An Iroquoian Story of Creation

Continued from last week

And they also say that they split the day at that time. And what that means is that the daylight hours would be the time that Teharonhiawako, the holder of the skied, would carry on all of the business and duties that he had to do would happen during the daylight hours. And Sawiskera’s time of business would be after darkness, all of the night-time hours. And they say that it was made that way because for Sawiskera it would be at night and he couldn’t see very well at night and he couldn’t get in as much trouble at night-time. So that’s what happened. And it was that way, they say. And the house was made and that’s where Sawiskera was sent. That’s where he lived.

And they say it was not long after that one morning that Teharonhiawako went to his grandmother’s dwelling. And he found that she had passed away during the night. And again, these two boys never seeing death before – human death – weren’t sure what to do with the grandmother’s body. So one this that had happened was Teharonhiawako called his brother Sawiskera. He called him down from his house and told him what had happened to the grandmother. And they were trying to think of what to do with her body. Sawiskera just wanted to throw her in the ocean or off a cliff, or something. He said she was no longer of any use to them.

But, they say, Teharonhiawako wanted to do something to honor her, to do something honorable. And they said that while she was alive, Sawiskera-I guess-was considered the original silver tongued devil. And he was always convincing his grandmother that if something bad happened – one of the boys did something - it was almost always Sawiskera who did the bad things. But he would always blame it on his brother. So he had convinced his grandmother that he was the good one and that Teharonhiawako was the mischievous one. So she always favored Sawiskera while she was alive. So Teharonhiawako decided that now she is a spirit being and that Sawiskera lives halfway between the Earth and the Sky World, along this Sky Road. They would put Grandmother up in the night sky, right across the road from Sawiskera’s house. And when Sawiskera came out to do his business during the nighttime hours, that Grandmother would finally see him for what he really is. And she would also provide Sawiskera with a little bit of light at nighttime, so he wouldn’t trip over something or run into a tree and get hurt. So she becomes Grandmother Moon.

Also some of the other things that she’s –I guess- given charge of, is the things that she did in her lifetime. She always told the boys when it was time to plant and to do ceremonies. So that carried on. And it’s still that way today, that we look to the Grandmother for that knowledge and when the time is right, the planting and the ceremonies. And also she was in charge of when the time of birth would happen for all things. Also the female monthly cycle, because she knew all of that. And she always told the boys when it was time to hunt, as well. And again, that is one of the things that she tells us still today, the hunting seasons, the beginning and the end. She understands the animal world and when their cycles are, and when their births will be. So she’s in control of all those things, and much more as well, that I am probably forgetting to mention. But that’s where she comes from, the grandmother Moon. And they say that’s why she’s there, that when Sawiskera comes out at night, she’s there to watch him. And they say that it’s always kind of like the checks and balances kind of things, that when he comes out that Grandmother’s there to kind of keep an eye on him and remind him not to be too bad.

Continued next week