Spider's Creation

: Myths And Legends Of California And The Old Southwest

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 plac d 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, "You are of the Corn clan, and you

are the first of all." To others he said, "You belong to the Coyote

clan." So he divided them into their clans, the clans of the Bear, the

Eagle, and other clans.



After Spider had nearly created the earth, Ha-arts, he thought it would

be well to have rain to water it, so he created the Cloud People, the

Lightning People, the Thunder People, and the Rainbow People, to work

for the people of Ha-arts, the earth. He divided this creation into six

parts, and each had its home in a spring in the heart of a great

mountain upon whose summit was a giant tree. One was in the spruce tree

on the Mountain of the North; another in the pine tree on the Mountain

of the West; another in the oak tree on the Mountain of the South; and

another in the aspen tree on the Mountain of the East; the fifth was on

the cedar tree on the Mountain of the Zenith; and the last in an oak on

the Mountain of the Nadir.



The spider divided the world into three parts: Ha-arts, the earth;

Tinia, the middle plain; and Hu-wa-ka, the upper plain. Then the spider

gave to these People of the Clouds and to the rainbow, Tinia, the middle

plain.



Now it was still dark, but the people of Ha-arts made houses for

themselves by digging in the rocks and the earth. They could not build

houses as they do now, because they could not see. In a short time Utset

and Now-utset talked much to each other, saying,



"We will make light, that our people may see. We cannot tell the people

now, but to-morrow will be a good day and the day after to-morrow will

be a good day," meaning that their thoughts were good. So they spoke

with one tongue. They said, "Now all is covered with darkness, but after

a while we will have light."



Then these two mothers, being inspired by Sussistinnako, the spider,

made the sun from white shell, turkis, red stone, and abalone shell.

After making the sun, they carried him to the east and camped there,

since there were no houses. The next morning they climbed to the top of

a high mountain and dropped the sun down behind it. After a time he

began to ascend. When the people saw the light they were happy.



When the sun was far off, his face was blue; as he came nearer, the face

grew brighter. Yet they did not see the sun himself, but only a large

mask which covered his whole body.



The people saw that the world was large and the country beautiful. When

the two mothers returned to the village, they said to the people, "We

are the mothers of all."



The sun lighted the world during the day, but there was no light at

night. So the two mothers created the moon from a slightly black stone,

many kinds of yellow stone, turkis, and a red stone, that the world

might be lighted at night. But the moon travelled slowly and did not

always give light. Then the two mothers created the Star People and made

their eyes of sparkling white crystal that they might twinkle and

brighten the world at night. When the Star People lived in the lower

world they were gathered into beautiful groups; they were not scattered

about as they are in the upper world.