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The Sky Tree

The document discusses the transition from English literature to American literature, highlighting the origins of American literary works from the 17th century. It focuses on 'The Sky Tree,' a Huron creation myth that illustrates the connection between nature and the Huron people, detailing the story of Aataentsic and the creation of Earth on the back of a turtle. The myth is significant for its oral tradition and the symbolism of trees as life sources.

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71 views

The Sky Tree

The document discusses the transition from English literature to American literature, highlighting the origins of American literary works from the 17th century. It focuses on 'The Sky Tree,' a Huron creation myth that illustrates the connection between nature and the Huron people, detailing the story of Aataentsic and the creation of Earth on the back of a turtle. The myth is significant for its oral tradition and the symbolism of trees as life sources.

Uploaded by

pontaweyenmarie
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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After discussing English literature, we will now move forward to the next topic, which

is American literature. So in English literature, we tackled literary works produced in Great


Britain since the Anglo-Saxon period. While American literature refers to literary works
produced by Americans, starting from the British colonies in the 17th century up to the
present day.

The Sky Tree is a creation myth of the Huron, a Native American people of the eastern
woodlands. It tells the story of how a woman fell from the sky land, where a great tree grew,
and how various animals helped her create the earth on the back of a giant turtle. The soil
grows into an island with a sky tree in the center. The myth shows the Huron’s connection to
nature and their respect for animals. The myth does not also have a single author but was
handed down orally through generations of storytellers. It is one of many myths that feature
trees as symbols of life.

The Sky Tree


as retold by Joseph Bruchac

In the beginning, Earth was covered with water. The land was only located in the sky, and there
were people living as we do now on Earth. In the middle of that land was the great Sky Tree, the
source of all of the food that the people in that Sky Land ate.

Near the great tree was the long house owned by the old chief of that land, who lived with his
wife, Aataentsic, meaning “Ancient Woman." It came to be that the old chief became sick, and
nothing could cure him. He grew weaker and weaker until it seemed he would die. Then one
night, he dreamed about how he could be healed, and he called Aataentsic to him. The old chief
told Aataentsic that he must be given the fruit that grows at the very top of the Sky Tree, and
Aataentsic must cut it down and bring that fruit to him. Aataentsic took her husband’s stone ax
and went to the great tree. As soon as she struck it, it split in half and toppled over. As it fell, a
hole opened in Sky Land, and the tree fell through the hole. Aataentsic returned to the place
where the old chief waited and told her husband that when she cut the tree, it split in half and
then fell through a great hole, and that Aataentsic must follow it because without the tree,
there can be no life. Then, leaving her husband, she went back to the hole in Sky Land and
threw herself after the great tree.

As Aataentsic fell, Turtle looked up and saw her. Immediately, Turtle called together all the
water animals and told them what she had seen. Then Turtle asked them, What should be
done? Beaver answered her that she was the one who saw this happen, and she should be the
one who told them what to do. So Turtle asked them to dive down, bring up soil from the
bottom, and place it on her back.

Immediately, all of the animals in the water began to dive down and bring up soil. Beaver, Mink,
Muskrat, and Otter each brought up pawfuls of wet soil and placed the soil on Turtle’s back
until they had made an island of great size. When they were through, Aataentsic settled down
gently on the new Earth, and the pieces of the great tree fell beside her and took root.

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