This fic is going to be an AU Native American setting. It’s going to be a mixture of all different tribes, but if you really need context, you can assume it’s going to be very similar to Nimiipuu, or Nez Perce (at least in the setting/dwelling-type aspect).
begged and begged for him, and also lost my dignity in the process.
Well then…. Here we go!
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“The world began in darkness. There was no earth, sky, sun, or moon.
“From the darkness, there suddenly came a great disk, one side of yellow and one of white. Upon this disk sat Ussen*, the One Who Lives Above. With both hands, he rubbed his face and eyes. It was as if he had just woken from a long sleep.
“Ussen opened his eyes, and peered into the tremendous darkness. As he did so, there appeared light from above. He moved his eyes downward, creating a sea of light. He turned his gaze to the East and created the streaks of dawn. Once more the Creator shifted his eyes, making many tints of colors in the west, as can be seen at the time of the setting sun. There also appeared clouds of many colors.
“By now, Creator was tired. His face perspired with the work he had done. He wiped his sweat and rubbed his two hands together. He then thrust his hands downward, creating a beautiful shining cloud. Upon this cloud sat a little girl.
“'Tell me where you are going,' Ussen said to her. She gave no answer. Once again he rubbed his hands, offering the right one to Girl-Lacking-Parents.
“She grasped the Creator’s large hand. 'Where did you come from?' she asked.
“'I am of the east, where the light resides,' was his answer. He stepped upon her cloud.
“Where is the earth?' came the girl’s next question.
“'Where is the sky?' he answered with a question. He began to sing. 'I am thinking, thinking, thinking just what I shall create next.' He repeated his song four times, for this number is lucky. Once again, Creator rubbed his face with his hands, and then rubbed them together. This time, he swung his arms wide. In this movement, Giver of All Life created Sun-God. Creator repeated this motion once again. From his large hands dropped Small-Boy.
“The four gods sat together upon the cloud of Girl-Lacking-Parents. They thought and thought.
“'What is good to make next?' Life Giver asked. 'We cannot dwell upon this small cloud.'
“He then created Big Dipper, Tarantula, Wind, and Lightning-Maker. Next came western clouds to house Lightning-Maker.
“Suddenly, Creator sang, 'Let us make earth. In my mind is earth, earth, earth. I am thinking of the earth, earth, earth.' He repeated his song four times.
“The four gods joined hands. Their sweat mingled and Creator rubbed his palms. From his hands fell a small brown ball. This ball was tiny, barely larger than a bean.
“The ball grew as Creator kicked it. Girl-Lacking-Parents kicked it also, and it grew more. Sun-God and Small-Boy kicked the ball as well, the ball growing more each time. Creator commanded Wind to enter the ball and make it even larger.
“Tarantula spun a black cord, a blue cord, a yellow cord, and a white cord. He attached one to the east, one to the south, one to the west, and one to the north. He went to each cord and pulled with all his strength in each direction. The ball stretched, growing very large. This ball became the earth. It had no mountains or hills, no lakes or rivers. It was completely smooth, covered only in brown, treeless plains.
“Creator then made Hummingbird, who reported that the earth was well. There was water to be found to the west. Creator then made posts to hold the earth in place, one in each of the four directions.
“Creator sang a song to create the sky, repeating it four times. Twenty-eight people appeared to help him build the sky.
“He then sent Lightning-Maker to circle the earth. He brought back two girls and a boy he had found in a tortoise shell. The three children were sent to a sweathouse*, made by Fly. As the children exited the sweathouse, Creator gave them names.
“'You are Sky-Boy. You will be chief of the Sky-People.'
“'You are Earth-Daughter. You will care for the earth and plants.'
“'You are Pollen-Girl. You will maintain the health of the Earth-People.'
“Creator set about making animals, trees, and hills. He created rivers and lakes.
“One day, he called to Girl-Lacking-Parents. He told her to gather all of the People.
“Creator said to the People, 'Now I will leave you. Work together in harmony and create a perfect world. Lightning-Rumbler is in charge of the clouds and water. Sky-Boy will have charge of the Sky-People. Earth-Daughter shall care for the earth and crops. Pollen-Girl shall care for the health of the Earth-People, and guide them. Girl-Lacking-Parents will have charge over all things.'
“Together, Creator and Girl-Lacking-Parents rubbed their hands together and swept them down their legs. Upon the earth appeared a great pile of wood and it became fire.
“Creator and the gods departed, leaving the twenty-eight people to live their lives.
“Sun-God went east to live and travel with the Sun. Girl-Lacking-Parents departed westward to live on the far horizon. Small-Boy and Pollen-Girl made cloud homes in the south. Big Dipper can still be seen in the northern sky at night, a reliable guide to all.”
The children, having heard this story many times before, knew that this was the end. Not wanting to leave the circle just yet, they tried to think of questions they had never asked before.
One young girl, black hair the color of Rainbow Crow’s scorched wing*, piped up. Her doe-brown eyes sparkled with interest
“Hehewuti,” she began timidly, “What happened to the twenty-eight people?”
The medicine woman sighed. This young girl would obviously grow up to be beautiful, but she was also very smart. Hehewuti knew that she would be an asset to the tribe.
“The twenty-eight became the tribes. Their children are our fathers, many generations back. Though they had troubles, Girl-Lacking-Parents and Pollen-Girl took good care of the People.
“When they moved on, Creator passed down their spirits. He had crafted them all, so why would he toss them aside? The spirits of the first People live on today. Ussen created more spirits, but the souls of the twenty-eight still live on in the People of the tribes. Thus, we have all lived before. Never think that your soul is new. Once the life has left your body and you move on to the Happy Place, another will inherit your soul. This is how our people live on. Where there is death for one, there is new life for another.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The creation story presented in this chapter is the one passed down among many Apache tribes. There are variations, but this is one of my personal favorites.
Ussen (Oo-sehn) – chief deity of the Apache tribes
sweathouse - Just what the name implies. Often used in rituals, the sweathouse or sweatlodge is thought to purify the body.
"Rainbow Crow’s scorched wing" – Reference to a story about how light came to the people of the North. The story is about Rainbow Crow, who hears the cries of the People as they are left in the dark. He flies to the man that keeps the fiery light locked up for himself. He carries the light back to the People in his beak. In doing so, his feathers are scorched, as is his throat. Rainbow Crow loses his beautiful song and rainbow colored feathers. This is why he has a rasping cry and burnt black feathers to this day.
Hehewuti (Heh-heh-woo-tee)– Hopi name meaning “warrior mother spirit”
Please review! I’m going to have a lot of fun writing this story, I can tell. I hope you all like it. If you have any suggestions I’d love to hear them. Also, if you have any questions you can leave them in a review or message me. I’ll be sure to answer them to the best of my ability.
Love you all!
~Siki