{"id":5595,"date":"2020-08-29T11:35:50","date_gmt":"2020-08-29T15:35:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5595"},"modified":"2020-08-29T11:39:03","modified_gmt":"2020-08-29T15:39:03","slug":"episode-103-muskrats-pest-or-creators-of-our-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=5595","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 103 MUSKRATS….PEST OR CREATORS OF OUR WORLD"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE  103    MUSKRATS\u2026PESTS OR CREATORS  OF OUR WORLD<\/p>\n

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alan skeoch<\/div>\n
August 2020<\/div>\n

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IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS  ONLY WATER\u2026THE GODS LIVED ON TOP OF THE CLOUDS<\/div>\n

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THERE were four to them cavorting in the swamp.  Young  kits.   Muskrat kits  that<\/div>\n
I had no idea were living and thriving in a hidden swamp  on our farm.  Only  made<\/div>\n
visible because I have been clearing  brush to get a better view  of the glorious<\/div>\n
little swamp.   Once they spotted me they arched their backs and dove down.  <\/div>\n
Muskrats can stay submerged for as long as17 minutes\u2026longer than my patience<\/div>\n
it seems.  I waited and  waited.  Were they some kind of  mirage?   Not so, their<\/div>\n
home is likely under the submerged roots of some cedars and the four ran  home<\/div>\n
to their mommy.<\/div>\n

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I was elated.  Our swamps, of  which we have four, seemed sort of  empty of late since<\/div>\n
the frog population has  been  immensely reduced and  even the leeches (bloodsuckers is<\/div>\n
a better word) have disappeared.   A  pair of Canada geese raise a  brood each year<\/div>\n
but once the little ones are big enough, they disappear somewhere.<\/div>\n

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So  it was nice know the Muskrats have been thriving all the time.  But unseen.<\/div>\n

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THE SWAMP\u2026UNSEEN  FOR 20 YEARS\u2026NOW VISIBLE\u2026AND ALIVE.<\/div>\n

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I  am partial to muskrats but the internet sure is  not.  The word \u2018pest\u2019 is used<\/div>\n
a lot.  Why?  Well they can punch holes  in dams but more serious is the presence<\/div>\n
of rabies and  other diseases.  Scary.  But the  presence of rabies  is  not<\/div>\n
exclusive to muskrats.  So do  not get your underwear in  a twist.  The internet<\/div>\n
goes  on to suggest poisons and  traps  to kill or capture the Muskrats. <\/div>\n

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Largely herbivorous, Muskrats like our human gardens.  They are nocturnal raiders<\/div>\n
whose presence can  be deduced by the tracks \u2026 four small feet about size of<\/div>\n
a cat and a long streak of the Muskrat tail in between.   That may account for the <\/div>\n
anger some of us have towards muskrats.<\/div>\n

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SOMETIMES we forget Woody\u2026he waits knowing we will remember him<\/div>\n

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Personally I think  these little beavers (related) are rather smart.  One late afternoon<\/div>\n
a few years ago we were driving home and had to turn around  to go  back to<\/div>\n
the farm.  Maybe  we forgot the dog, Woody.  That happens occasionally.  When<\/div>\n
we drove in the farm lane, there was an adult muskrat on the pathway.  He or she<\/div>\n
must have waited  all day for us to leave in order to get from one swamp to another\u2026particularly<\/div>\n
to the hidden swamp.<\/div>\n

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(I prefer the  term pond because it sounds  so  attractive.   But, that word,  implies  a wetland<\/div>\n
that has been changed into a place for goldfish.   The word swamp  is  better\u2026allows  for<\/div>\n
wild things that are not controlled by human hands.)<\/div>\n

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The muskrat stopped,  looked at us, and then turned around and disappeared into the<\/div>\n
mass of goldenrod that clothes  much of our open  swampland in summer.<\/div>\n

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Why  love a  muskrat?<\/div>\n

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A few years ago I wrote a  book on our indigenous people.  It was written with good  intentions<\/div>\n
\u2026to highlight their depth of culture and the wrongs that have been committed.  The book was<\/div>\n
a failure.  Publisher went bankrupt the day  the book  came out.  And, worse, I was accused<\/div>\n
of appropriating indigenous voice.   True.  I had not considered there was a danger in my main<\/div>\n
protagonist using first person voice.  Writing exposes a writer to  criticism.  Painful always.<\/div>\n

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Which gets me back to the muskrat.<\/div>\n

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In  Mohawk legendary tradition the origin of our world is explored in a charming manner.<\/div>\n
Elements of this legend are also found in other First Nations explanations of how<\/div>\n
humans first appeared  on earth.   The Christian Adam and  Eve explanation is most<\/div>\n
common to Canadians.  Would that the Mohawk explanation was equally familiar.<\/div>\n

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The legend comes down through the generations in spoken form. Thus  there<\/div>\n
are changes since storytellers  often like to make the story \u2018better’.<\/div>\n

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Yes, the muskrat will be featured.  Don\u2019t get so anxious.<\/div>\n

