American Indian Creation Myths. Teresa Pijoan Phd
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moved without waking a young boy who was still sleeping. They left him there, alone. When he woke up he couldn't see which way the people had gone. He stared up into the sky and said, “Help! Father, help!”
Beside him there appeared a bundle. This bundle guided him to the people. When they saw the young boy, they were glad he found them and were impressed with his guiding bundle. Soon after this they had to stop. In front of them was a deep ravine. The sides of the ravine dropped radically and the people had no way of crossing it. They turned to the young boy with the bundle.
The boy opened the magic bundle and out flew Bone Striker. Bone Striker has a very sharp beak and whatever he pecks he punctures. He is considered a sacred bird. Bone Striker flew to the sides of the ravine and began to peck at the hard clay. Soon the sides of the ravine fell away and a bridge of dirt was made available for the people to cross.
Some crossed, but not all for this dirt bridge disappeared. Those who were left on the bridge, when it disappeared, fell into the ravine. They became badgers, snakes, and animals that burrow under the ground. This is where those animals came from and they are our ancestors.
The others walked on until they came to a thick forest. The trees grew tightly together and there was no path. Young Boy came forward with his bundle. He told the bundle of their problem and it opened up and out flew Owl.
Owl could see the way with his eyes. Owl led the people through the forest. Some of the people in the back of the line moved slowly. Those who couldn't keep up were old or too young. Trees grew to block them. These people changed into bears, wild cats, elks, raccoons, squirrels, and animals of the forest. They are our ancestors and we respect them when we hunt.
The other people followed Owl. Owl led them out of the forest. They were stopped by a huge river with roaring currents and raging waterfalls. A path opened up for the people to cross from one side of the river to the other where there was dry land. The people moved together and hurried across. There were those who were too slow and before they could get to the other side, the river roared forth and covered them. They became the fish, water snakes, toads, frogs and water creatures.
This was sad for many were lost. The grief of losing loved ones slowed the people down. They decided to play games and think of something else besides their loss. Some of the people were very good at the games and the people began to bet on who would win. This brought arguments and fighting. The fighting and anger frightened the animals which had been following the people, and they hurried off to hide and live their lives away from people.
The fighting people brought divisions within the group. Atius saw the people fighting with each other and in the night, he changed their language to many languages. In the morning, the people couldn't understand some of the others and this brought confusion. The people divided up in language groups which left them to go their own way. There were eight groups of people who left that morning.
The ninth remaining people were by themselves on the side of Blue Mountain. Young Boy was called to ask the bundle what they should do and where they should go.
Out of the bundle came the Pipe and when the Pipe was held in the air all of the people's anger disappeared. The Pipe, when smoked, is used for prayer to this day. Then out of the bundle appeared Flint Arrow Head. Young Boy told the people, “This is what we will make one day to protect ourselves and to use for the hunt.” Next an ear of corn came out of the bundle. “This is our Mother and she will feed us and guide us if we care for her. She will teach us to make bows and arrows when the time arrives.”
This ninth group traveled to the Missouri River. When they got to the Missouri River the bundle was brought forward again. Young Boy said, “This is where we are to live life, this is a good place.” The people made camp, but they decided it was too close to the river. This is the place where the Pawnee started. This is the story of The People.
CAHUILLA
Cahuilla lived in the central part of Southern California and are of the Uto-Aztecan linguistic family. They are recognized by the United States government as members of the Yakima nation and were given a land grant in 1855.
The young man leaned his elbows on the green formica table. “We are considered Californians. This story isn't long and there is probably more to it, but not something I can recollect right off. If my dad were here he would set me straight, but he's dead. Been dead for six years now and this seems a way to keep him from being totally forgot.”
In the first time there was nothing but black. There were no lights of any kind. There was nothing. Then came red, white, brown, and blue colors. They met in the dark and joined together to make two, who were not yet born, in the sack of Mother Creation. The babies grew and talked to each other. When they were too big to stay in the sack of colors they pushed out their feet and got out.
They were named Mukat and Temayawut. There was nothing here, just floating air. The two brothers decided to make a pole. Around the pole they made the earth and kept it in balance on the pole. Then they made water which became oceans, rivers, lakes and streams. In the water, they placed all the water critters to live.
Mukat had only black mud to work with and Temayawut had white mud. They made all kinds of animals from their mud. Then they started to make the body of a man. Mukat worked slowly and carefully to make humans as they are today. Temayawut threw his mud people together quickly without thinking. He made crude bodies with bellies on both sides, faces on both sides, and gave these people dog paws instead of hands.
Temayawut made a lot of these people quickly while Mukat worked for a long time on each one of his people. When Mukat finished his people, he stood back and studied them. Temayawut was in a hurry and told Mukat to give up, his people would never survive against all of the crude people. The two brothers had a fight.
Suddenly, Mukat's people came alive. Sun was born and shown down on Mukat's people. The people were terrified of the bright light and started calling out to one another, but each person spoke a different language. Mukat heard one of his people speaking the Cahuilla language and grabbed him. Mukat hugged this one for he knew he was very special. He placed him to be the father of all the Cahuilla and he now lives in the houses of Sun, Moon, and Evening Star.
At first, things were made much bigger than they are today. A fly was as large as a house and the First People had a difficult time surviving. The First Spirit People were large, too. They were called the Nukatem and had great powers.
Menily was the Moon Woman. She was large and a fine young woman. She brought respect for men to the women and the same for women to men. Life was good and the people were pleased with their knowledge.
There were many Nukatem once, but now they are up in the sky for they turned into stars, rainbows, clouds, and mirages. They still watch over the people.
After a long time, Mukat became ill for he was very old. He left the people with the wisdom of the Cahuilla. The Cahuilla were a proud and kind people. Now, there aren't too many left to carry on the traditions of the old ones. Every now and then you might run into some of Temayawut's crude people, but even they are dying off.
“It would be wise for the people to remember that the pole holds us here. The more stuff we make, the heavier the earth becomes, and it is harder for the pole to hold us and all our stuff here. We may just fall back into the sky and that would be the end of us. This is the story I was taught and this is the story I'll teach my kids.”
HURON
Huron, Hy'oor'en, was a confederation consisting of four tribes of Native American Indians that once inhabited the region east of Lake Huron and the St. Lawrence Valley.
This account was given hesitantly by an informer who wished her name to be withheld. The story is similar to Bruce G. Trigger's which was published in The Farmers of the North.
Aataentsik lived in the sky. There were many spirits who lived in the sky and still do, we just can't see them. Their life is the same as ours down here, only they are up there.