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Post by Okwes on May 9, 2007 14:07:25 GMT -5
Creation Salish 2 - Salish
The ancients all had greater powers and cunning than either animals or people. Besides the ancients, real people lived on the earth at that time.
Old One made the people out of the last balls of mud he took from the earth.
They were so ignorant that they were the most helpless of all the creatures
Old One had made.
The difficulty with the early world was that most of the ancients were selfish, and they were also very stupid in some ways. They did not know which creatures were deer and which were people, and sometimes they ate people by mistake.
At last Old One said, "There will soon be no people if I let things go on like this." So he sent Coyote to teach the Indians how to do things. And Coyote began to travel on the earth, teaching the Indians, making life easier and better for them, and performing many wonderful deeds.
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Post by Okwes on May 9, 2007 14:09:25 GMT -5
Creation Seneca - Seneca There were, it seems, so it is said, man-beings dwelling on the other side of the sky. So, just in the center of their village the lodge of the chief stood, wherein lived his family, consisting of his spouse and one child, a girl, that they two had. He was surprised that then he began to become lonesome. Now, furthermore, he, the Ancient, was very lean, his bones having become dried; and the cause of this condition was that he was displeased that they two had the child, and one would think, judging from the circumstances, that he was jealous. So now this condition of things continued until the time that he, the Ancient, indicated that they, the people, should seek to divine his Word; that is, that they should have a dream feast for the purpose of ascertaining the secret yearning of his soul [produced by its own motion]. So now all the people severally continued to do nothing else but to assemble there. Now they there continually sought to divine his Word. They severally designated all manner of things that they severally thought that he desired. After the lapse of some time, then, one of these persons said: "Now, perhaps, I myself have divined the Word of our chief, the excrement. And the thing that he desires is that the standing tree belonging to him should be uprooted, this tree that stands hard by his lodge." The chief said: "Gw?''" [expressing his thanks]. So now the man-beings said: "We must be in full number and we must aid one another when we uproot this standing tree; that is, there must be a few to grasp each several root." So now they uprooted it and set it up elsewhere. Now the place whence they had uprooted the tree fell through, forming an opening through the sky earth. So now, moreover, all the man-beings inspected it. It was curious; below them the aspect was green and nothing else in color. As soon as the man-beings had had their turns at inspecting it, then the chief said to his spouse: "Come now, let us two go to inspect it." Now she took her child astride of her back. Thither now he made his way with difficulty. He moved slowly. They two arrived at the place where the cavern was. Now he, the Ancient, himself inspected it. When he wearied of it, he said to his spouse: "Now it is thy turn. Come." "Age'," she said, "myself, I fear it." "Come now, so be it," he said, "do thou inspect it." So now she took in her mouth the ends of the mantle which she wore, and she rested herself on her hand on the right side, and she rested herself on the other side also, closing her hand on either side and grasping the earth thereby. So now she looked down below. Just as soon as she bent her neck, he seized her leg and pushed her body down thither. Now, moreover, there [i. e., in the hole] floated the body of the Fire-dragon with the white body, and, verily, he it was whom the Ancient regarded with jealousy. Now Fire-dragon took out an ear of corn, and verily he gave it to her. As soon as she received it she placed it in her bosom. Now, another thing, the next in order, a small mortar and also the upper mortar [pestle] he gave to her. So now, again, another thing he took out of his bosom, which was a small pot. Now, again, another thing, he gave her in the next place, a bone. Now, he said: "This, verily, is what thou wilt continue to eat." Now it was so, that below [her] all manner of otgon [malefic] male man-beings abode; of this number were the Fire-dragon, whose body was pure white in color, the Wind, and the Thick Night. Now, they, the male man-beings, counseled together, and they said: "Well, is it not probably possible for us to give aid to the woman-being whose body is falling thence toward us?" Now every one of the man-beings spoke, saying: "I, perhaps, would be able to aid her." Black Bass said: "I, perhaps, could do it." They, the man-beings, said: "Not the least, perhaps, art thou able to do it, seeing that thou hast no sense [reason]." The Pickerel next in turn said: "I, perhaps, could do it." Then the man-beings said: "And again we say, thou canst not do even a little, because thy throat is too long [thou art a glutton]." So now Turtle spoke, saying: "Moreover, perhaps, I would be able to give aid to the person of the woman-being." Now all the man-beings confirmed this proposal. Now, moreover, Turtle floated there at the point directly toward which the body of the woman-being was falling thence. So now, on the Turtle's carapace she, the woman-being, alighted. And she, the woman-being, wept there. Some time afterward she remembered that seemingly she still held [in her hands] earth. Now she opened her hands, and, moreover, she scattered the earth over Turtle. As soon as she did this, then it seems that this earth grew in size. So now she did thus, scattering the earth very many times [much]. In a short time the earth had become of a considerable size. Now she herself became aware that it was she herself, alone seemingly, who was forming this earth here present. So now, verily, it was her custom to travel about from place to place continually. She knew, verily, that when she traveled to and fro the earth increased in size. So now it was not long, verily, before the various kinds of shrubs grew up and also every kind of grass and reeds. In a short time she saw there entwined a vine of the wild potato. There out of doors the woman-being stood up and said: "Now, seemingly, will be present the orb of light [the sun], which shall be called the diurnal one." Truly now, early in the morning, the orb of light arose and now, moreover, it started and went thither toward the place where the orb of light goes down [sets]. Verily, when the orb of light went down [set] it then became night, or dark. Now again, there out of doors she stood up, and she said, moreover: "Now, seemingly, next in order, there will be a star [spot] present here and there in many places where the sky is present [i. e., on the surface of the sky]." Now, truly, it thus came to pass. So now, there out of doors where she stood she there pointed and told, moreover, what kind of thing those stars would be called. Toward the north there are certain stars, severally present there, of which she said: "They-are-pursuing-the-bear they will be called." So now, next in order, she said another thing: "There will be a large star in existence, and it will rise customarily just before it becomes day, and it will be called, 'It-brings-the-day.'" Now, again she pointed, and again she said: "That cluster of stars yonder will be called 'the Group Visible.' And they, verily, will know [will be the sign of] the time of the year [at all times]. And that [group] is called 'They-are-dancing.'" So now, still once more, she spoke of that [which is called] "She-is-sitting." [She said]: "Verily, these will accompany them [i. e., those who form a group]. 'Beaver-its-skin-is-spread-out,' is what these shall be called. As soon, customarily, as one journeys, traveling at night, one will watch this [group]." Some time after this, she, the Ancient-bodied, again spoke repeatedly, saying: "There will dwell in a place far away man-beings. So now, also, another thing; beavers will dwell in that place where there are streams of water." Indeed, it did thus come to pass, and the cause that brought it about is that she, the Ancient-bodied, is, as a matter of fact, a controller .
