Proceedings of the New York Historical Association [1906]New York State Historical Association. Meeting
History
Proceedings of the New York Historical Association [1906]
New York State Historical Association. Meeting
New York (State) -- History -- Periodicals; New York State Historical Association -- Periodicals
"Sapling, which was the name of the young man-being, created animals
out of earth, and birds by casting handfuls of earth into the air. He
also formed the body of a man and the body of a woman, and gave them
life and placed them together. Returning shortly after he found them
sleeping. Again and again he returned and still they slept. 'Thereupon
he took a rib from each and substituted the one for the other and
replaced each one in the other's body. It was not long before the
woman awoke and sat up. At once she touched the breast of the man
lying at her side, just where Sapling had placed her rib, and, of
course, that tickled him. Thereupon he awoke. Awoke to life and
understanding.'"
As in the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, the two brothers fought and
in the end one was slain. But is was the unrighteous one, the one with
the flint body, who lost his life.
Nearly three hundred years ago, the Jesuits recorded traditions of the
Algonquins and Huron-Iroquois of Canada, which were practically the same
in their main features as the above. (See Jesuit Rel. vol. 10, pages
127-129.)
The Montagnais and Adirondacks of Canada, and in fact all the Algonquin
nations, seem to have some tradition of the deluge, which in some way
is mixed with the Huron-Iroquois tradition of the creation. In fact,
it deals with a re-creation of the earth.
They say that one Messou restored the world when it was lost in the
waters. Their story of the deluge is practically as follows:
This Messou went a hunting with lynxes, instead of dogs, and was
warned that it would be dangerous for his lynxes in a certain lake
near the place where he was. One day as he was hunting an elk his
lynxes gave it chase even into the lake; and when they reached the
middle of it, they were submerged in an instant. When Messou arrived
there and sought his lynxes, who were indeed his brothers, a bird told
him that it had seen them in the bottom of the lake, and that certain
animals or monsters held them there. He at once leaped into the water
to rescue them, but immediately the lake overflowed, and increased so
prodigiously that it inundated and drowned the whole earth. Astonished,
he gave up all thought of his lynxes and turned his attention to
creating the world anew. First he sent a raven to find a small piece
of earth with which to build a new world. The raven returned
unsuccessful. He made an Otter dive down, but he could not reach the
bottom. At last a muskrat descended and brought back some earth. With
this bit of earth Messou restored every thing to its former condition.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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