Environment and Society: Colonial Environmental Imaginaries and Socio-Environmental Relations

Sacred Words and Teachings: Recited at gatherings of the Haudenosaunee people.
- Emphasize profound gratitude and interconnectedness with all elements of the natural world.
- Ground the people spiritually and culturally, reinforcing ties and responsibilities to all life.
Greetings and Thanksgiving to Specific Elements:
- Mother Earth: Sustains all life.
- Short Vegetation (led by the strawberry): Provides food, medicine, and beauty.
- Tall Vegetation (led by the maple tree): Provides shelter, warmth, and tools.
- Four-legged animals (led by the deer): Provide food, clothing, and necessities.
- Winged creatures (led by the eagle): Offers food, songs, and feathers.
- Water creatures (led by the trout): Provide food, medicine, and support.
- Water: Various waters (underground, lakes, rivers, salt waters) sustaining life.
- Celestial beings: Grandmother the Moon, Elder Brother the Sun, Grandfather the Thunderer, who continue their roles in creation.
- Ancestors and spirits in the upper sky world: Guiding and protecting the people.
- The Original Creator: Acknowledged without gender attribution, made everything.

Skywoman's Fall: Narrates Skywoman's fall from the Skyworld due to an unfulfilled craving.
Rescue: Waterfowl gently catch her and bring her down safely on a turtle's back (Turtle Island).
Creation of Land: Water animals attempt to fetch earth from below.
- The otter finally brings a small clump of earth but dies before reaching the surface.
- Skywoman uses this earth to originate Turtle Island by planting sacred strawberry and tobacco.
Land's Growth: As Skywoman walked, the land grew into mountains, valleys, and rivers.
- Ancestors witness the world's formation alongside the struggle of order and chaos.
Themes: Underscores care, interdependence, and respect for the natural world.

Context: A time of peace and prosperity followed the creation story, during which the Kanehsata'kehró:non (People of Kanehsatà:ke) flourished with abundant crops, game, trade, and travel.
Outbreak of War: War eventually erupted among nations, villages, clans, and families, leading to grief, anger, and the breakdown of social order.
Arrival of The Peacemaker:
- Offered condolence and healing for grief and anger, restoring reason and harmony.
- Used symbolic acts: wiping tears, clearing ears, and giving pure water to restore communication and understanding.
Formation of the League: The Peacemaker helped unite five nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca) into the Great League of Peace (Kaianere'kó:wa), forming the people of the Longhouse (Rotinonhseshá:ka).
Tiekonhsá:se (Mother of all Nations): A woman who supported peace by caring for former warriors and ceasing support for war efforts.
Principles of Kaianere'kó:wa:
- Fosters peace, clan systems, kinship ties, and the banishment of war.
- Renews strength and community belonging.
- Founded on respect for all life, mediation over punishment, consensus decision-making, and rejection of hierarchical authority.
Historical Significance: The timeline suggests Kaianere'kó:wa predates European contact by centuries, highlighting an advanced and spiritual governance system.

Listed as a key text for discussing colonial environmental imaginaries, likely offering a contrast to Indigenous perspectives.