Photo credit to illustration by John Kahionhes Fadden (Mohawk)

For this blog post, I decided to compare the creation story that King tells in The Truth About Stories with the Genesis story found in the bible. As a Christian, this Genesis story is sacred to me and my beliefs, and I found it very interesting to read a different creation story. While I really enjoyed reading the story, I also found that there was a bit of a tension for me as the reader, since I was unable to view this story as sacred due to my belief in the sacredness of a different story. This was an interesting realization for me, and brought up the question of whether or not an individual can see more than one contrasting story as sacred, as well as if, by definition, seeing one story as sacred means regarding all others as secular?

While listening to King’s telling of the creation story, I noticed some similarities and differences between that story, and the Genesis story I am so familiar with. For those who may be unfamiliar with either of these two stories, I will start with a brief summary of each. In King’s creation story, there is a woman named Charm, who is pregnant and wishes for a specific root from the oldest tree. She finds the tree and begins to dig, and digs right through to the other end of her world. She is curious, so she sticks her head in to look, but goes too far and falls through. She comes towards a blue planet (earth), which is completely covered in water. Since there is no where to put Charm down, she ends up on the back of a turtle. However, Charm needs land, so the Otter dives down to the bottom of the ocean, and finally comes back up with some mud, which they sing and dance around until it turns into land. On the land, Charm has her babies – a right handed boy, and a left handed girl. The right handed boy flattens the land, and makes straight rivers. Then, the left handed girl creates mountains and valleys, and puts rocks in the river. Finally, the boy creates mankind, and the girl creates womankind.

In the biblical Genesis story, God creates the earth in six days – beginning with light and darkness on the first day, and ending with two humans – Adam and Eve, on the sixth day. Adam and Eve are made in God’s image and therefore seen as superior to the other animals. They are put in charge of naming and taking care of the animals. They live in the garden of Eden, where they have been instructed that they can eat from any tree, except one in the middle, called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A serpent comes to Eve when she is alone, and tempts her to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree, telling her it will make her as wise as God. She eats the fruit, and then gives some to Adam. They gained knowledge, and learned of good and evil, and then God banishes them from the Garden of Eden.

The first similarity that I noticed between the two stories was the curiosity of the two women, as well as their desire for food, and how that led to downfall.  In the native creation story, Charm is looking for food when she digs the hole, and it is her curiosity which prompts her to peer further into the hole, until she falls through. Similarly, in the Genesis story, Eve is the one who is tempted by the fruit, in large part because she is curious about the knowledge that she is lacking, and this leads to the downfall of mankind.

Another similarity that I noticed between the two stories was the very different roles that men and women played. In Genesis, there is an emphasis on the difference between Adam as a man and Eve, the women, as well as the hierarchy in the relationship (rather than being seen as the same and two equal partners). In the native creation story, Charm’s two children are depicted as opposites, with the right-handed boy creating a world that is straight and flat, and the left-handed girl creating texture and curves. When I first read that, I immediately thought of the two sides of our brains – the left, which is associated with analysis and methodical thinking, and the right, which is associated with imagination, creativity and art (which is the opposite right/left to Charm’s children). As well, though this is a stereotype, males are often associated more with the left-brain (analysis and method), which lines up with the world that Charm’s son creates, which is orderly and straight. In opposition, girls are (stereotypically) associated with the creative right brain, which is more in line with Charm’s daughter and the disorderly, creative additions she makes to the world. As well, in both stories it is man who is first – In Genesis, man is made and then woman follows from him, and in the creation story, the boy works on the land first, and then the woman follows.

The last similarity that I found was the way in which humankind was made, and after whom humankind was modelled. In the Genesis story, it is stated that Adam and Eve were made in the image of God. While this is not directly stated in King’s creation story, I found it interesting that it was the girl who made womankind, and the boy who made mankind. In this way, they are both modelling their creations after their own image.

In The Truth About Stories, King talks about how native stories have always appreciated humour and light heartedness, and how that has meant their stories are not always taken seriously. In the native creation story, there are talking animals, and Charm is able to dig through a world and fall through. These impossibilities are reminiscent of a children’s storybook, and may contribute to the lack of respect for the sacredness of the creation story which King is talking about. In comparison, the Genesis story still has elements which are impossible for us as humans – God speaks the world into being, Eve is made from Adams rib, etc. However, the story is told in a much more serious tone, and lacks the more childish details – for example, the animals in the Genesis story cannot talk, and are ruled over and taken care of by the humans, in a natural hierarchy. This is much more similar to our world as we know it today, and this may contribute to the more serious feel of the story.

As well, in the Genesis story, there is a hierarchy created – God, man, and then animals. It is God who makes the world and who makes man, and God appoints man as caretaker of the animals. In comparison, the native creation story describes a universe created through cooperation. The animals help Charm and her children, and the world is made in a collaborative effort. There is no hierarchy, even at the end. As well, in Genesis the world is perfect before the fall – God has made a perfect world, and it is humankind who taints this. In the native creation story, the world begins as water and mud, and it is through characters that the earth is moved from a formless world to one which is complex and has a rich diversity.

Lastly, another difference between the Christian and native creation stories is the relationship between humankind and the creators of the world. In the Indigenous story, humans are never offered a relationship with Charm or her children – there is no interaction between the two during King’s telling of the story. In comparison, the Genesis story largely features interactions between God and his creation. Adam and Eve are offered relationship with God, and it is through their own choices that this is removed.

Works Cited

Biblegateway. Genesis 1:27. Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Retrieved from biblegateway.com

Pietrangelo, Ann. “Left brain vs. Right Brain: What Does this Mean for Me?” Healthline. January 2017.

King, Thomas. “The Truth about Stories – Part 1”. The 2003 CBC Massey Lectures. Nov 2003.