The Creation Of The World

: Myths And Legends Of California And The Old Southwest

Pima (Arizona)



In the beginning there was nothing at all except darkness. All was

darkness and emptiness. For a long, long while, the darkness gathered

until it became a great mass. Over this the spirit of Earth Doctor

drifted to and fro like a fluffy bit of cotton in the breeze. Then Earth

Doctor decided to make for himself an abiding place. So he thought

within himself, "Come forth, some kind of plant," and there appeared the

creosote bush. He placed this before him and set it upright. But it 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.