Rediscovering Turtle Island: A First Peoples' Account of the Sacred Geography of America

by Taylor Keen

An exploration of Indigenous cosmology and history in North America

• Examines the complexities of Indigenous legends and creation myths and reveals common oral traditions across much of North America

• Explores the history of Cahokia, the Mississippian Mound Builder Empire of 1050-1300 CE, told through the voice of Honga, a Native leader of the time

• Presents an Indigenous revisionist history regarding Thomas Jefferson, expansionist doctrine, and Manifest Destiny

While Western accounts of North American history traditionally start with European colonization, Indigenous histories of North America—or Turtle Island—stretch back millennia. Drawing on comparative analysis, firsthand Indigenous accounts, extensive historical writings, and his own experience, Omaha Tribal member, Cherokee Citizen, and teacher Taylor Keen presents a comprehensive re-imagining of the ancient and more recent history of this continent’s oldest cultures. Examining the complexities and commonalities of Indigenous legends and creation myths, Keen reveals shared oral traditions across much of North America, including among the Algonquin, Athabascan, Sioux, Omaha, Ponca, Osage, Quapaw, and Kaw tribes. He explores the history of Cahokia, the Mississippian Mound Builder Empire of 1050-1300 CE, told through the dramatic story of Honga, a Native leader who is building a dynastic empire within the third largest city in the world at the time. He examines ancient earthen works and ceremonial sites of Turtle Island, revealing the Indigenous cosmology, sacred mathematics, and archaeoastronomy encoded in these places that artfully blend the movements of the sun, moon, and stars into the physical landscape.

Challenging the mainstream historical consensus, Keen presents an Indigenous revisionist history regarding Thomas Jefferson, expansionist doctrine, and Manifest Destiny. He reveals how, despite being displaced as the United States colonized westward, the Native peoples maintained their vision of an intrinsically shared humanity and the environmental responsibility found at the core of Indigenous mythology.

Building off a deep personal connection to the history and mythology of the First Peoples of the Americas, Taylor Keen helps to rediscover and give renewed voice to the immemorial cultures of Turtle Island, revealing an alternative vision of the continent’s geography and the significance of our past and future presence here.

Genres: Nonfiction, Indigenous, History

208 pages, Paperback

Published June 11, 2024

Reviews

[Jim Dooley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am still incredibly excited that eight locations known as the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks in Ohio were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Just a week before writing this, I had spent hours exploring the Fort Ancient Earthworks and Nature Preserve, and I could feel a sense while walking the grounds of a place that seemed to "vibrate" with memories. This Fall, I am organizing a tour that will include the Great Circle Earthworks.

One of the most frustrating aspects of the Earthworks is how they are perceived today. Many of those who visit because they are on a "bucket list of important places to visit" often come away with the feeling that they can only look at so many mounds of earth before they become bored. (Indeed, one of the recognized sites ... High Bank Works ... is now a large field with all of the mounds leveled by property owners through the years. However, what is underneath the surface is virtually untouched!) I've spoken with archeologists about the meaning of the sites, and the comments center on three elements: some mounds were used for burial, the mounds and stone markers have an astonishingly accurate alignment with celestial bodies (probably serving as calendars), and that some sites (such as Fort Ancient) were centers where enormous celebrations were held that attracted attendees from across what is now the United States.

All of that is cool. But, why would people travel so far? If the celebrations centered around celestial alignment ... or calendars to prepare for planting, harvesting, hunting, etc. ... couldn't that also be accessed closer to home? What was so important to these people about sites so very far away? (Yes, many of us went to see the recent total eclipse of the sun, but we drove there. We didn't go to such exhausting physical extremes to see it.)

At the visitor center and museum at Fort Ancient, I saw REDISCOVERING TURTLE ISLAND: A FIRST PEOPLES' ACCOUNT OF THE SACRED GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA by Taylor Keen in the book area. I didn't know anything more about it. However, glancing through it, I saw pictures of the Newark Earthworks, so I decided to buy it.

Thank goodness I did!

Yes, the writer talks about the startling accuracy of the physical sites in charting celestial alignment through the seasons. But, more importantly, he begins with the story of The Earth Diver Mythos ... essentially how the First People came to inhabit "Turtle Island" (or the Land), how this story is echoed in other world cultures, and what these mound sites may mean beyond monumental calendars. It is not necessary for the Reader to believe the stories, yet an understanding offers tantalizing indications of why these ceremonies were so much more than a large get-together. It also offers insight of why it is so necessary to rediscover the Sacred Tribal Feminine Tradition (an aspect "lost" in many cultures), and how certain Axis points, roadways, and understanding of inter-connectedness eventually leads to illuminating the Journey of the Soul.