So now, sometime afterward, the girl man-being, the offspring of the Ancient-bodied, had grown large in size. And so now there was also much forest lying extant. Now near by there was lying an uprooted tree, whereon it was that she, the child, was always at play. Customarily she swung, perhaps; and when she became wearied she would descend from it. There on the grass she would kneel down. It was exceedingly delightful, customarily, it is said, when the Wind entered; when she became aware that the Wind continued to enter her body, it was delightful.
Now sometime afterward the Ancient-bodied watched her, musing: "Indeed, one would think that my [man-being] offspring's body is not sole [i. e., not itself only]. "No," she said, "hast thou never customarily seen someone at times?" "No," said the girl child. Then she, the Ancient-bodied, said: "I really believe that one would think that thou art about to give birth to a child." So now, the girl child told it, saying: That there [at the swing] when, customarily, I would kneel down, I became aware that the Wind inclosed itself in my body." So now, she, the Ancient-bodied, said: "If it be so, I say as a matter of fact, it is not certain that thou and I shall have good fortune."
Sometime afterward then, seemingly, [it became apparent] that two male children were contained in the body of the maiden. And now, verily, also they two debated together, the two saying, it is said, customarily: "Thou shalt be the elder one," "Thee just let it be," so it was thus that they two kept saying. Now, one of them, a male person who was very ugly, being covered with warts, said: "Thou shalt be the first to be born." Now the other 'person said: "Just let it be thee." Now he, the Warty, said: "Just let it be thee to be the first to be born." "So let it be," said the other person, "thou wilt fulfil thy duty, perhaps, thou thyself." "So be it," verily said he, the Warty. Now, he who was the elder was born. And then in a short time she [the Ancient-bodied] noticed that, seemingly, there was still another to be born. The other had been born only a short time when this one was also born. They had been born only a very short time when their mother died. There, verily, it is said that he, the Warty, came forth from the navel of his mother. So now, verily, she, the Ancient-bodied, wept there. Not long after this, verily, she gave attention to the twins. As soon as she finished this task she made a grave not far away, and so she there laid her dead offspring, laying her head toward the west. So now, moreover, she talked to her. She, the Ancient-bodied, said: "Now, verily, thou hast taken the lead on the path that will continue to be between the earth here and the upper side of the sky. As soon as thou arrivest there on the upper side of the sky thou must carefully prepare a place where thou wilt continue to abide, and where we shall arrive." Now, of course, she covered it. So, now, only this was left, that she customarily cared for the twins, the two children.
Again, after some time, it is said, the two male children were of large size, and verily, too, they ran about there, customarily. Afterward, the elder one, being now a youth, questioning his grandmother, asked: "Oh, grandmother, where, verily, is my father? And who, moreover, verily, is the one who is my father? Where, moreover, is the place wherein he dwells?" She, the Ancient-bodied, said: "Verily, that one who is the Wind is thy father. Whatever, moreover, is the direction from which the wind is customarily blowing, there, truly, is the place where the lodge of thy father stands." "So be it," replied the youth. So now, verily, the youth stood out of doors, and now he, moreover, observed the direction of the wind, whence it was blowing, and this too he said: "I desire to see my father, and the reason is that he would give me aid." Now, he said: "Far yonder stands the lodge of my father, the Wind; he will aid me; he will make the bodies of all the kinds of animal [man-beings]; and by all means still something else that will be an aid to me." So now he started. He had not gone far when in the distance he saw the place where stood the lodge of his father. He arrived there, and there a man-being abode who had four a children, two males and two females. The youth said: "I have now arrived. O father, it is necessary that thou shouldst aid me. And that which I need are the game [animals] and also some other things." They were all pleased that they saw him. So now he, the Ancient, their father, said: "So let it be. Truly I will fulfil all of thy requirements in coming here. In the first place, however, I will that these here, ye my children, severally shall amuse yourselves somewhat by running a race. I have a flute for which ye shall contend one with another, whereby ye shall enjoy yourselves. And I say that ye shall make a circuit of this earth here present, and also that ye shall take this flute." So now they stood at the line whence they should start. Now the visiting youth said: "I desire that here shall stand he, the Defender a [the False-face, He-defends-them], that he may aid me."
Truly, it thus came to pass; the Defender came and stood there. And now, moreover, the youth said: "And I say that thou must put forth thy utmost speed for that I am going to trail thy tracks." So now truly it did thus come to pass that at all times they two [males] were in the lead throughout the entire distance covered in making the circuit [of the earth]. As soon as they started running he trailed him, and the pace was swift. In a short time now they made a circuit of it. Much did they two [males] outfoot the other two. Now he that carried the flute gave it to his father. Now he, the Ancient, took it and also said: "Now, of course, truly thou hast won from me all the things that thou desirest that I should do for thee." Now, moreover, he there laid down a bundle, a filled bag that was very heavy. So now, verily, he gave to his son, to the one who came from the other place, this bundle and also this flute that he had won, and he also said: "I say that this shall belong to you both equally, to thee and thy younger brother." So now the youth took up the bundle and bore it on his back by means of the forehead burden strap. So now he traveled along to a place where he became tired and the sack began to be heavy. So now he exclaimed, "It may be, perhaps, that I should take a rest." And so now he sat down and also examined it [the bag]. He thought, 'Let me, indeed, view them; for indeed they belong to me anyway." Now, verily, he there unwrapt it and uncovered it. Just as soon as he opened it there were repeated shovings. Now, moreover, there all the various kinds of animals that his father had given him came forth. He was taken by surprise that all the animals so suddenly came forth. Thus it came to pass as soon as he fully opened the sack. And there, moreover, they severally trampled upon him. So the last one to come forth was the spotted fawn. Now he there shot it. On the front leg, a little above the place where the hoof joins the leg, there he bit it. It escaped from him, verily, moreover. So now he said: "Thus it will be with thee always. It will never be possible for thee to recover. And the wax [fat] that will at all times be contained therein will be a good medicine. And it will continue to be an effective medicine. As soon as anyone customarily shall have sore eyes, one must customarily anoint them with it, binding it thereon; then, customarily it will be possible for one to recover.
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Post by Okwes on May 9, 2007 14:10:00 GMT -5
So then he departed again from that place. When he again arrived at the place where their lodge stood, he told his younger brother, saying: "Do thou look at what the father of us two has given us two." When he again arrived where his grandmother was, he said: "Now I have been to the place of my father on a visit. He granted me a most important matter. So do ye again go out of doors. Ye will hear the great noise [made] by all the several kinds of animals." Now they went out, and they listened to the loudness of the noise made by all the kinds of animals. Now there, their grandmother, the Ancient-bodied, she stood up, and she talked, saying: "Let it stand here; that is the elk, which this thing shall be called. Here also let another stand, one that is Just a little smaller, which shall be called a deer. Now also another thing, let it stand here, and that next in turn shall, verily, he called a bear. Now, also, another thing, next in order, let him stand here, and that next in order of time shall be called a buffalo. So that, verily, is just the number of [game animals] which are large in size. As soon, verily, as man-beings shall dwell here, those, verily, shall be the names of the different animals; when the man-beings dwell [here], then they shall give names to all the other animals."
