The Creation Story of Earth in the Eyes of the Indian.
According to the Iroquois, before the earth was created there existed only water, until God sent down a large Goddess who sat in the water and created a place of dry land. The dry land kept increasing until fruit bearing and non fruit bearing tress covered the earth. In contrast, in the European biblical version, the earth was without form and in darkness when God created light, and then divided the light from the darkness, creating day and night. God also gathered the waters together in one place and thus created dry land, which was called earth. .
The Iroquois belief is that the Goddess gave birth to the first three creatures: deer, bear, and wolf. She nursed them to maturity, co habituated with them, and subsequently birthed all the different species of animals today, as well as human beings. These Native Americans further believe the original three animals are the basis of all human beings" personalities - that all people possess the spirits of these creatures, to one degree or another. .
In contrast, the European's biblical tradition states in Genesis that on the 5th day God created all living creatures in the water as well as birds, and on the 6th day. He created all the animals of the land and man, in. His own image. Lastly, God created a woman, who he named Eve, from the rib of Adam, the first man. .
In the Iroquois Indian tradition the deer, the bear, and the wolf are the personifications of the personalities of human beings: the deer is timid and innocent, the bear is strong, revengeful and just, and the wolf is deceitful and bloodthirsty. The European biblical story describes that Adam and Eve's eating of fruit, which God had forbidden them to do, caused them to loose their innocence or goodness: the fruit was from the Tree of Knowledge which now gave them knowledge of good and evil and so were they now doomed to have within their own personalities.