Is this another "New Age" perspective? Absolutely not. The writing is extremely easy to follow without a lot of jargon and, most of all, if that is how the Moundbuilders viewed their task of construction, it very much explains why certain places are important celebration sites that would attract people from very long distances (and, in many ways, still hold relevance today). Best of all, to anyone who takes the time to read it, I truly believe that REDISCOVERING TURTLE ISLAND: A FIRST PEOPLES' ACCOUNT OF THE SACRED GEOGRAPHY OF AMERICA will significantly change the typical site visitation from "I can only look at so many mounds of earth" to a deeply-felt emotional experience.

The official description of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks notes that they are "works of human creative genius" and an "eloquent testimony to the brilliance of these ancient Indigenous Americans. The sheer scale of these structures, along with their meticulous alignments with the movements of the sun and moon, tell the story of a culture with sophisticated knowledge of geometry and astronomy that they build onto the land through earthworks and mounds."

Indeed. And I am now a believer that they are Sacred, too.

[Patrick Tullis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the author’s voice on this topic. I was surprised by the chapter on Atlantis and the discussion of earth-crust displacement theory. The book reminded me of Finger Prints of the Gods by Graham Hancock and other esoteric historical themed books I’ve read or looked over. The writing style was a bit erratic, repetitive, and somewhat disjointed.

Overall, I am glad to have heard this authors words. I could almost feel him trying to connect with his past and ancestors as I read the book. I look forward to reading more books this year on Indigenous Americans.

[Linda Callahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take Your Time

There is so much information that needs to be absorbed in this book, that taking your time reading it is essential.

[Maileen Hamto · Rating 5 out of 5]

The history, mythology, and cosmology of hundreds of tribes that make up Turtle Island are vast, intricate, and complex. The colonization of the lands now known as America carries the trauma and hurt of broken treaties, land grabs, and genocide. Amid the legacy of disruption, the stories, beliefs, and cultures of Indigenous peoples continue to thrive. Indigenous scholar Taylor Keen, a member of the Cherokee Nation, explores creation myths, oral traditions, artifacts, and landscapes of various North American tribes in "Rediscovering Turtle Island." Keen synthesizes his research about sacred places, ancient rituals, and ceremonies, accompanied by maps, illustrations, and photos. Crediting Vine Deloria, he shares the importance of taking a perceptive look at the sociocultural impacts of colonization to reclaim the tenacity of the Indigenous spirit, which uplifts respectful and mutually beneficial human relations with land, water, animal, and plant kin.

This is an excellent read for anyone seeking to deepen their knowledge of age-old wisdom about interconnectedness from an Indigenous worldview. As a decolonizing Filipina American, I appreciated Keen’s insights about the damaging generational effects of expressionist doctrine, Western expansion, and Federal Indian policies. Knowing about colonial history is important in appreciating the resilience of Indigenous peoples. The text is undoubtedly pro-Indigenous and written in a way that is relevant and accessible to non-Natives.

[Jenelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author provides a great deal about the creation stories of Indigenous people of Turtle Island and the archaeoastronomy of the Mounds. Truly fascinating information and I look forward to more from him.

The Atlantis chapter… hoping in the years to come that more significant research can be done. The source he used to back up the claim of Atlantis theories is not well regarded, and while I get his argument (that people called Plate Tectonics a fraud within science…) it feels like too much grasping at this point. However this piqued my interest as I would love to learn more about the Islands to the East in Native American cultures.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard Keen on the Earth Ancients podcast and decided to read his book. I enjoyed his reiteration of the White Buffalo story and some of the origin myths of the Native American tribes. He goes into detail about several mound structures in the US, many of which I have never heard of. Unfortunately, this part of the book felt more like academic writing (telling us the what instead of the how and why). The big question is, why did they make the effort to build these mounds? Why not build a pyramid of stone like the Egyptians or Mayans?

[Lauren Florence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! I wish it was twice as long - so many questions! The seeds of many research projects in this book.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike another reviewer, I found the repetition helpful. I appreciated learning about the Native American sacredness of place and the creation stories associated with grounding into and with nature.