In the beginning, the surface of
the earth was covered with water and everything was
dark. The First Creator and Lone Man were
walking upon the surface of the water when they saw
something move - a little duck.
They sent
the duck diving right down to the bottom of the
ocean, and it brought back some sand. First
Creator and Lone Man used this sand to make the
earth.
First
Creator took the south and made the hill country,
full of valleys and mountains and flowing
streams. Lone Man took the north and made the
plains, flat land with lakes and ponds. First
Creator filled his land with game: buffalo, deer, and
antelope. Lone Man had made cattle and sheep.
First
Creator was not very impressed with the land Lone Man
had made. "There's nowhere to hide!"
he said. But Lone Man just shrugged his
shoulders. "Well, it's done now," he
replied. "It's too late to change it."
Men and
women peopled the land. When hard times came, Lone
Man saw the people's suffering and wanted to share
it. So he entered into some corn that a young
girl was eating and she gave birth to him as a human
being.
Lone Man was
born as a man and lived with the girl's tribe. He was
pure and good, and always the peacemaker in every
quarrel. He never married, but the children
loved him and followed him everywhere.
He taught
the people many important things. But eventually it
was time for him to leave them. So he
instructed the tribe to set up a cedar trunk as a
totem pole in the center of the village, to paint it
red, and to burn incense to it. "This
cedar is my body," he said," which I leave
with you to protect you from all harm."
And then he departed.
As for First
Creator, he turned into a coyote.
