“There is a story I know. It’s about the earth and how it floats in space on the back of a turtle. I’ve heard this story many times, and each time someone tells the story, it changes. Sometimes the change is simply in the voice of the storyteller. Sometimes the change is in the details. Sometimes in the order of events. Other times it’s the dialogue or the response of the audience. But in all the tellings of all the tellers, the world never leaves the turtle’s back. And the turtle never swims away.”
– Thomas King The Truth About Stories
North America is Turtle Island. And the first person on it was Sky Woman who fell from Sky World on to turtle’s back. The first thing she asked the sea creatures was to bring her some mud. So otter swam to the very bottom of the sea and brought back some mud. Sky Woman used the mud to make land on turtle’s back. Here she gave birth to twin sons. Together, her children created humans. The humans remembered their mother because the land still carried them. Mother land could not get any more real.
This is a history that matters. I encourage you to find more histories. Because all of them are true. And you’ll know when you’ve found the truest one of all. When all the histories are reacting in a test tube and its bubbling up; spilling all over the counter and there’s sparks too so you’re teacher is angry at you for making a big mess and tells you to go clean it up at once but first you take a good look at what’s happened and the liquid is just the strangest colour you ever saw and that’s when you know. You’re happy you did that in the first place. You would totally do it again.
Let’s look at another history. Remember its not the only one. Continue reading Re(story)ing Canada’s Diverse City
