The Story of the Turtle Calendar

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Many, many moons ago before Creator put humans on the earth, the creatures of the animal kingdom could talk and communicate with one another just as humans did much later.

In this long ago time, Turtle was making his way through the leaves on the forest floor when Raven landed on a tree close by. “Hello, friend Turtle,” said Raven. “How are you today?” “Fine,” said Turtle, “But I wish I could see the world from above as you do. All I ever see is what is right in front of me.”

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“Clamp your mouth onto one end of that broken twig on the ground, and I will hold the other end in my talons and carry you into the sky.” Turtle did as Raven said and they went up above the treetops and over the rivers and hills. After a while Raven said, “Well, Turtle, how do you like the view from up here?” When Turtle opened his mouth to speak, he let go of the twig and fell back to earth, shattering his smooth shell into many pieces. Raven was horrified at what had happened to his friend.

Creator saw everything that had happened and took pity on Turtle. “Turtle,” Creator said. “I didn’t make you to fly in the sky. I made you to crawl slowly on the earth. This will be a lesson to you. I will put your broken shell back together, but from now on your shell will have a new purpose. You will have thirteen spaces on your back for the thirteen moons in a year and twenty-eight spaces around your shell for the number of days in a moon. You will also be the Keeper of Knowledge, and you will live a longer life than all the other forest creatures.”

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The calendar on Turtle’s back equals 364 days. The Cherokee and many other tribes have 365 days in their year. The extra day is the Green Corn day which is usually in midsummer when the corn crop is new and holds the promise of a good harvest. On this day, all offenses are forgiven, and great feasts are prepared and eaten. This is the day that everything starts anew.

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So when you see brother Turtle crossing your path, remember his story and, if you can, give him a little help on the way.