Native Americans developed a rich oral literature. Creation myths are one example of this literature. Often told during ceremonies, Native American creation myths describe a people’s origin (or source), or the origin of something important in their lives, such as fire or maize. In this reading are the myth of the origin of the Tuskegee Indians and the Caddo Indians myth of the origin of death.
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The Origin of Earth: A Tuskegee Myth
Before the beginning, water was everywhere. But no people, animals, or earth were visible.
There were birds, however, who held a council to decide if it might be best to have all land or all water. “Let us have land, so we can have more food,” said some of the birds. Others said, “Let’s have all water, because we like it this way.”
Subsequently [later], they appointed Eagle as their Chief who was to decide one way or the other. Eagle decided upon land and asked, “Who will go and search for land?”
Dove volunteered first and flew away. In four days he completed his hunt and returned, reporting, “I could not find land anywhere.”
Crawfish came swimming along and was asked by the council to help search for land. He disappeared under the water for four days. When he arose to the surface again, he held some dirt in his claws. He had found some land deep in the water.
Crawfish made a ball of dirt and handed it to the Chief Eagle, who then flew away with it. Four days later he returned and said to the council, “Now there is land, an island has been formed—follow me!”
The whole bird colony flew after Eagle to see the new land, though it was a very small island. Gradually, the land began to grow larger and larger as the water became lower and lower. More islands appeared and these grew together, creating larger islands into one earth.
Tuskegee Indians say they were chosen by the Great Spirit to be the first people to live upon the new earth, a long, long time ago.
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Coyote and the Origin of Death: A Caddo Myth
In the beginning of this world, there was no such thing as death. Everybody continued to live until there were so many people that the earth had no room for any more. The chiefs held a council to determine what to do. One man rose and said he thought it would be a good plan to have the people die and be gone for a little while, and then return.
As soon as he sat down, Coyote jumped up and said he thought people ought to die forever. He pointed out that this little world is not large enough to hold all of the people, and that if the people who died came back to life, there would not be food enough for all.
All the other men objected. They said that they did not want their friends and relatives to die and be gone forever, for then they would grieve and worry and there would be no happiness in the world. Everyone except Coyote decided to have people die and be gone for a little while, and then come back to life again.
The medicine men built a large grass house facing the east. When they had completed it, they called the men of the tribe together and told them that people who died would be restored to life in the medicine house. The chief medicine man explained that they would sing a song calling the spirit of the dead to the grass house. When the spirit came, they would restore it to life. All the people were glad, because they were anxious for the dead to come and live with them again.
When the first man died, the medicine men assembled in the grass house and sang. In about ten days a whirlwind blew from the west and circled about the grass house. Coyote saw it, and as the whirlwind was about to enter the house, he closed the door. The spirit of the whirlwind, finding the door closed, whirled on by. In this way Coyote made death eternal, and form that time on, people grieved over their dead and were unhappy.
Now whenever anyone meets a whirlwind or hears the wind whistle, he says: “Someone is wandering about.” Ever since Coyote closed the door, the spirits of the dead have wandered over the earth trying to find some place to go, until at last they discovered the road to the spirit land.
Coyote ran away and never came back, for when he saw what he had done, he was afraid. Ever after that, he has run from one place to another, always looking back first over one shoulder and then over the other to see if anyone is pursuing him. And ever since then he has been starving, for no one will give him anything to eat.
