In Iroquois mythology, what giant turtle holds the Earth on its back?

In Iroquois mythology, the giant turtle that holds the Earth on its back is the Great Turtle.

The Great Turtle is the foundation of the Iroquois creation story commonly associated with Turtle Island. In the myth, Sky Woman falls from the upper world into a watery realm. Water animals try to bring up soil from beneath the water, and the recovered earth is placed on the turtle’s back. As the earth expands, it becomes the land on which people can live.

This story is an example of an Earth-diver creation narrative, in which animals help form habitable land from the depths of primordial waters. The turtle is therefore more than a supporting animal: it provides the living foundation for the world. The name Turtle Island is widely used for the earth, or in some modern contexts for North America, among peoples connected with these traditions.

Some sources give the mythical turtle a specific Seneca name, Hah-nu-nah, while “Great Turtle” is the straightforward English name used in many retellings. It should not be confused with Sky Woman, who is the falling creator figure, or with the Thunderbird, a powerful being from other Indigenous traditions.