Native American Legends
The creation of the World
A Pima Legend
In the beginning there was nothing at all except darkness. All
was darkness and emptiness. For a long, long while, the darkness
gathered until it became a great mass.
Over this the spirit of Earth Doctor drifted to and fro like a
fluffy bit of cotton in the breeze. Then Earth Doctor decided to
make for himself an abiding place. So he thought within himself,
"Come forth, some kind of plant," and there appeared the
creosote bush. He placed this before him and set it upright. But
it at once fell over. He set it upright again; again it fell. So
it fell until the fourth time it remained upright. Then Earth Doctor
took from his breast a little dust and flattened it into a cake.
When the dust cake was still, he danced upon it, singing a magic
song.
Next he created some black insects which made black gum on the
creosote bush. Then he made a termite which worked with the small
earth cake until it grew very large. As he sang and danced upon
it, the flat World stretched out on all sides until it was as large
as it is now. Then he made a round sky-cover to fit over it, round
like the houses of the Pimas. But the Earth shook and stretched,
so that it was unsafe. So Earth Doctor made a gray spider which
was to spin a web around the edges of the Earth and sky, fastening
them together. When this was done, the Earth grew firm and solid.
Earth Doctor made water, mountains, trees, grass, and weeds made
everything as we see it now. But all was still inky blackness. Then
he made a dish, poured water into it, and it became ice. He threw
this round block of ice far to the north, and it fell at the place
where the Earth and sky were woven together. At once the ice began
to gleam and shine. We call it now the sun. It rose from the ground
in the north up into the sky and then fell back. Earth Doctor took
it and threw it to the west where the Earth and sky were sewn together.
It rose into the sky and again slid back to the Earth. Then he threw
it to the far south, but it slid back again to the flat Earth. Then
at last he threw it to the east. It rose higher and higher in the
sky until it reached the highest point in the round blue cover and
began to slide down on the other side. And so the sun does even
yet.
Then Earth Doctor poured more water into the dish and it became
ice. He sang a magic song, and threw the round ball of ice to the
north where the Earth and sky are woven together. It gleamed and
shone, but not so brightly as the sun. It became the moon, and it
rose in the sky, but fell back again, just as the sun had done.
So he threw the ball to the west, and then to the south, but it
slid back each time to the Earth. Then he threw it to the east,
and it rose to the highest point in the sky-cover and began to slide
down on the other side. And so it does even today, following the
sun.
But Earth Doctor saw that when the sun and moon were not in the
sky, all was inky darkness. So he sang a magic song, and took some
water into his mouth and blew it into the sky, in a spray, to make
little stars. Then he took his magic crystal and broke it into pieces
and threw them into the sky, to make the larger stars. Next he took
his walking stick and placed ashes on the end of it. Then he drew
it across the sky to form the Milky Way. So Earth Doctor made all
the stars.
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