|
The Mandan from Myths and Legends of the Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes
The Mandans were the "People of the Pheasants." They were the first people in the world. At first they lived in the earth. Now in the dark Earth-land, they had many vines. Then at last one vine grew up through a hole in the Earth-plain, far above their heads. One of their young men at once went up the vine until he came out on the Earth-plain. He came out on the prairies on the bank of a river, just where the Mandan village now stands. He looked all about him. The Earth-plain was very beautiful. There were many buffaloes there. He killed one with his bow and arrow and found it was good for food. Then the young man returned to his people under the ground. He told them all he had seen. They held a council, and then they began to climb up the vine to the Earth-plain. Some of the chiefs, and the young warriors, and many of the women went up. Then came a very fat woman. The chiefs said, “Do not go up.” But she did, so the vine broke. The Mandans were very sorry about this. Because no more could go up> The tribe on the Earth-plain is not very large. And no one could return to his village in the ground. Therefore, the Mandans built their village on the banks of the river, but the rest of the people remained underground. The Yuchi from “In the Beginning” 
“Who will make the light?” Wind asked. It was very dark. Yo-hah, the Star, said, “I will make light.” It was agreed. The Star shone forth, but its light only remained close to the Star. “Who will make more light?” Wind asked. Shar-pah, the Moon, said, “I will make enough light for all my children, and I will shine forever.” But the world was still too dark. T-cho, the Sun, said, “Leave it to me to make enough light for everyone everywhere.” Sun went to the East and suddenly enough light was everywhere. As Sun traveled over the earth, a drop of blood fell from the sky to the ground. From this spot sprang the first people, the children of the Sun, they were called, the Yu-chis. The Yu-chis wished to find their medicine since a large monster had destroyed some of their people. The Yu-chis cut off its head, but the next day its head and body were together again. They killed the monster a second time. Again, its head grew back on its body. A third time, they cut off its head. They placed the head on top of a tall tree, so the body could not reach the head. The next morning, the tree was dead and the head had rejoined the monster’s body. They killed it once more, putting its head at the top of a cedar tree. The next morning the cedar tree was still alive, but covered with blood from the head. The monster remained dead. This is how the Yu-chis found their great medicine, the Cedar Tree. Fire was soon discovered by boring a stick into some hard, dry weeds. The Yu-chis selected a second medicine, as each one made a picture of the Sun upon their door. In the beginning, all of the animals could talk with one another. All animals and people were at peace. The deer lived in a cave watched over by a Yu-chis keeper. When the Yu-chis became hungry, the keeper selected a deer and killed it for their food. Finally, all of the deer were set free with the other animals, and a name was given to every animal upon the earth. This is how it was in the beginning with the first people, the Yu-chis tribe. |
 |
