Creation Stories

“In the beginning, God….” (Genesis 1:1). This is the start of the Biblical narrative, a creation narrative of God bringing order to chaos so that life can flourish. There is separation of light from darkness, sky and water, water and land, creation of trees and vegetation, celestial lights, creatures of the seas and skies, creatures of the land, and finally, humans created in the image of Creator God (Genesis 1:27) to join him in the divine rule (Gen 1:28) and loving nurture of the created world (Gen 2:15). God saw all that he had made, especially humans, as very good, and the story continues with a cast of characters including Adam and Eve, a talking snake, Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood, the nations of Babel, and a host of spiritual beings.

It is not a history account so much as it is an epic tale, rich with symbolism, metaphor, and literary artistry that sets the stage for understanding the whole of the spiritual realm and humanity in the Biblical narrative – and where we as humans on earth find ourselves in the story. Such stories shaped ancient Israel as a community, and continued to shape the Jews in Jesus’ day, the early church, and through to today. Personally, growing up immersed in these ancient stories have profoundly shaped my own understanding of a spiritual world; my identity and relation to the loving, present Creator God; my relationship to all of humanity; and the very purposes of my existence.
    
The ancient Israelites were not the only ancient civilization to have such grand and grounding creation narratives that place the physical existence of humans and the natural world within the realm of a spiritual world and, most importantly, in relation to Creator and spiritual beings. Indigenous peoples across this land each have ancient narratives of their own, passed down orally from generation to generation since time immemorial. Turtle Island, with many variations, is one such story. If you’re interested, Indigenous author Thomas King tells a charming version in his 2003 CBC Massey Lecture Series, The Truth about Stories (Part 1) – though I caution, it is meant to be a bit provoking in considering how our perspectives and societies are shaped by these ancient narratives. 

What I find fascinating is how intertwined creation narratives are with the local land, and how much more prominence animals play in the Indigenous stories. Much like the Biblical story of Noah’s Ark, my name appears in a Musqueam oral history at the close of the story of a great flood, only in the Musqueam story as told by Musqueam Elder Kwes’ Kwestin, at the humans’ request, animals take on the task of trying to reach the heavens to ask the great creature with a lake on its back to kindly take care not to spill water down onto the earth. In the end, it’s the yellow banana slug that – albeit slowly – successfully makes her way to the heavens, climbing a ladder of arrows made from the Pacific Yew tree. It’s the unlikely hero slug’s trail of slime on her descent from the completed mission that leaves the rainbow in the sky. 😊

Like all creation narratives, there are richer meanings than the whimsical characters and their adventures. The stories also interplay with other stories and teachings of the community. Musqueam Elder Larry Grant taught Elder Kwes’ Kwestin that you can learn to interpret these stories only when you’ve learned them verbatim – really dwelled in them, and have had them dwell in you. What emerges from most Indigenous creation narratives though, may well be summed up in the oft-used phrase “All my relations” – a keen awareness of an interconnected universe, in which humans are vulnerable, dependent creatures, they – together with their families, communities, ancestors, and future generations – humbly carry the divinely-appointed task and identity to live respectfully and in harmony with their neighbours, human and non-human (animals, plants, and all creation including the earth and waters), as the stewards.  

Questions to consider:
  • What stories most shape my identity and my spirituality?
  • How have these stories shaped my relation to the rest of creation - the other humans and parts of the natural world?


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