Turtle Island indigenous creation myth Indigenous people in the New World say this is Turtle Island, earthly home of Sky Woman, the first being who descended from Heaven to inhabit this Earth. Many rich details weave subtle nuances and cultural facets into this myth, but, in a nutshell, this tale tells us: In an ancient time before there were Huemans on Earth, a man in Heaven uprooted a great tree. His wife looked into the hole this made, and saw stars glittering and sparkling in darkness. Curious, she leaned over the hole too far—and fell into the hole. Down and down and down she fell out of Heaven among the stars. Far below, winged creatures swimming in Ocean looked up and saw this Star Woman falling from Heaven. They flew up together, caught her on their backs, brought her gently down, and set on Great Turtle's back, who was swimming in the Ocean. Then, one by one, various creatures dove under the Ocean to bring up mud to make a home for this Star Woman. None succeeded, until Muskrat was able to bring mud up, which was used to coat Turtle's back. As Sky Woman slept, the soil on Turtle's back grew larger, streams appeared and trees, shrubs, grasses, and other plants grew up from the soil. Thus, this land we live on is Turtle Island, and the indigenous world rides on the back of Great Turtle. Soon Sky Woman gave birth to a female child—First Woman. Sky Woman raised this child on their Earth home. When her child was grown to full womanhood, Sky Woman returned to the sky to become Grandmother Moon. From there she watches over her children. In due time, First Woman was impregnated by the West Wind, and she gave birth to twin brothers. These two brothers—called Maple Sapling and Flint Boy by the Haudenosaunee of the Finger Lakes—then named all the living things of the Earth. Encoded in this simple myth are key elements and profound insights of the indigenous world view, and the weaving occurs on several levels. Starlight was implanted on Earth. Turtle provided a body to house this heavenly consciousness. Hueman consciousness came from this Sky Woman on Turtle's back. We are, indeed, stardust. The first hueman was a woman, unlike the Old World myth of Adam, where the first hueman is a man. This gender distinction runs deep between the two continents and their hueman cultures. Sky Woman became Grandmother Moon. Thus, there are 13 moons in a year (13 x 28 = 364), and there are 13 large scales on every turtle's back. New World time is measured in 13; the ancient Mayan calendar grid is 13 wide. 13 is 12+1, as with Christ and his Apostles. 13 is Transformation, as in transcend—death and rebirth—and Ascension. Sky Woman is a 5-point star. Five is space. In geometry, this is dodeca-hedral and icosa-hedral crystal. In geology, this is Earth's magnetic grid. In architecture, this is a cat-hedral—sacred enclosure for Our Lady. In biology this is the egg/seed—the vessel to contain DNA's 5-step ratcheted twin spiral helix braid of memory. On Turtle Island, the Finger Lakes—gateway to the five Great Lakes—are the Land of Phi—where serpent and egg uncoil. And Onondaga—the Salt Lake—is Jerusalem in the New World.