The story of the diving turtle

In the traditional creation stories of the Algonquin and Iroquois Nations, the earth was originally completely covered with water, and only the sea creatures existed.

After several failed attempts by various of these creatures, Turtle successfully dived down to the bottom and returned to the surface carrying some mud on her shell.

As she swam, the mud expanded and formed the continents. This is why many Native Americans call North America “Turtle Island.”