Turtle Island
According to Anishinaabek culture, the Earth was flooded by the Great Spirit due to the inhabitants of the Earth's lack of love and respect for each other. All the living creatures were forced to swim around in search of land. In one version of the story, several animals and the part god part man, Waynaboozhoo, found each other and a raft was made for them all to float on. No land was in sight, so Makinaak, the snapping turtle, offered his back as the base for the new land. The animals struggled to swim to the bottom and bring up mud, but once they began encourging one another mud was gathered and placed on Makinaak's back.
While there are many different variations of this creation story throughout Anishinaabek cultures, the same theme is consistant through many of them. The purpose of this story is to teach the people of the earth how to live together, that actions should be out of love and respect should be held between all the inhabitants, not just for one's self.
Click here for another written version of the story.