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This is my interpretation of the Mohawk legend of creation.  The basic elements conform<\/div>\n
to the tradition.   We are not dealing with something absolute.  Not Holy Writ you might say.<\/div>\n

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\u201cIn the beginning, the planet was  covered in water.  There was no land\u2026no earth. All<\/div>\n
water.  Above the earth was an envelope of clouds where the gods lived.  One day<\/div>\n
there was an opening in  these clouds and a  woman we call  Earth Mother peeked<\/div>\n
through the hole.  In order to get a better view,  she leaned  over too far and fell<\/div>\n
through the hole.  She was  tumbling head  over heals through the sky.   A loon noticed<\/div>\n
her and flew under her thereby cradling Earth Mother.  But the loon could  not hold her<\/div>\n
forever.  The loon called out to the creatures below, particularly to the big snapping<\/div>\n
turtle. \u201cCan I let Earth Mother land on your back?\u201d  The snapping turtle agreed and<\/div>\n
before long Earth Mother found herself  standing on the top of the great snapping turtle.<\/div>\n
Even though the turtle was  large it was not large enough to hold Earth Mother forever<\/div>\n
so the big snapper called all the water creatures together saying \u201cwe need some mud<\/div>\n
from the bottom below us.  If  we can get mud we can build a  home for earth mother<\/div>\n
on my back.  <\/div>\n

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\u201cSo all the creatures  tried to get some mud\u2026some earth.  The beaver dove down<\/div>\n
as deep as it could but never reached the bottom.  Died trying.  So the otter then<\/div>\n
tried but also died trying.  All  the water creatures tried and failed.  Then the big<\/div>\n
snapping turtle turned  to the little muskrat who had been ignored because it was<\/div>\n
so  small  and insignificant.  \u201cWill you try?\u201d  The muskrat agreed and dove down<\/div>\n
deep deep down.  It was down a long time.  Had  it drowned  like the others?<\/div>\n

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\u201cThen the little muskrat come to the surface.  Was ti dead or alive?  We do  not<\/div>\n
know but there clutched in a little paw was  a  handful of mud  from deep below<\/div>\n
the water.  When that handfull of mud was  spread on the great snapping turtles’<\/div>\n
back it suddenly began to expand  and expand\u2026got larger and larger until the land<\/div>\n
we know of as our earth was  created.<\/div>\n

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\u201cAll this happened because of the lowly little muskrat had an ability to live underwater\u2019<\/div>\n
for a long time.  Without the muskrat none of us would be here.\u201d<\/div>\n

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NOTE:  Legends  of human origin are common to most cultures.  But the First Nation<\/div>\n
legends, particularly this one have some striking features.  The snapping turtle\u2019s<\/div>\n
back, for instance,  fits the modern scientific of plate tectonics.  The crust of the<\/div>\n
earth is broken into huge plates that float snd clash. Below is a sea  of molten magma.<\/div>\n
To me, the Mohawk creation legend has  another feature.  All the  creatures of<\/div>\n
the world  helped Earth Mother survive.  Among the Mohawk the great Snapping<\/div>\n
Turtle is given much  credit\u2026but most credit goes to the tiny Muskrat. There<\/div>\n
is a recognition that all the creatures have value.<\/div>\n

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There are other features to this legend which I will not explore because my<\/div>\n
story is  about the muskrat but it is worth mentioning that Earth Mother was<\/div>\n
pregnant when she fell.  She  bore two sons.  One was a good son, the other<\/div>\n
was  a bad son. They fought. (as dud Cain and  Able in western legend)<\/div>\n
The good  son just barely squeaked victory<\/div>\n
but his victory is never secure.   Rings true to the Adam and Eve legend.  But<\/div>\n
foremost in the legend is the role of Earth Mother.  Among the Mohawk and other<\/div>\n
Iroquois women are given great prominence.  The Society of Matrons have been<\/div>\n
traditional leaders and decision makers.   It took a long time for British and <\/div>\n
European \u2018discoverers\u2019 to understand that.<\/div>\n

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Bottom Line\u2026Our family will not be spreading poison  to kill the muskrats nor<\/div>\n
will be hiding leg hold  traps among the goldenrod.<\/div>\n

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<\/div>\n
alan skeoch<\/div>\n
august 2020<\/div>\n

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P.S.   Apologies if my interpretation of the Mohawk legend  of  creation differs<\/div>\n
from others.  Legends  come  from spoken traditions.  I am comforted  by the<\/div>\n
fact that our Mississauga First Nations\u2026now living on land given to them by <\/div>\n
the Mohawk people in the 19th century\u2026that these people invited  me to speak<\/div>\n
at their historical conference a couple of years ago.  They were a most gracious<\/div>\n
and broad minded people.  We had a good  time.<\/div>\n

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EPISODE  103    MUSKRATS\u2026PESTS OR CREATORS  OF OUR WORLD alan skeoch August 2020 IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS  ONLY WATER\u2026THE GODS LIVED ON TOP OF THE CLOUDS THERE were four to them cavorting in the swamp.  Young  kits.   Muskrat kits  that I had no idea were living and thriving in a hidden swamp  on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5595\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}