Creation Stories

A STORY FROM THE BLACKFOOT NATION

The Great Spirit, Napi, looked down upon his world. It was covered with water and Napi wanted to walk upon land. So he dove down to the sea's bottom to scoop up a handful of mud. As the mud dried, it blew in all directions and land masses formed on the water. The land grew until it stretched over a great distance. Now Napi was able to walk upon land and he was happy.

After awhile, Napi decided that he wanted to share his land with others. From the mud, he began to shape a man and a woman. At first the man and woman chose to live apart. Napi was not happy because he wanted the man and woman to live together. He went to talk to the woman about this. When he found her, he was surprised to see that the woman had multiplied and created a whole village of women.

The woman listened to Napi's idea about marrying and living with the men. She asked Napi to bring the men and, if the women liked them, they would marry. This was the beginning of the family arrangement. Napi next created animals and birds out of the mud. These creatures left to find food and freedom on the new land.

TURTLE ISLAND AND SKY WOMAN

Sky-woman fell down from the sky world, trailing in her hands, seeds from the Tree of Light. Two loons caught her on their wings and brought her down to rest on Turtle's back. One creature after another followed Sky-woman and dove down, vainly seeking earth. At last, little muskrat floated back to the surface. He was dead, but clutched in his paws were bits of earth. This earth was spread over turtle's back where it grew to become the home for the first mother. There she planted the seeds from the Sky World and started new life on Turtle Island which we now call North America.

Source: Traditional Teachings. North American Indian Travelling College. R.R. 3,
Cornwall Island, Ontario K6H 5R7. c. 1984