Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest | Page 8

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 to-day,
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.
Spider's Creation Sia (New Mexico)
In the beginning, long, long ago, there was but one being in the lower
world. This was the spider, Sussistinnako. At that time there were no
other insects, no birds, animals, or any other living creature.
The spider drew a line of meal from north to south and then crossed it
with another line running east and west. On each side of the first line,
north of the second, he placed two small parcels. They were precious
but no one knows what was in them except Spider. Then he sat down
near the parcels and began to sing. The music was low and sweet and
the two parcels accompanied him, by shaking like rattles. Then two
women appeared, one from each parcel.
In a short time people appeared and began walking around. Then
animals, birds, and insects appeared, and the spider continued to sing
until his creation was complete.
But there was no light, and as there were many people, they did not
pass about much for fear of treading upon each other. The two women

first created were the mothers of all. One was named Utset and she as
the mother of all Indians. The other was Now-utset, and she was the
mother of all other nations. While it was still dark, the spider divided
the people into clans, saying to some,