Native American Legends
The beginning of the World
A Wükchamni Yokut Legend
Everything was water except a very small piece of ground. On this
were the eagle and Coyote. Then the turtle swam to them. They sent
it to dive for the earth at the bottom of the water. The turtle
barely succeeded in reaching the bottom and touching it with its
foot. When it came up again, all the earth seemed washed out.
Coyote looked closely at its nails. At last he found a grain of
earth. Then he and the eagle took this and laid it down. From it
they made the earth as large as it is. From the earth they also
made six men and six women. They sent these out in pairs in different
directions and the people separated.
After a time the eagle sent the Coyote to see what the people were
doing. Coyote came back and said: "They are doing something
bad. They are eating the earth. One side is already gone."
The eagle said: "That is bad. Let us make something for them
to eat. Let us send the dove to find something."
The dove went out. It found a single grain of meal. The eagle and
Coyote put this down on the ground. Then the earth became covered
with seeds and fruit. Now they told the people to eat these. When
the seeds were dry and ripe the people gathered them. Then the people
increased and spread all over. But the water is still under the
world.
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