The animals thought that perhaps there was dirt at the depths of the ocean, but they had never tried to reach the bottom before. one by one they tried to swim down, but their attempts were futile. finally, the muskrat disappeared into the cold depth of the ocean. after a lengthy amount of time, he drifted to the surface with a tiny speck of earth in his hand. he appeared to be dead, but the animals prayed and chanted, and finally he stirred. the earth-diver was successful in bringing forth the soil to make the earth grow.

based on this excerpt, which character trait was valued by the iroquois?