So, verily, now, he, the youth, said: "I desire that there shall be a hollow here [in the ground], and that it shall be full of oil." Verily, it thus came to pass. Now, moreover, he said: "Hither let him [anthropic], the buffalo, come." In just a short time it then stood there. Now he said: "Therein do thou plunge thyself." Thus, truly, did it come to pass. On the farther side it landed from the oil pool, having become as fat as it is possible for it to be. So now again he said: "Hither let him [anthropic] come next in order of time, the bear." In a short time now the bear stood there. Moreover, he now said again: "Therein do thou, next in order, plunge thyself into that oil." Thus, truly, did it come to pass. On the farther side it landed from the oil pool, having become as fat as it is possible for it to be. So now he said: "What is it thou wilt do, and in what manner, to aid [human] man-beings?" "This, seemingly, is all; I shall just flee from him," it said. So now he loaded it by inserting meat into its legs. And now, verily, its legs are very large. So now he said: "Let the deer next in order stand here." As soon as it stood there, he said:
"There into that oil thou shalt plunge thyself." Now of course he [anthropic] cast his body therein, and landed from the oil pool on the other side, and it [zoic] was as fat as it was possible for it to be. So now he said: "With what and in what manner wilt thou aid the [human] man-beings?" "As for me, I shall not flee from him," it said. He said: "With what, and in what manner, moreover, wilt thou just do it?" "I will just bite them repeatedly," it replied. So now he, the youth, said: "Thus, just so, and only so, shall it be with thee," and now, moreover, he removed severally its upper teeth. Then he said: "Now the bodies of all those things which have horns, the buffalo, and the elk, etc., inherit the effect of this change." That is the reason that they [anthropic] have no upper teeth. All these several small things, the raccoon, woodchuck [or badger], porcupine, and also the skunk, all cast their bodies therein; therein they [zoic] plunged themselves. So only that is the number of those who were received. So next in order are those (z.) who were not accepted. I say that these, the Fisher, the Otter, and the Mink, and the Weasel [were the ones]. So that was the number of those who were excluded, [being set] aside, and who assembled there near by. So the Mink now cast his body into the oil. As soon as he came up out of it the youth seized him there, and he held him up, and he stripped his body through his hands, and that is the reason that his body did become somewhat longer. Now, verily, again it thus came to pass. Their bodies shared the change [into the character they now have], namely, those of the Fisher, and the Otter, and the Mink, and the Weasel. And this is the number of those [zoic] whose bodies next shared this transformation there--the Wolf, and the Panther, and the Fox. All these were excluded, being set aside. So now the two male children were in the habit of going away. Day after day they two went to a great distance; there far away they two were in the habit of setting traps. So then day after day they two were in the habit of going away. So for some time now they [masc. anthropic] who severally had otgon a natures, and they also whose bodies were otgon in nature, hated them [the two boys]. Now, of course, they two, verily, in going away, were in the habit of going together. So that , moreover, one day the elder one said: "Thou alone, for the time being, go thither. Thou alone next in time shalt view our several set traps." So moreover [I say], that truly it did thus come to pass. As soon now as he was far away they [masc. anthropic] whose bodies are otgon by nature killed him there. So now he, the elder one, became aware that they had killed his younger brother. So now he began to cry. And that when it made him weep the most, when he said in his crying, ''?�', '?�'', '?�'', '?�''' then there were noises made in several places in the sky that is present.
So now they [masc. anthr.] who are severally otgon, and also they [zoic] whose bodies are severally otgon, now, verily, became alarmed. Now, moreover, they said: "In just a short time only, we believe, the sky will fall, perhaps, as soon, we think, as he weeps much; it is preferable that he, his younger brother, shall return; nothing else [will stop it]." So now of course the youth became ashamed because such a large number of persons severally became aware that he was weeping. So now verily he did close up his lodge, all places therein where there were openings [crevices]. So now just after he had completed his task of closing up the openings, in just a short time, now thence, from the outside, Flint spoke, saying: "Oh, elder brother, now I have returned." So now he the elder one, who was shut up indoors, said: "It can not be that thou shouldst come in. Thou shalt just depart, thou thyself. Thou shalt take the lead on the path whereon went the mother of us two. There thou too shalt print thy tracks. I say that thou shalt trail the tracks of her who was our mother. Moreover, not far hence, there thou shalt seat thyself. So there now thou shalt observe the kind of life that customarily the human man-beings will live who will dwell on the earth. So now there, moreover, the path will divide itself where thou wilt abide. One of the ways will lead thither to the place where is the abode of His-word-is-master, a and the other will lead to the place where abides He-dwells-in-caves. b And also thou wilt have servants, they-[masc.]-dwell-in-caves. So that., moreover , thou shalt take this thing-to-blow, this flute, and that thou shalt constantly continue to blow it. Just as soon, customarily, as one's breath ends, one shall hear customarily from what direction speaks the flute.
Sometime afterward the youth now began to wonder, soliloquizing: "What is, perhaps, verily, in great measure, the reason that my grandmother does not eat wild potatoes?" Now, verily, he asked her, saying: "Oh, grandmother, what is it, verily, and why dost thou not in great measure eat wild potatoes?" "I customarily, all alone, by myself eat food she said; "I eat it [food], as a matter of fact." Now he mused, "Now, verily, I will watch her in the night, now just soon to be." So now he made an opening in his robe. Now, verily, he laid himself down, pretending to be asleep. Thence, nevertheless, he was looking, out of the place where he had made a hole in his robe. Now, moreover, he was looking out of the place where he had made an opening in the robe, and he was watching the place where his grandmother abode customarily. So now, she, the Ancient-bodied, went out. Now, moreover, she looked in the direction of the sunrising. Now the Star, the Day-bringer, was risen. Now she, the Ancient-bodied, said: "Now of course, so it is, I will remove my pot sitting [over the fire]." So now truly she removed the pot [from the fire] and also put the wild potatoes in a bowl of bark, and there was just one bowlful. So now, next in order, she rummaged among her belongings in a bag which she pulled out, and now, verily, she there took out corn. So now she parched it for herself. Now, moreover, it popped. There was quite a pile of the popped corn. Now, verily, she took out a mortar of small size. Moreover, she struck repeated blows on the mortar, and the mortar grew in size, and it grew to a size that was just right. Now she took out the upper mortar a [pestle] from her bag. Now again she struck it repeated blows and it, too, increased in size. So now she pounded the corn, making meal. So now again she searched in her bag. She took thence again a small pot, and she, too, again did in like manner, striking repeated blows upon it, and it, too, increased in size. Now she there set up the pot, and also made mush therein. So, as soon as it was cooked she again rummaged in her bag. So now she took from it a bone, a beaver bone. Now again, verily, she scraped the bone, and she poured the bone-dust into the pot, and now, moreover, at once there floated oil on its surface. Now, of course, she took the pot from the fire. So now she ate the food. Verily, now, the youth went to sleep. Now early in the morning again [as usual] she, the Ancient-bodied, went away to dig wild potatoes. As soon as she disappeared as she went, then he went to the place where his grandmother customarily abode. Now, moreover, he began to rummage [among her belongings]. He took out an ear of corn which had only a few grains left fixed to it, there being, perhaps, only three and a half rows of grains left. So now he began to shell the corn; he shelled it all. So now he parched it for himself. Now, moreover, it popped, bursting iteratively, there being quite a heap, quite a large amount of it. Again he rummaged. Again he there took out a mortar of small size and also an upper mortar [pestle]. So now he used this to strike that, and now, moreover, both increased in size. And now he poured the parched corn. So now he in the mortar pounded it, and now verily it became meal. Now again he searched in her bag, and he took therefrom a small pot, and now used something else to strike upon it blows; then it, too, increased in size. Now, verily, he there set up the pot [on the fire] and also put water in it. So now he therein poured all this meal. Now, of course, he made mush. So now again he searched in the bag of his grandmother, and therefrom he took a bone, and he put it therein, and the mush became abundant.
