Oowikapun, or, How the Gospel reached the Nelson River Indians — John Shaqi
Oowikapun, or, How the Gospel reached the Nelson River IndiansYoung, Egerton Ryerson
History
Oowikapun, or, How the Gospel reached the Nelson River Indians
Young, Egerton Ryerson
Indians of North America -- Missions -- Fiction
"Then the Great Spirit took another piece of clay, and moulded it and
formed another man, and put him into the oven to bake. But as he had
burnt the first one so badly he did not leave the second one in very
long, and so when he took him out he found that he was still very white;
and at this he was not pleased, and he said: `Ugh! you will never do.
You are too white. You will show the dirt too easily.' So he gave him
a great kick, which sent him across the sea to the land where the white
man first came from to this country.
"Then," said Mookoomis, "the Great Spirit tried again, and he gathered
the finest clay he could, and moulded it and worked it until he was well
pleased with it; and then he put it into the oven to bake it; and now
having the wisdom which came from the experience of the other two
failures, he kept this one in just the right time, and so when he took
him out he was of a rich red colour, and he was very much pleased, and
he said: `Ho! ho! you are just right; you stay here.' So he gave this
country to the Indian."
This account of the origin of the human race, which differs considerably
from Darwin's, very much interested Oowikapun and his companions, and so
they urged Mookoomis to tell them from Indian traditions how it was that
the races had got into the condition in which they now are. So when the
old man had filled and smoked his pipe again, and had seemed to be lost
in thought for a time, he began once more:
"When the Great Spirit had made these different men, and given each
wives of their own colour, he went away to his dwelling place beyond the
setting sun, and there abode. After a while he thought he would come
back and see how these men were getting on. So he called them to meet
him at a certain place, and as he talked with them he found they were
unhappy because they had nothing to do. When the Great Spirit heard
this he told them to come back to-morrow and then he would make this all
right for them. On the morrow, when they had met, they saw that the
Great Spirit had three parcels. He laid them on the ground, and told
them they were to choose which they would have. As the parcels differed
very much in size it was decided that they would cast lots, and thus
settle who should have the first choice. When this was done it was
found that the black man was to choose first, the red man second, and
the white man would have to take what was left. So the black man chose
the largest parcel; and when he opened it he found that it contained
axes and hoes, and spades and shovels, and other implements of toil.
The Indian selected the next largest bundle; and when he had opened it
he found that it contained bows and arrows, and spears and lances, and
knives and other weapons used by the hunter. Then the turn of the white
man came, and he took up the last parcel, which was a small one; and
when he had opened it there was nothing in it but a book.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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