Native American Legends
The Flood and the theft of Fire
A Tolowa Legend
Along time ago there came a great rain. It lasted a long time and
the water kept rising till all the valleys were submerged, and the
Indian tribes fled to the high lands.
But the water rose, and though the Indians fled to the highest
point, all were swept away and drowned-all but one man and one woman.
They reached the very highest peak and were saved. These two Indians
ate the fish from the waters around them.
Then the waters subsided. All the game was gone, and all the animals.
But the children of these two Indians, when they died, became the
spirits of deer and bear and insects, and so the animals and insects
came back to the Earth again.
The Indians had no fire. The flood had put out all the fires in
the world. They looked at the moon and wished they could secure
fire from it. Then the Spider Indians and the Snake Indians formed
a plan to steal fire. The Spiders wove a very light balloon, and
fastened it by a long rope to the Earth. Then they climbed into
the balloon and started for the moon. But the Indians of the Moon
were suspicious of the Earth Indians. The Spiders said, "We
came to gamble." The Moon Indians were much pleased and all
the Spider Indians began to gamble with them. They sat by the fire.
Then the Snake Indians sent a man to climb up the long rope from
the Earth to the moon. He climbed the rope, and darted through the
fire before the Moon Indians understood what he had done. Then he
slid down the rope to Earth again. As soon as he touched the Earth
he traveled over the rocks, the trees, and the dry sticks lying
upon the ground, giving fire to each. Everything he touched contained
fire. So the world became bright again, as it was before the flood.
When the Spider Indians came down to Earth again, they were immediately
put to death, for the tribes were afraid the Moon Indians might
want revenge.
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