Mr. Thiesmeyer’s
English III – American Literature
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Creation Stories
A Pima Legend
After
the world was ready, Earth Doctor made all kinds of animals and creeping
things. Then he made images of clay, and told them to be people. After a while
there were so many people that there was not food and water enough for all.
They
were never sick and none died. At last there grew to be so many they were
obliged to eat each other. Then Earth Doctor, because he could not give them
food and water enough, killed them all. He caught the hook of his staff into
the sky and pulled it down so that it crushed all the people and all the
animals, until there was nothing living on the earth. Earth Doctor made a hole
through the earth with his stick, and through that he went, coming out safe,
but alone, on the other side.
He
called upon the sun and moon to come out of the wreck of the world and sky, and
they did so. But there was no sky for them to travel through, no stars, and no
Milky Way. So Earth Doctor made these all over again. Then he created another
race of men and animals.
Then
Coyote was born. Moon was his mother. When Coyote was large and strong he came
to the land where the Pima Indians lived.
Then
Elder Brother was born. Earth was his mother, and Sky his father. He was so
powerful that he spoke roughly to Earth Doctor, who trembled before him. The
people began to increase in numbers, just as they had done before, but Elder
Brother shortened their lives, so the earth did not become so crowded. But
Elder Brother did not like the people created by Earth Doctor, so he planned to
destroy them again. So Elder Brother planned to create a magic baby. . . .
The
screams of the baby shook the earth. They could be heard for a great distance.
Then Earth Doctor called all the people together, and told them there would be
a great flood. He sang a magic song and then bored a hole through the flat
earth-plain through to the other side. Some of the people went into the hole to
escape the flood that was coming, but not very many got through. Some of the
people asked Elder Brother to help them, but he did not answer. Only Coyote he
answered. He told Coyote to find a big log and sit on it, so that he would
float on the surface of the water with the driftwood. Elder Brother got into a
big olla which he had made, and closed it tight. So he rolled along on the ground
under the olla. He sang a magic song as he climbed into his olla.
A young man went to the place where the baby
was screaming. Its tears were a great torrent which cut gorges in the earth
before it. The water was rising all over the earth. He bent over the child to
pick it up, and immediately both became birds and flew above the flood. Only
five birds were saved from the flood. One was a flicker and one a vulture. They
clung by their beaks to the sky to keep themselves above the waters, but the
tail of the flicker was washed by the waves and that is why it is stiff to this
day. At last a god took pity on them and gave them power to make "nests of
down" from their own breasts on which they floated on the water. One of
these birds was the Vipisimal, and if any one injures
it to this day, the flood may come again.
Now
South Doctor called his people to him and told them that a flood was coming. He
sang a magic song and he bored a hole in the ground with a cane so that people
might go through to the other side. Others he sent to Earth Doctor, but Earth
Doctor told them they were too late. So they sent the people to the top of a
high mountain called Crooked Mountain. South Doctor sang a magic song and
traced his cane around the mountain, but that held back the waters only for a
short time. Four times he sang and traced a line around the mountain, yet the
flood rose again each time. There was only one thing more to do.
He held his magic crystals in his left hand
and sang a song. Then he struck it with his cane. A thunder peal rang through
the mountains. He threw his staff into the water and it cracked with a loud
noise. Turning, he saw a dog near him. He said, "How high is the
tide?" The dog said, "It is very near the top." He looked at the
people as he said it. When they heard his voice they all turned to stone. They
stood just as they were, and they are there to this day in groups: some of the
men talking, some of the women cooking, and some
crying.
But
Earth Doctor escaped by enclosing himself in his reed staff, which floated upon
the water. Elder Brother rolled along in his olla until he came near the mouth
of the Colorado River. The olla is now called Black Mountain. After the flood
he came out and visited all parts of the land.
When
he met Coyote and Earth Doctor, each claimed to have been the first to appear
after the flood, but at last they admitted Elder Brother was the first, so he
became ruler of the world.
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