The narrative I will be discussing is, "The World on the Turtle's Back". This Native American story is a creation myth about two brothers who helped create humans, animals, and all other earth inhabitants. Creation myths are often defined as stories which explain how life and the universe began. In this excerpt, twins were born from their mother who then died during birth. The twins buried their mother, where she grew corn, beans, and squash. "And from her grave grew the plants which the people still use." (Page 28) The twins had tension between them and the right-handed twin was inferior to the other. "The right-handed twin was the one who did everything just as he should." (Page28) He always tried to do what was right. As for the left-handed twin, the "devious" one, he "never said what he meant or meant what he said", (Page 28) he was always lying and doing things he shouldn't be doing. The twins created balance though, which is what the world needs to sustain life. The Indians called them "the straight mind and the crooked mind". (Page 28) With their special powers and ability, the brothers created animals from Clay and brought them to life. "The right-handed twin made the deer, and the left-handed twin made the mountain lion which kills the deer. But the right-handed twin there would always be more deer than mountain lions." (Page 30) The brothers then made more animals, and the right-handed twin created all delicious fruit and berries for the animals he had created, but the left-handed twin made poisonous plants and roots, as well as medicines "for good and for evil". (Page 30) The right-handed twin also created man, his "favorite creatures." (Page 30) Due to the tension building between the two brothers, they decided to battle one another in a lacrosse match, a Native American game played by two teams. The twins played vigorously all day and "the game was done. And neither had won.
