what the turtle means to the Native Peoples of Turtle Island (North America).
Since he, after a devastating flood that swept Aki (the earth), served mankind by helping to recreate the earth, Mikinaak (or Mishiikenh) has a special place of mediation in the worlds of the natural and the supernatural. After he lent his back for creation, Nookomis Dibik-Giizis, grandmother moon, conferred on him special HEALING POWERS that have been held in reverence ever since!
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Ahaaw, ningad-anishinaabe-aadizooke (“Now, I will tell a traditional story”).
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“A long, long time ago, after the world was created, the great trickster Wenabozho and the horned Underwater Lynx Mishibizhiw were in a great battle with each other. Wenabozho injured the latter by shooting an arrow in his side. When the wounded cat crawled back to his water den and begged for mercy, offering a great amount of copper in return, Wenabozho tricked the frog people into lending him a frog skin to disguise himself so he could get close to Mishibizhiw. When he, disguised as a frog, got near Mishibizhiw, he pushed the arrow tighter in his chest. But since Mishibizhiw is a spirit himself, Wenabozho failed to kill him. Enraged, the Water Lynx slashed his copper tail and created a great flood. A great disaster ensued!
The great flood killed the plants and all land creatures, including mankind. The island that was created afterwards by GIIZHIG-OO-KWE (a female spirit who resided in the skies) who, with the aid of Wazashk (muskrat) and Ma'íingan (wolf), made it grow on the back of Mikinaak along with new flora and fauna, is still being called TURTLE ISLAND by most Original Americans.
The first mother of the Anishinaabeg was once an AADIZOOKAAN, a supernatural being residing alone in the sky. Her name was GIIZHIG-OO-KWE, or Sky Woman. GICHI-MANIDOO, the Great Spirit infusing all things and beings of Earth and Skies, pitying her loneliness, sent a male aadizookaan to Sky Woman to keep her company. ANIMIKII (Thunder), for that was his name, traveled to the sky lodge of GIIZHIG-OO-KWE and from the union that took place (rumor has it that Sky Woman showed her lover every hole and corner of the universe) were born the ANISH-I-NAAB-EG (a twin brother and sister), whom she planned to place on the back of a giant MIKINAAK (snapping turtle).
\That day, long ago, she spoke to the water animals as follows: 'I don't have all the powers of creation that GICHI-MANIDOO has. But I am a female spirit and I have a special gift. I have the power to recreate. I can recreate the world GICHI-MANIDOO created, but I can't do it by myself. I need your help. I need you to dive deep. I need you to bring me a handful of the original soil made by GICHI-MANIDOO. The soil will be the seed I use to recreate the Earth.
All day long the water animals took turns trying to reach the soil covered by the great depth of water but to no avail. At the end of the day it was only Wazashk the little muskrat, not used to swimming in deep water, who had not given it a try. The brave little animal decided that with no one else available to help it was up to him to do the job. He took many deep breaths and dived down and down.
As he finally came back to the surface Wazashk had clutched in his paw the soil from the bottom of the sea. Gratefully GIIZHIG-OO-KWE took the soil, dried it and breathed life into it, then rubbed it on the turtle's back. She rubbed the soil round and round and as she did so - some say aided by MA'IINGAN the wolf- an island took shape above the water. This is said to have occurred at MISHI-MIKINAAK-ONG, the present-day Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. GIIZHIG-OO-KWE continued to move over the new soil. She and the wolf walked in wider and wider circles; it took them 14 summers to complete the job! And so the Earth was recreated. Forever after the Anishinaabeg called the world MIKINAAK-O-MINIS, or Turtle Island.
Once the new island was complete, GIIZHIG-OO-KWE nurtured the twins to manhood and womanhood. and then, as her purpose and nature were finally fulfilled, she ascended back into the sky, where she changed her name in WEZAAWI-GIIZHIG-OO-KWE, Yellow Sky Woman, and became known as NOOKOMIS DIBIK-GIIZIS, Grandmother Moon. From here on, Nookomis Moon watched over her children by night; by day GIMISHOOMISINAAN GIIZIS (the Sunfather) and OMIZAKAMIG-OO-KWE (the Earthmother) took care of them. And Nookomis’ existence, her gift of life, and the primacy of women are still remembered by the Anishinaabeg each time Dibik-giizis, the Night Sun shines on their precious island-home."
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Giiwenh: so the story goes.
No wonder the jaasakiidjig, the Mide-specialists often referred to as Shaking Tent seers, and who claim to draw their spiritual healing power from the Thunder Beings, elected the turtle as their patron!
The female
figure depicted inside the turtle represents Sky Woman who, after fulfilling
her task of recreating the world, ascends into her home, the sky world. The
sturgeon and the water snake (which is also Sky Woman's right arm) depicted
inside the turtle's body symbolize the water creatures and the odoodemag (clans, animal totems)
of Science and Medicine, while the stylized wolf footprints that run around the
circumference of the turtle's back shell refer to the land creatures - and to
the warrior clans, the wolf doodem included: it was wolf himself who
helped creating a new island home for the Anishinaabe People. The plant
world (in the form of the long grains of manoomin or wild rice) is represented by
Sky Woman's loose hair streaming after her. The five birds depicted on top
of the turtle's head refer to the origins of the Anish-i-naab-eg and the five
original odoodemag that formed the basis of an extensive
family clan system that exists even until today. These five are: Crane,
Bear, Marten, Catfish, and Turtle. Finally, the stylized sea shell or miigis depicted
inside the turtle's head is a sacred symbol representing the seven
great mide miigisag, radiant beings that appeared in human form
to the Ojibwe Anishinaabeg to teach the people about the midewiwin life-style.
The floating seed designs that surround the great snapping turtle are seeds of life, or balls of spirit power. These stylistic elements are powerful carriers of symbolic meaning, reminiscent of the sacred rock and birchbark art of the Ancients. The oval-shaped Power circle over the turtle's head and the flowing power lines that are connected to the turtle's fore legs express interdependence and communication and indicate a high level of spiritual power that's present in the drawing.
Miigwech for reading and listening. Bi-waabamishinaang miinawaa daga: please come see me again!
Read part 8 in the Teaching Stories series.
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