"Ho'ho'',"e kept chuckling. "It tastes good." Now soon thereafter his grandmother returned. She said: "Well, what manner of thing art thou doing?" "I have made mush," the youth said, "and it is pleasant, too. Do thou eat of it, so be it, oh, grandmother. There is an abundance of mush." So now she wept, saying: "Now, verily, thou hast killed me. As a matter of fact, that was all there was left for me." "It is not good," he said, "that thou dost begrudge it. I will get other corn and also bone.'
So now the next day he made his preparations. When he finished his task, he said: "Now it is that I am going to depart." So now, verily, he departed. He arrived at the place where dwell man-beings. As soon as he arrived near the village he then made his preparations. I say that he made a deer out of his bow, and, next in order, a wolf out of his arrow; he made these for himself. Now he said: "Whenever it be that ye two run through the village it will customarily be that one will be just on the point of overtaking the other." Next in order he himself made into an Ancient-bodied one. So now he went to the place where they [masc.], the man-beings, abode. So now, sometime after he had arrived there, then, verily, they gave him food, gave to the Ancient-bodied. During the time that he was eating they heard a wolf approach, barking. One would just think that it was pursuing something. So now they all went out of doors. They saw a wolf pursuing a deer which was approaching them, and saw that, moreover, it was about to seize it. So now all ran thither. So now he was alone, and the Ancient-bodied ate. As soon as they had all gone, he now thrust his body into the place where, severally, the strings of corn hung. Two strings of corn he took off, and now, moreover, he placed them on his shoulder and he went out at once. He was running far away when they noticed [what he had done], but, verily, they did not at all pursue him. Again he arrived at their lodge. So now he cast them down where his grandmother abode. "Here," he said: "Thou wilt do with this as seems good to thee. Thou mayest decide, perhaps, to plant some of it." When it was day, he said: "Well, I will go to kill a beaver." Now, moreover, he went to the place that his grandmother had pointed out, saying that such things would dwell there. So he arrived there, and then, also, he saw the place where the beavers had a lodge. Then he saw one standing there. He shot it there and killed it. So then he placed its body on his back by means of the forehead pack-strap and then, moreover, he departed for home. Some time afterward he arrived at the place where their lodge stood. Thus, also, again did he do; there where his grandmother was sitting he cast it. "Here," he said. "So be it," she, the Ancient-bodied, said.
So now out of doors they two skinned it. They two held its body in many places. So when they two were nearly through their task there was a pool of blood on the green hide. So then she, the Ancient-bodied, took up a handful of the blood and cast it on the loins of her grandson. "Ha'ha''," she, the Ancient-bodied, said, "now, verily, my grandson, thou becomest catamenial." "Fie upon it," said the youth, "it is not for us males to be so affected as a habit; but ye, ye females, shall be affected thus habitually every month." Now, again he took up a handful of clotted blood and cast it between the thighs of his grandmother, and now, he said: "Thou, of course, verily, hast now become catamenial." So now, she, the Ancient-bodied, began to weep, and she said: "Moreover, customarily, for how long a period will it be thus as an habitual thing?" Then the youth said: "[As many days] as there are spots on the fawn. So long, verily, shall be the time that it will continue to be thus." Now again she began to weep, the Ancient-bodied. So now she said: "It is not possible for me to consent that it shall be thus." "How many, moreover, then, shall they be?" he said. "I would accept the number of stripes on the back of a chipmunk," she said. "So be it," said the youth. So then he said: "Customarily, four days shall a woman-being remain out of doors. Then, customarily, as soon as she has washed all her garments, she shall reenter the place where they, her ohwachira a, abide."
So some time afterward she, the Ancient-bodied, said repeatedly: "And there shall be mountains, seemingly, over the surface of the earth here present." And now, verily, it did thus come to pass. "And, too, there shall be rivers on the surface of the earth," again she said. Now, of course, truly it did thus come to pass.
Now the youth said: "Now I think that thou and I should return home; that thou and I should go to that place which my mother has made ready for us; that there thou and I should remain forever." "So be it," she, the Ancient-bodied, said. So then it was true that his grandmother and he departed. So then, verily, they two went up on high. So this is the end of the legend.
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Post by Okwes on May 9, 2007 14:10:29 GMT -5
Creation Story - Huron The Great Ruler in the world above this world had a beautiful daughter whom he loved very dearly. Much to his sorrow, she became sick. The ruler sent for the medicine man but he was unable to cure her. He said, "We will dig up the wild apple tree. We can pluck the medicine she needs from the roots of the tree." They took the young woman and let her lie under the shady branches of the tree while they dug. But as they dug, the dirt from around the roots gave way and allowed the tree to fall to the world below. The branches caught the beautiful maiden and dragged her along with the tree. Then the rent earth above closed over them. At this time the lower world was only water, the Great Water. When two swans swimming about saw the earth fall from the sky, a great clap of thunder was sounded throughout the lower region, the First Thunder ever heard. All the swimmers were startled! They looked up! There they saw the beautiful maiden standing in the Heavens, clad in flames of bright light. As she fell, the God of Thunder fell with her. Two of the swans moved close together and caught her on their backs. They soon realized that they could not carry her on their backs forever. They decided to call a meeting of the Great council. After much discussion, it was decided that they should get some of the soil that fell with the woman and place it upon the back of the Big Turtle and let the woman live there. Many of the animals dived into the water for the soil only to meet with failure. Some were drowned and came to the surface. Finally Toad volunteered to go down and see what success she could have. She was gone a long time. The animals waited and waited. Finally she returned with her mouth full of soil. Even though it was such a small amount, the Little Turtle urged that it be used. He rubbed it carefully upon the shell of the Big Turtle. Slowly they watched it grow, bigger and bigger and bigger until it became the Great Island, North America. Here the Woman-Who-Fell-From-Heaven lived. Since that time the Toad has been held in high esteem by the Wyandotte People and none of them would harm her to this day. They call her by the Wyandotte name that means Our Grandmother" - Mah-shoos-tah-ah. groups.yahoo.com/group/native_american_storytellers/message/10475Reposted with permission of Neshoba
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Post by Okwes on May 9, 2007 14:19:28 GMT -5
Creation Story and The Importance of Dreaming - Abenaki
The Great Spirit, in a time not known to us looked about and saw nothing. No colors, no beauty. Time was silent in darkness. There was no sound. Nothing could be seen or felt. The Great Spirit decided to fill this space with light and life. From his great power he commanded the sparks of creation. He ordered T�lba, the Great Turtle to come from the waters and become the land.
