Sacred Texts: Native American

Seneca Indian Myths: The Trials and Death of Inchworm

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This is a Native American folk tale, almost certainly from the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) tradition, presented in an ethnographic collection format with a character list giving both native-language names and English equivalents for animal figures. The story follows Inchworm, a small but stubborn forest-dweller who refuses to abandon his home despite being summoned to a council of chiefs — Meteor, Rabbit, Raven, and Fox — who demand he relocate. The chiefs escalate from persuasion to assassination, sending the Ancient of Bears to kill him, but Inchworm is warned by a prophetic dream and escapes by leaving decoy meat on his couch. He then forges an alliance with Mud Turtle, a fellow householder who similarly drives off intruders from his island, and both commit to defending the places where they live. The tale's most distinctive emphasis is on the moral weight of home and the right not to be displaced: Inchworm's resistance is consistently validated — by Blue Lizard, by the dream voice, by Wind — while the chiefs' authority is portrayed as illegitimate coercion. The story ends mid-action, with Inchworm following Wind's instructions to fortify his cabin with a protective weed, white flint stones, and a ring of firewood to be lit when the chiefs arrive for a final assault.

Seneca Indian Myths: The Trials and Death of Inchworm

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