APPENDIX 2 



THE IROQUOIAN ORIGIN MYTH CYCLE 



The Huron creation myths recounted by the French are incidents 

 from the Iroquoian origm myth cycle. This long mj^h recomits the 

 adventures of the twin brothers and their grandmother. The name 

 of this woman as it appears in the Relations, Aatentsic, Ataentsic, or 

 Eataentsic, and her Iroquois name means 'old woman' or 'ancient 

 bodied' (Hewitt 1910 f : 722; Converse 1908: 31 n.; Hewitt's 1895 a: 

 244-246, earlier etymology differs). She is also known among the 

 Iroquois as Awe°'ha'i, 'Mature Flowers' or 'Mature (i.e.. Fertile) 

 Earth' (Hewitt 1910 f : 720, 722). 



The name of the elder of the twin brothers, louskeha (or Jousheha) 

 in the Relations means in Wyandot 'the Good one' [Barbeau 1914: 

 292; Hale 1888 : 181 ; Hewitt (1910 f : 719) analyzes it as meaning 'So 

 it (is) again a dear little sprout'; Parker (in Converse 1908:34 n.) 

 gives the name as meaning 'the ^Vliite One' and that of his brother as 

 'the Dark One']. His other Wyandot name means 'Man Made of 

 Fire' (Barbeau 1915: 306; Comielley 1899 a: 123; 1899 b: 47, 74; 

 Converse 1908 : 34 n.) . The Iroquois name for this brother, Teharon- 

 hiawagon, Hewitt (1910 f: 718-719) gives as meaning 'He is holding 

 the sky in two places' or 'He, the Sky Holder' (Hewitt 1895 a : 241- 

 244, in an earlier paper identifies this name as being that of the hus- 

 band of Aatentsic). Hewitt (1910 f : 719) apparently thought that 

 the early writers mistranslated the name of this brother as 'Sky.' 

 Barbeau (1914: 301-302) would also identify the Huron deity 'Sky' 

 with the elder twin brother on the basis of the importance of each in 

 Wyandot and Huron religion and certain similarities between them 

 (also see note 42, p. 81). The Wyandot equate this brother with the 

 Christian God (Barbeau 1915 : 49, 49 n., 51) . 



The younger brother's name, Tawiscaron, in the Jesuit and later 

 accomits, both Iroquois and Wyandot, means 'Flint' (Barbeau 1914: 

 292; 1915: 306; Connelley 1899 a: 123; 1899 b: 47, 74; Converse 1908: 

 34 n. ; Hale 1888 : 181) . Hewitt (1910 e : 707-708) would analyze this 

 name as meaning 'He (is) ice in a double degree' or 'He (is) ice, 

 cold in a double degree' as an alternative meaning and would as- 

 sociate him with winter. Most, however, use the translation of 

 'Flint.' The younger brother is equated with the Christian De"v^l 

 by modern Wyandots (Barbeau 1915: 49, 49 n., 51). 



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