The Great Spirit molded the mountains and the valleys on turtle's back. He put white clouds into the blue skies. He was very happy. He said, "Everything is ready now. I will fill this place with the happy movement of life." He thought and thought about what kind of creatures he would make. Where would they live? What would they do? What would their purpose be? He wanted a perfect plan. He thought so hard that he became very tired and fell asleep.
His sleep was filled with dreams of his creation. He saw strange things in his dream. He saw animals crawling on four legs, some on two. Some creatures flew with wings, some swam with fins. There were plants of all colors, covering the ground everywhere. Insects buzzed around, dogs barked, birds sang, and human beings called to each other. Everything seemed out of place. The Great Spirit thought he was having a bad dream. He thought, nothing could be this imperfect.
When the Great Spirit awakened, he saw a beaver nibbling on a branch. He realized the world of his dream became his creation. Everything he dreamed about came true. When he saw the beaver make his home, and a dam to provide a pond for his family to swim in, he then knew every thing has it's place, and purpose in the time to come. It has been told among our people from generation to generation. We must not question our dreams. They are our creation.
Told by Elliot Joubert
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Post by Okwes on May 9, 2007 14:20:10 GMT -5
Creation Story Apache - Apache / Yavapai
The Story of Kamalapukwia (First Woman), her daughter Amjakupooka and her grandson Sakarakaamche begins the creation story of the Yavapai-Apache people. Before Kamalapukwia was born, her ancestors appeared from the underworld on the first corn plant. Her tribe had never left the big hole, now known as Montezuma Well, where they first arrived. Only one member, Ihija the dove journeyed over the edge of the big hole and saw the world.
The Cloud, Gwi began to pour rain into the tribe's big hole which would soon become flooded. There was no escape for the people. Kamalapukwia's father told her that she was the only one that could be saved and would start a new tribe in the outside world. Her family placed her and Ihija in a small log canoe and packed it with food for the journey. Kamalapukwia's mother also placed a precious white stone in the log canoe and told Kamalapukwia to keep the stone with her always and it's power would keep her safe.
Kamalapukwia and Ihija spent hours or perhaps days in the small dark boat until suddenly they hit solid earth. They hit the earth so hard that the cover of the boat was shaken loose and they were freed from the small boat. After leaving the boat, she began to climb Mingus Mountain to meet Nya, the sun. When she reached the top of the mountain, she sat on a rock and waited for Nya. Soon the sky became bright with yellows and reds. This frightened her because she had never seen the sun before.
Kamalapukwia was tired from her weary boat ride and strenuous hike. She soon fell asleep. As Nya came closer to Kamalapukwia, he thought that she was very lonely because she was the only person in the land and he would make her a child to end her loneliness. Nya awakened Kamalapukwia and said "I am your friend; I love you and have made you my wife. I will tell you what to do. Now listen very carefully! You must not stay here. Winter will come soon, snow will cover the mountains, and you will find no food. You must go to the Red Rock country." Trembling in fear, Kamalapukwia asked "But how can I find the place? Where can I sleep? How can I find food?" Nya replied "Ihija will show you the way and will find a cave where you can make your home. He will help you find food to eat and to store for the winter. Ihija will also keep you company. In a few months when I make the earth warm again, you will have a child to keep you from being lonely. You are the First Woman, but in a few years many tribes of people will live in the land."
The first snow fell as she settle in the cave at the Red Rock country. She began to prepare for the winter. Ihija, the dove, showed her where to find seeds, leaves, berries and insects to store for the winter. Nya also told her how to build a fire and make warm clothing. She was lonely during the winter because she could not leave the cave but she was warm and well fed.
After Nya warmed the earth, spring finally came. Kamalapukwia's daughter Amjakupooka (Going Around the Earth) was born. Ihija stayed with Kamalapukwia until spring but left soon after and only made occassional visits with his new wife. After a few years, Kamalapukwia never saw Ihija and his wife again.
As Amajakupooka grew, she was taught everything that Kamalapukia learned from Nya, Ihija and her parents. One day Kamalapukwia persuaded her daughter to go to Mingus Mountain and ask Nya to give her a child. Nya recognized Amjakupooka as his own daughter and sent her to Gwi, the cloud. She and Gwi had a son, Sakarakaamche (Lofty Wanderer).
The three of them, Kamalapukwia, Amajakupooka and Sakarakaamche were very happy. One day, Amajakupooka went to the river to gather watercress and never returned. Sakarakaamche was very lonely and knew that his grandmother was worried about her daughter because she had left without the precious white stone. She had always insisted that her daughter carry the white stone for protection. Sakarakaamche would cry for his mother occassionally and his grandmother would comfort him.
His grandmother began to teach Sakarakaamche how to collect seeds, grasses and berries and how to make a small bow and arrows to shoot small animals. One day Sakarakaamche told his grandmother that he was going hunting. He always looked for his mother when he left the cave, and perhaps hoped that he would find her while hunting. His grandmother reminded him to take his blue stone for protection.
When he reached the hill that made the end of his territory, a very large quail suddenly appeared. Sakarakaamche hit the quail in the leg with one of his arrows. The quail cryed out "My leg is broken, fix it and I will tell you what happened to your mother." Sakarakmaache fixed the leg by rubbing it. Ahoma, the quail told Sakarakmaache about his mother. While his mother was gathering grasses and seeds on the other side of the hill, she was seen by Asha, the largest and oldest monster eagle in the land. Unfortunately, his mother had left her magic white stone at home, and Asha's children were hungry. The huge eagle swept down, picked up Sakarakmaache's mother, carried her off to the high mountain, and fed her to his children.
After hearing the story of his mother, Sakarakaamche asked where he could find the monster eagle. Ahoma said "Return to this place early in the morning, and I will take you to Gwi, your father the Cloud. He will tell you what you must do." When Sakarakaamche returned home, he did not tell his grandmother the terrible news about his mother. The next morning Sakarakaamche went to meet Ahoma, the quail. He left without waking his grandmother and his grandfather, Nya, was still on the other side of the mountain and it was too dark to see his father, Gwi. He took with him his bow and arrows and his blue stone.
