Seneca artist paints Sky Woman | The American Yawp Reader

Sky Woman, a central figure in the Haudenosaunee creation story, is shown here falling from the heavens to land on a great turtle. The turtle and other animals lift her out of the water with earth, which she uses to form Turtle Island. Ernest Smith, 1936. Wikimedia.

Ernest Smith was a Seneca artist. In this piece, he painted the story of Sky Woman falling to earth, where she would land on a great turtle. On the back of this turtle, and with the help of birds and animals, she would create Turtle Island.