What does turtle mean in Native American Indians?

Answer 1

Turtle Island (North America)Turtle Island is an English language translation ostensibly of many Native American tribes' terms for the continent of North America. There is little if any historical evidence that any tribes had such a term in their language or used it in this manner, although it is used today by many Native tribes and Native rights activists. The newly coined term is proposed as a substitute for or synonym for North America. The term was brought into popular usage by Gary Snyder through his book Turtle Island[1] in 1974. In a later essay, published in At Home on the Earth,[1] Snyder claimed this title as a term referring to North America which synthesizes both indigenous and colonizer cultures by translating the indigenous name into the colonizer's languages (the Spanish "Isla Tortuga" being proposed as a name as well). Snyder argues that understanding North America under the name of Turtle Island will help shift conceptions of the continent.

Referring to North America as Turtle Island suggests a view of North America not merely as a land "discovered" and colonized by people of European descent, but as a land inhabited and stewarded by a collection of rich, diverse, and civilized peoples.[clarification needed] This collection may have room for both indigenous and colonizer cultures. This re-framing of the identity of North America is intended to bring about a better cohabitation of these two groups of people. Finally the term suggests to some interpreters[who?] a more holistic relationship between people and the continent's ecology, visualizing Turtle Island as an amalgamation of bioregions.

Answer 2

The Turtle to Native Americans is the oldest symbol representing the Earth. It is representation of Goddess energy and the eternal Mother. We are born from Mother Earth and to her we shall return.

Answer 3

Just a few of the many hundreds of native words meaning "turtle" are:

Powhatan................................accomodemsk

Abenaki....................................tolba

Maliseet...................................cihkonaqc

Mohegan..................................toyupáhs,tunuppasog

Ojibwe......................................mishiike, mikinaak, boozikadoo, dedebikinaak

Delaware..................................tacliquoch, ttilpe

Shawnee...................................mis-sic-kon-noch-que

Arapaho....................................be'énoo

Cheyenne..................................ma'eno

Mohawk.....................................a'nowara

Iroquois.....................................hanuna

Hidatsa......................................matahi

Lakota.......................................kheya, phatkasha, kheyowuspa

Navajo.......................................ch'ééhdigháhii, tsisteeł

Sahaptin (Yakama).....................alashik

Answer 4

In many Native American cultures, the world is on a turtle's back. They believe in a flood, similar to that of Noah in the Old Testament. The great turtle came along and lifted them all up on his back, and that is where we all still live today.

Answer 5

Western Apache: ch'oshteeł

Answer:

There was no one common language among the first nations of North America. Any word would be specific to a tribe.

Answer 6

There are as many names as there are tribes.

Migiigi is the Mi'kmaq word. Pronounced "mik·chikch"