Two nights later, Sakarakaamche returned home and told his grandmother the story about the his mother and Ahoma. The boy described how he met his father and did what his father had instructed him to do. He walked through fields for many hours, then he heard a loud noise over his head. It was Ahsa! Ahsa picked him up and carried him up to his nest on the highest mountain just as his father Gwi had described. Asha dropped him in front of his eaglets and they looked at him very hungrily. Sakarakaamche told them not to harm him because he was their brother. He asked the eaglets where their parents would sit when they returned home. He had threatened to throw them over the cliff so they told him. He waited in the spot where the parents would sit. When they returned he killed them with his powerful blue stone like his father had instructed.
After the event with Asha, Sakarakaamche had now grown to be bigger and stronger. He wanted a wife but could not figure out how he could find one because the only woman was his grandmother. While thinking about his problem Sakarakaamche was playing with a piece of clay, rolling it around in his hands. To his surprise he made the shape of a woman that looked like his mother. He was pleased with his clay figure and started to make several others. The figures looked alive and Sakarakaamche thought that if they were real that he and his grandmother would no longer be lonely. He closed his eyes and dreamed of a canyon full of people. When he opened his eyes real people had come to live in the canyon. These people were known as the Yavapai-Apache people.
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Post by Okwes on May 9, 2007 14:20:37 GMT -5
Creation Story Arikara - Arikara
The Great Sky Spirit, Nesaru, sometimes called the Great Mystery, was the master of all creation. Below the sky was an endless body of water where two ducks eternally swam.
Nesaru made two brothers, Wolf-man and Lucky-man, who commanded the ducks to swim to the bottom of the great water and bring up some earth. With this earth, Wolf-man made the Great Plains and Lucky-Man made the hills and mountains.
The two brothers went down beneath the earth and found two spiders. They explained to the spiders how to reproduce. The two spiders produced many kinds of animals and plants, including human beings. However, they also produced a race of evil giants.
These giants were so evil that Nesarn eventually had to destroy them with a great flood. However, Nesarn loved human beings and saved them from destruction.
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Post by Okwes on May 9, 2007 14:20:59 GMT -5
Creation Story - Aztec
The mother of the Aztec creation story was called "Coatlique", the Lady of the Skirt of Snakes. She was created in the image of the unknown, decorated with skulls, snakes, and lacerated hands. There are no cracks in her body and she is a perfect monolith (a totality of intensity and self-containment, yet her features were square and decapitated).
Coatlique was first impregnated by an obsidian knife and gave birth to Coyolxanuhqui, goddess of the moon, and to a group of male offspring, who became the stars. Then one day Coatlique found a ball of feathers, which she tucked into her bosom. When she looked for it later, it was gone, at which time she realized that she was again pregnant. Her children, the moon and stars did not believe her story. Ashamed of their mother, they resolved to kill her. A goddess could only give birth once, to the original litter of divinity and no more. During the time that they were plotting her demise, Coatlicue gave birth to the fiery god of war, Huitzilopochtli. With the help of a fire serpent, he destroyed his brothers and sister, murdering them in a rage. He beheaded Coyolxauhqui and threw her body into a deep gorge in a mountain, where it lies dismembered forever.
The natural cosmos of the Indians was born of catastrophe. The heavens literally crumbled to pieces. The earth mother fell and was fertilized, while her children were torn apart by fratricide and them scattered and disjointed throughout the universe.
Ometecuhlti and his wife Omecihuatl created all life in the world.
Their sons: Xipe Totec - The Lord of the Springtime Huitzilopochtli - the Sun god Quetzalcoatl - the Plumed Serpent Tezcatlipoca - the god of Night and Sorcery. Coatlicue - She of the Serpent Skirt.
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Post by Okwes on May 9, 2007 14:21:30 GMT -5
Creation Story - Blackfoot
Old Man came from the south, making the mountains, the prairies, and the forests as he passed along, making the birds and the animals also. He traveled northward making things as he went, putting red paint in the ground here and there --arranging the world as we see it today.
He made the Milk River and crossed it; being tired, he went up on a little hill and lay down to rest. As he lay on his back, stretched out on the grass with his arms extended, he marked his figure with stones. You can see those rocks today, they show the shape of his body, legs, arms and hair.
Going on north after he had rested, he stumbled over a knoll and fell down on his knees. He said aloud, "You are a bad thing to make me stumble so." Then he raised up two large buttes there and named them the Knees. They are called the Knees to this day. He went on farther north, and with some of the rocks he carried with him he built the Sweet Grass Hills.
Old Man covered the plains with grass for the animals to feed on. He marked off a piece of ground and in it made all kinds of roots and berries to grow: camas, carrots, turnips, bitterroot, service berries, bull-berries, cherries, plums, and rosebuds. He planted trees, and he put all kinds of animals on the ground.
When he created the bighorn sheep with its big head and horns, he made it out on the prairie. But it did not travel easily on the prairie; it was awkward and could not go fast. So Old Man took it by its horns, led it up into the mountain, and turned it loose. There the bighorn skipped about among the rocks and went up fearful places with ease. So Old Man said to it, "This is the kind of place that suits you; this is what you are fitted for, the rocks, and the mountains."
While he was in the mountains, he made the antelope out of dirt and turned it loose to see how it would do. It ran so fast that it fell over some rocks and hurt itself. Seeing that the mountains were not the place for it, Old Man took the antelope down to the prairie and turned it loose. When he saw it running away fast and gracefully, he said, "This is what you are suited to, the broad prairie."
One day Old Man decided that he would make a woman and a child. So he formed them both of clay, the woman and the child, her son.
After he had molded the clay in human shape, he said to it, "You must be people." And then he covered it up and went away. The next morning he went to the place, took off the covering, looked at the images, and said "Arise and walk." They did so. They walked down to the river with their maker, and then he told them that his name was NAPI, Old Man.
This is how we came to be people. It is he who made us.
The first people were poor and naked, and they did not know how to do anything for themselves. Old Man showed them the roots and berries and said "You can eat these." Then he pointed to certain trees, "When the bark of these trees is young and tender, it is good. Then you can peel it off and eat it."
He told the people that the animals also should be their food. "These are your herds," he said. "All these little animals that live on the ground -- squirrels, rabbits, skunks, beavers, are good to eat. You need not fear to eat their flesh. All the birds that fly, these too, I have made for you, so that you can eat of their flesh."
Old Man took the first people over the prairies and through the forests, then the swamps to show them the different plants he had created. He told them what herbs were good for sicknesses, saying often, "The root of this herb or the leaf of this herb, if gathered in a certain month of the year, is good for certain sickness."
In that way the people learned the power of all herbs.
