One day, a woman from the Sky World—Sky Woman—looked into a hole under the Tree of Light.

She leaned too far... and fell through the hole!

She tumbled down, down, down through the sky, toward the empty water below.

Below, there was no land—just water.

The animals looked up and saw Sky Woman falling.

“We must help her!” said Bird.
So the birds flew up and gently caught her in the sky.

The animals said, “She needs a place to rest!”

Turtle swam forward and said,
“She can land on my back.”

The birds gently placed Sky Woman on Turtle’s back.

Sky Woman was thankful.
She said, “We need soil to grow plants and live.”

Little Muskrat dove deep into the water and came back with a tiny bit of earth.

Sky Woman spread the earth over Turtle’s back.

The earth began to grow and grow.

Trees, rivers, and flowers started to appear.

This new land became known as Turtle Island—what we now call North America.

Sky Woman danced in a circle, giving thanks.

Where her feet touched the ground, corn, beans, and squash began to grow.

These are called the Three Sisters, and they feed the people.

Sky Woman had twin sons—Good Mind and Evil Mind.

Good Mind made beautiful things—stars, animals, and people.

Evil Mind tried to undo his brother’s work.

They taught that life has both light and dark, and we must choose what is right.

The Iroquois believe that we live on Turtle Island, a gift from Sky Woman and the animals.

They give thanks to:

They remember: All things are connected.

This story teaches us:

That is the way of the Iroquois.