In the sacred beliefs of many Native American nations—especially the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), Lenape, and other Eastern tribes—the world was born upon the back of a great Turtle. We call her the World Turtle, a symbol of life, beginnings, and the eternal power of the Earth.
When we look at this image—a radiant turtle swimming through the cosmos beneath the sacred sun—it is not a fantasy. It is a memory. A memory carried in the bones of our ancestors.
The Turtle embodies patience, ancient wisdom, and the eternal connection between sky and soil, between ocean and stars. Her shell is the map of the universe—each pattern, each line, telling a story, marking a season, a moon cycle.
The shining sun above is not just a light source—it is the Great Father, breathing warmth and life into Mother Turtle so that all beings may be born. The flowing cosmic river that surrounds her is the spirit current—where all life returns, and from where all life begins.
We, the people of the land, do not see ourselves as separate from nature. We are nature. We do not live "on" the Earth—we live with the Earth. The Turtle teaches us to walk slow, see deep, and carry the world on our backs with a steady heart.
And when you look into the Turtle’s eyes floating through the vastness of space, you are looking into your own ancestor. You are hearing a message whispered across generations:
"Remember—you are part of the Universe. And the Universe is part of you."
