The Iroquois Creation Story

American literature, solely produced by writers in the United States of America, was developed decades after English Literature transpired. It was the discovery of American literature that abetted the country into its being. America, in the beginning, consisted mainly of Native Americans and settlers that formed colonies. It was throughout this period of time, the seventeenth (17th) century the first literary works were produced. American literature began with settlers documenting their early encounters on new soil and uninhabited territory. However, some of the first writings produced were narratives from the Native Americans. The Native American’s captured through their writings a time of overwhelming bitterness. The bitterness was brought on by the betrayal of the settlers that captured, imprisoned, …show more content…
a. Baym). The Iroquois were originally made up of five (5) nations: the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onon-daga, and Seneca Indians. These groups later added the tribe of the Tuscaroras and thus formed the Six Nations. The Six Nations were formed around 1450 under the leadership of Dekanawida and Hiawatha. The Six Nations were referenced as the People of the Longhouse (Haudenosaunee in Seneca, and Kanosoni in Mohawk), mainly because of their type of housing. Longhouse, housing complex, housed many people and included accommodations for large families with shared facilities for cooking and fires (Lauter). Cusick felt it was necessary to have the stories translated and accurately recorded to maintain the accuracy, the validity, and the tradition of the American Native’s cultural. It is speculated that the Iroquois evolvement myth has been retold in at least twenty-five (25) versions. According to Baym, et. al, this translation is the first recorded cosmogonic myth by a Native