Then he showed them how to make weapons with which to kill the animals for their food. First, he went out and cut some service berry shoots, brought them in, and peeled the bark off them. He took one of the larger shoots, flattened it, tied a string to it, and thus made a bow. Then he caught one of the birds he had made, took feathers from its wing, split them, and tied them to a shaft of wood.
At first he tied four feathers along the shaft, and with this bow sent the arrow toward its mark. But he found that it did not fly well. When he used only three feathers, it went straight to the mark. Then he went out and began to break sharp pieces off the stones. When he tied them at the ends of his arrows, he found that the black flint stones, and some white flint, made the best arrow points.
When the people had learned to make bow and arrows, Old Man taught them how to shoot animals and birds. Because it is not healthful to eat animals' flesh raw, he showed the first people how to make fire. He gathered soft, dry rotten driftwood and made a punk of it. Then he found a piece of hard wood and drilled a hole in it with an arrow point. He gave the first man a pointed piece of hard wood and showed him how to roll it between his hands until sparks came out and the punk caught fire. Then he showed the people how to cook the meat of the animals they had killed and how to eat it.
He told them to get a certain kind of stone that was on the land, while he found a harder stone. With the hard stone he had them hollow out the softer one and so make a kettle. Thus, they made their dishes.
Old Man told the first people how to get spirit power: "Go away by yourself and go to sleep. Something will come to you in your dream that will help you. It may be some animal. Whatever this animal tells you in your sleep, you must do. Obey it. Be guided by it. If later you want help, if you are traveling alone and cry aloud for help, your prayer will be answered. It may be by an eagle, perhaps by a buffalo, perhaps by a bear. Whatever animal hears your prayer you must listen to it."
That was how the first people got along in the world, by the power given to them in their dreams.
After this, Old Man kept on traveling north. Many of the animals that he had created followed him. They understood when he spoke to them, and they were his servants. When he got to the north point of the Porcupine Mountains, he made some more mud images of people, blew his breath upon them, and they became people, men and women. They asked him, "What are we to eat?"
By way of answer, Old Man made many images of clay in the form of buffalo. Then he blew breath upon them and they stood up. When he made signs to them, they started to run. Then he said to the people, "Those animals--buffalo--are your food."
"But how can we kill them?" the people asked.
"I will show you," he answered.
He took them to a cliff and told them to build rock piles: "Now hide behind these piles of rocks," he said. "I will lead the buffalo this way. When they are opposite you, rise up."
After telling them what to do, he started toward the herd of buffalo. When he called the animals, they started to run toward him, and they followed him until they were inside the piles of rock. Then Old Man dropped back. As the people rose up, the buffalo ran in a straight line and jumped over the cliff.
"Go down and take the flesh of those animals," said Old Man.
The people tried to tear the limbs apart, but they could not. Old Man went to the edge of the cliff, broke off some pieces with sharp edges, and told the people to cut the flesh with these rocks. They obeyed him. When they had skinned the buffalo, they set up some poles and put the hides on them. Thus they made a shelter to sleep under.
After Old Man had taught the people all these things, he started off again, traveling north until he came to where the Bow and Elbow Rivers meet. There he made some more people and taught them the same things. From there he went farther north. When he had gone almost to the Red Deer River, he was so tired that he lay down on a hill. The form of his body can be seen there yet, on the top of the hill where he rested.
When he awoke from his sleep, he traveled farther north until he came to a high hill. He climbed to the top of it and there he sat down to rest. As he gazed over the country, he was greatly pleased by it. Looking at the steep hill below him, he said to himself, "This is a fine place for sliding. I will have some fun." And he began to slide down the hill. The marks where he slid are to be seen yet, and the place is known to all the Blackfoot tribes as "Old Man's Sliding Ground."
Old Man can never die. Long ago he left the Blackfoot and went away toward the west, disappearing in the mountains. Before he started, he said to the people, "I will always take care of you, and some day I will return."
Even today some people think that he spoke the truth and that when he comes back he will bring with him the buffalo, which they believe the white men have hidden. Others remember that before he left them he said that when he returned he would find them a different people. They would be living in a different world, he said, from that which he had created for them and had taught them to live in.
The story above was told by Chewing Black Bones, a respected Blackfoot elder, to Ella E. Clark who later published the account in her book, "Indian Legends from the Northern Rockies".
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Post by Okwes on May 16, 2007 9:40:24 GMT -5
Creation Story - Cherokee
Many, many moons ago, in the beginning of time, the earth was all water. There was no land. All the four-leggeds, all the animals, all the winged-ones, lived up in the sky on the clouds. They were waiting for the land to dry, but it would not dry. They would send one animal but he would come back unable to find dry land. The animals would regularly check the water below. Finally, after a dog had looked and reported back that it was still wet, they sent the water beetle. The water beetle dove into the water, grabbed a handful of mud at the bottom, brought it up and placed it on top of the water and it started to dry, started to build land. He brought more and more and still they waited for it to dry, still they waited and waited.
Finally, they sent grandfather buzzard, the mighty buzzard, down and the land was almost dry. As the buzzard flew, he'd fly down close to the land and every time he would flap his mighty wings, he would form a mountain and a valley. That's why the Cherokee land has mountains and valleys in it today. All the animals came down and settled on the earth.
After they did, they realized they had no light. So they called to Grandfather and asked would he give them light, and he did. He brought to them the sun. He put the sun down right by the ground, and it was too hot for the animals. So they pushed and pushed, till finally they got it far enough out that it would not burn all the time; but it was still so hot that the crawfish was baked. That's why, if you look at him today, he is red from the sun being too close.
Finally, they got the sun far enough out so it would not burn and we would have night. And Grandfather told them, "Now that I have done this for you, I ask that all the four-legged, and all the animals, and all the plants stay awake for seven days and for seven nights." This is why today, when a warrior goes to cross his manhood, he fasts and sweats for seven days.
All the animals and all the plants fell asleep except for some. The owl stayed awake, and that's why he has vision to hunt at night now. The plants, the Douglas fir, the cedar, the pine, and a few others stayed awake for seven nights and for seven days. That's why only these, among all the plants, are allowed to stay green all the year round. The other plants fell asleep and so must sleep part of every year.
Such was the beginning of our lands as told by a Cherokee grandmother to her grandson.
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Post by Okwes on May 16, 2007 9:41:10 GMT -5
Creation- Cherokee
The earth is a great island floating in a sea of water, and suspended at each of the four cardinal points by a cord hanging down from the sky vault, which is of solid rock. When the world grows old and worn out, the people will die and the cords will break and let the earth sink down into the ocean, and all will be water again. The Indians are afraid of this.
When all was water, the animals were above in G�l��'l�t�, beyond the arch; but it was very much crowded, and they were wanting more room. They wondered what was below the water, and at last D�yuni's�, "Beaver's Grandchild," the little Water-beetle, offered to go and see if it could learn. It darted in every direction over the surface of the water, but could find no firm place to rest. Then it dived to the bottom and came up with some soft mud, which began to grow and spread on every side until it became the island which we call the earth. It was afterward fastened to the sky with four cords, but no one remembers who did this.
