The Creation Story of three of the Nations of the Haudenosaunee - Part 4

Many people may be familiar with the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Creation Story, at least in its short version - Submitted by Kyle Delisle

At this time in the story, I believe that Iottsi’tsíson is no longer represented by Sagittarius but is now the constellation Virgo. As can be seen, Virgo appears to be laying down, and she is feet-to-feet with Boötes. As the story states, the two of them sleep feet-to-feet with their feet touching.

The forehead strap basket is mentioned many times within the story. The constellation Libra, while normally associated with a scale, after conferring with David Mathisen, David did mention to me that Libra also represents baskets in many ancient stories in different cultures around the world. One example is the depiction of the Assyrian god Nisroch that was uncovered in modern day Iraq. David Mathisen believes (and I concur) that Nisroch is representing Ophiuchus, with the hand holding the pinecone is the serpent head in the constellation and the lower hand holding the basket with the basket representing the constellation Libra. Based on this, I believe that the basket with the forehead strap mentioned in the Creation Story is represented by Libra, which is the constellation just to the east of Virgo.

When I first started thoroughly examining the Creation Stories, another detail which puzzled me and made me wonder why it was included in the stories is the part about Iottsi’tsíson making the corn meal naked and then being cleaned by the dogs and her being covered in blood. One particular detail of this part of the story that had me perplexed was why were the dogs referred to as slaves? David mentions in The Ancient World-Wide System: Star Myths of the World, Volume One, Second Edition that in several cultures, Scorpio represents a crouching, or subservient, dog. As well, he shows in Star Myths of the World, Volume Two that Artemis is represented by Sagittarius and Actaeon and his hunting dogs is represented by Scorpio, after he has been transformed into a stag and is being torn apart by his hunting dogs, as shown in the painting on the pottery below.

So I think that that is the intent of including this detail in the Creation Story is to represent Scorpio within the story. As well, where Scorpio is located in the sky is at the widest point of the Milky Way, and again David mentions that in several myths this is identified as a giant pool of blood. I believe that Scorpio and this widest part of the Milky Way is representing the part of the story of the two slave dogs licking Iottsi’tsíson and their tongues cutting wherever they lick her which causes her body to be covered in blood, which I believe is representing the widest part of the Milky Way.

(To be continued)

Kyle Delisle