Apple: Skin to the Core

Eric Gansworth uses the term “Eee-ogg” several times in Apple but never defines it. His poem “The Word for Gossip” is not included in Apple but was published on Poem-a-Day in 2020. The poem explains that “Eee-ogg” translates roughly to “they say.” It can also be translated as “gossip.”

Only one of Gansworth’s grandparents is Onondaga (the other three are Tuscarora), but he is enrolled as a member of the Onondaga Nation. Onondaga membership is matrilineal. Members of this Nation live primarily in parts of New York and Ontario.

Haudenosaunee cosmology includes Skywoman and Skyworld as elements. According to Haudenosaunee creation stories, before the world as it exists today, people lived on the Skyworld. One day, a pregnant Skywoman fell to the ground. With the help of several animals, she managed to live on Turtle Island (North America). The Haudenosaunee people are descendants of Skywoman, and they return to the Skyworld when they die.