At first the earth was flat and very soft and wet. The animals were anxious to get down, and sent out different birds to see if it was yet dry, but they found no place to alight and came back again to G�l��'l�t�. At last it seemed to be time, and they sent out the Buzzard and told him to go and make ready for them. This was the Great Buzzard, the father of all the buzzards we see now. He flew all over the earth, low down near the ground, and it was still soft. When he reached the Cherokee country, he was very tired, and his wings began to flap and strike the ground, and wherever they struck the earth there was a valley, and where they turned up again there was a mountain. When the animals above saw this, they were afraid that the whole world would be mountains, so they called him back, but the Cherokee country remains full of mountains to this day.
When the earth was dry and the animals came down, it was still dark, so they got the sun and set it in a track to go every day across the island from east to west, just overhead. It was too hot this way, and Tsiska'g�l�', the Red Crawfish, had his shell scorched a bright red, so that his meat was spoiled; and the Cherokee do not eat it. The conjurers put the sun another hand-breadth higher in the air, but it was still too hot. They raised it another time, and another, until it was seven handbreadths high and just under the sky arch. Then it was right, and they left it so. This is why the conjurers call the highest place G�lkw�'gine Di'g�l��'l�tiy��', "the seventh height," because it is seven hand-breadths above the earth. Every day the sun goes along under this arch, and returns at night on the upper side to the starting place.
There is another world under this, and it is like ours in everything--animals, plants, and people--save that the seasons are different. The streams that come down from the mountains are the trails by which we reach this underworld, and the springs at their heads are the doorways by which we enter, it, but to do this one must fast and, go to water and have one of the underground people for a guide. We know that the seasons in the underworld are different from ours, because the water in the springs is always warmer in winter and cooler in summer than the outer air.
When the animals and plants were first made--we do not know by whom--they were told to watch and keep awake for seven nights, just as young men now fast and keep awake when they pray to their medicine. They tried to do this, and nearly all were awake through the first night, but the next night several dropped off to sleep, and the third night others were asleep, and then others, until, on the seventh night, of all the animals only the owl, the panther, and one or two more were still awake. To these were given the power to see and to go about in the dark, and to make prey of the birds and animals which must sleep at night. Of the trees only the cedar, the pine, the spruce, the holly, and the laurel were awake to the end, and to them it was given to be always green and to be greatest for medicine, but to the others it was said: "Because you have not endured to the end you shall lose your, hair every winter." Men came after the animals and plants. At first there were only a brother and sister until he struck her with a fish and told her to multiply, and so it was. In seven days a child was born to her, and thereafter every seven days another, and they increased very fast until there was danger that the world could not keep them. Then it was made that a woman should have only one child in a year, and it has been so ever since.
From James Mooney's History, Myths, and Sacred Formulas of the Cherokees.
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Post by Okwes on May 16, 2007 9:41:31 GMT -5
Creation story 3 - Cherokee
At first there was darkness and cold, vast and endless, stretching out in all directions. Beneath the great stone arch of the sky there was a dizzying drop. One by one tiny creatures began to awake and one by one they realized that they were cold, thirsty and very crowded.
The first creature to awake said, "I smell water, I am a water beetle," and with that it jumped from the great stone arch of the sky. Much later there was a splash. The next creature to awake, said, "I can spin silk, I am a spider." And so it went as each creature awoke and realized what he or she was. Not long after, a voice was heard from far beneath the great stone arch of the sky. It was the water beetle, who said, "Underneath the water there is something soft, yet strong enough to hold us, with room enough for everyone." "Throw down some rope, so that we might fetch it," another creature on the great stone arch of the sky said, so the spider began to make some very strong ropes. The ropes were thrown down and the water beetle took them and swam beneath the waters. She then fastened them to the four corners of the great slab of mud that rested beneath the waters. When she surfaced, she told the other creatures who had remained on the great stone arch of the sky what she had done.
They began to pull and haul at the ropes until the great slab of mud rose from beneath the waters. When they had finished, all the creatures began to scramble down the ropes to get to this new place which had room for everyone.
When they reached the bottom, they drank their fill. Some creatures, realizing that they were fish, swam away, others flew away, and still others, realizing that they were frogs sank happily into the mud. There the land hung and there it hangs to this very day, until the day that will come when the ropes will break and the land will sink once more beneath the waters.
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Post by Okwes on May 16, 2007 9:57:31 GMT -5
Creation Story Chinook - Chinook Chinook oral legend has it that the first MEN of the tribe came from the sky becuase they were the offspring of Thunderbird. The men then found and plucked women, (who were in various stages of development), from the valley floor. This was the first Chinook tribe. Also, the rock where the first Chinook woman was plucked still exists. It has a hole all the way through it where her arms passed right through the middle of the rock. I've never seen it but have been told how to get there and where it is. Very few people know about this place (until now), and I'm not at liberty to tell of it's whereabouts. The Chinook creation story centers in Oregon, on Saddle Mountain. That's where Thunderbird layed its eggs. Thunderbird was part man, part spirit being. An Ogress rolled five of Thunderbirds eggs down Saddle Mountain, and five men, each of different color, were born. They found their women growing in various states of development in the valley below. The chief man plucked his wife from a rock. Her arms went through the rock, as if she was hugging it. There is a rock with this feature in the Pacific Northwest. This group formed the first tribe split up as they kept moving further and further along the Columbia River. www.indigenouspeople.net/chinook.htm
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Post by Okwes on May 16, 2007 9:57:54 GMT -5
Creation Story 2 - Chinook Talapas (Creator) gave life to the surface of the Earth. It grew in abundance. Later, he placed the animal forms of all the Totem Spirits on the surface of the Earth Mother, and they prospered. Talapas then instructed T'soona (Thunderbird) to carry these special eggs from the other place, and place them on the top of Kaheese, a mountain near the Yakaitl-Wimakl (Columbia River). T'soona did so. The Old Giantess, not wanting these special eggs to hatch, began to break the eggs. The vengeful Spirit Bird swiftly swooped down from Otelagh (the sun) and pursued the Old Giantess, and consumed her with fire, in revenge for her injustice. Soon the remaining eggs became the T'sinuk (Chinook). www.indigenouspeople.net/chinook.htm
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Post by Okwes on May 16, 2007 9:58:38 GMT -5
Creation story - Comanche "One day the Great Spirit collected swirls of dust from the four directions in order to create the Comanche people. These people formed from the earth had the strength of mighty storms. Unfortunately, a shape-shifting demon was also created and began to torment the people. The Great Spirit cast the demon into a bottomless pit. To seek revenge the demon took refuge in the fangs and stingers of poisonous creatures and continues to harm people every chance it gets." www.indigenouspeople.net/commcrea.htm
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