Cusick’s Iroquois Creation Story recounts the alliance between six Native American tribes living in the seventeenth century (Baym, Wayne, and Gura et al. 18). The Iroquois nation comprised of the Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, Tuscarora, and Cayuga. They lived in the northeast of L. Ontario. It is a story of two worlds in conflict with each other. The first one comprises monsters and great darkness while humans populate the second one (Baym, Wayne, and Gura et al. 22). The humans are live above the monsters; however, tension exists between the two worlds. Throughout the book light is associated with goodness and clarity while the darkness in the text is widely attributed to the monsters and chaos. The humans live in the upper world while the monsters live in the lower world. A woman, sky woman, conceives twins in the upper world, but her pregnancy bed drops her to the world of darkness. Instead of harming her, the monsters defy expectations and protect the woman (Baym, Wayne, and Gura et al. 34).
David Cusick (1780-1831) authored the book titled David Cusick’s Sketches of Ancient History of the Six Nations. He was also a renowned Tuscarora artist who grew up as a Christian. He was also a painter, student, and physician. David is still an important figure among the Tuscarora people because of his literary works that highlighted various aspects of the Iroquois culture. The text is an early account of myths and history of Native Indians. To a modern reader, Native American creation stories are myths that lack any historical relevance.
In the Iroquois Creation Story, Cusick portrays the enduring struggle between evil and good as well as the struggle for power in the society. It is a significant text, which adds to the early American literature and reminds the society that Native Americans existed and had a rich culture before their encounters with European settlers (Baym, Wayne, and Gura et al. 38). The text eventually depicts the triumph of good over evil and emphasizes the idea that unity leads to greater strength and success. The story is Cusick’s contribution to the preservation of the Iroquois culture.
Work Cited
Baym, Nina, Wayne Franklin, Gura, Philip, Krupat Arnold, and Robert S. Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Shorter Seventh Edition, Volume I, Beginnings to 1865. New York: W.W. Norton, 2008. Print.
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