Our Mother Earth and Native
American Love for Nature
By: Rachel Rudolph 8
(Iroquois myth and Joshua Isham)
In Native
American literature, Native Americans express their respect and love for nature
in a strong emotion. In the Iroquois myth, “The World on a Turtle’s Back”, the
Native Americans described the world as starting from a tree root and how
nature helped the woman survive through food and shelter. The Native Americans
respected nature because they depended on nature and wildlife to help them
survive and grow. Native Americans also believed in spirits and that the
spirits were present in everything that is around them. They prayed to the
spirits in nature for good well-being and success since nature provided life
for the Native Americans. In a short poem called “Our Mother Earth” by Joshua
Isham, he describes the world and nature as life-givers and emphasizes greatly
about how we should respect nature. He also writes that humans have polluted
the earth with wastes and strife and that Mother Earth should not be treated in
this way, instead she should be treated with respect, the same perspective the
Native Americans have for nature. In my opinion, I believe that the Native Americans
and author Joshua Isham both have the same belief for nature and they would
both agree to the idea that nature deserves the proper care that we should
give.
Family,
Friend Poems. Family Friend Poems, n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2012.
http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/our-mother-earth
The Language
of Literature. N.p.: Iroquois myth, n.d. Print. "The World on a Turtle's Back" (general theme)
