Painted Turtles

Omnivore turtles eat berries, leaves, insects, slugs, and more. On each turtle, no matter the species, there are 13 scutes fused together on the carapace, or upper part of the shell. These match the 13 moons found within our one turn around the sun, making it a great natural calendar. Some Indigenous peoples think of North America as Turtle Island, where we came from the sea and with help from the animals learned to live on the land. In one version, this new land comes after a flood, with muskrat bringing soil onto the willing turtle’s back. In another, seed-bearing Sky Woman falls onto Turtle’s back and land is made for her.