Week 10 Reading Diary: British North America

I'm reading from the British North America unit this week.

Beliefs

• there are 5 worlds, one on top of the other. Earth is in the middle.
• above is Afraid of nothing, below is House of the Sun.
• Afraid of Nothing created the whole world.
• Afraid of Nothing made the mountains smaller than they used to be.
• Afraid of Nothing causes sickness and death when it visits earth.

Creation of the World

• the men dug too deep. The tree and the chief's daughter fell through.
• the swans came together to catch her landing.
• they went to ask Big Turtle what to do.
• Big Turtle turned into land.
• sometimes he moves his foot, and that's why there are earthquakes.

How the Earth Was Formed

• Wisagatcak tried to capture the beaver. He missed.
• he was determined, using the juniper wood to break the dam and drain the creek.
• the water didn't drain. It rose and rose until he had to make a raft.
• he took two of every animal.
• he gave the moss to wolf and made him run, making earth appear.
• it grew and grew. This is how the earth grew on water and why there are springs.

Sun and Moon (source: pinterest)

Creation of the Earth

• long long ago, everything was blank.
• Sun and his wife Earth.
• Earth told Sun to go away because he's too hot. Moon and stars left with him.
• the Old One changed Earth into the earth now. Her hair is flowers and her bones are rocks.

Origin of Rivers in Queen Charlotte Islands

• Raven steals away the water.
• while flying away from Beaver, he drops some, creating the rivers.

Origin of Haida Land

• Raven didn't follow instructions.
• the pieces became land.

Raven and Moon Woman

• Raven took the moon again and threw it down to the ground.
• one piece is the moon in the sky.
• the other piece is the sun.
• the scraps are the stars.

Creation of Light

• the chief won't give light to anyone else.
• the animals sang together until light started lighting up the sky.
• the old chief said 'let there be light' and light bursted into the sky.
• he didn't mean to do that.

Grizzly Bear and Coyote

• Grizzly bear wanted to make it dark all the time.
• they agreed for half and half.
• they agreed to each getting six months.

Origin of Light and Fire

• Raven asked for fire.
• the Fire people showed him how to make some.

The Burning of the World

• only a man, mother, and sister were saved.
• he shot arrows off into the four directions and told anyone that didn't want to burn to go to them.
• people didn't believe.
• he categorized and created the animals.

Why the Sun is Bright

• the sun is bright because he traded his fishing robe for the bright robe.

The Man in the Moon

• Sun is Moon's wife.
• the Moon allowed the Eskimo to choose one animal. He chose the seal and deer.