Turtle & Creation

This last while I’ve been reflecting on 2017, and trying to set goals and a plan for the year ahead.

Life is cyclical, and with all the beautiful endings in 2017, comes a swath of beginnings… a new life at home in Parry Sound, new job, new interests, new perspectives, and living a well and full life. There’s so much I’d like to accomplish, so much the future holds.

A large, blank sheet of paper has been staring at me from the wall this last week. Coloured pens ready, waiting for the lists to emerge. Some haphazard scribbles came out, and a linear timeline, but nothing of substance. I stopped and carved driftwood instead.

The familiar teachings of the turtle then came back, shared by my Indigenous friends.

For most of last year, I wasn’t on Turtle Island (North America). I was either physically away travelling, or not fully present while planning for being in the UK and Ireland. Upon returning, I was emotionally away, thinking on the lands of my ancestors.

This year finds me planted on Turtle Island, and it’s important to honour that. The turtle lays out the year for us, with its 13 moons and 28 days between. It’s central to the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe Creation stories, which tells us how the turtle gives us the foundation from which we are nurtured and supported. Have a look at this video produced by Deyohahá:ge: Indigenous Knowledge Centre at Six Nations Polytechnic - it’s just one of the many incredible resources out there on the stories of the turtle.

Envisioning what I’d like to accomplish during the upcoming moons has come a little easier, now that they’re carried on the turtle’s back.

​Please feel free to use this image as a resource for whatever it is you may envision. Simply click to download the file here.

Turtle & Creation by Sarah West (2017)