My newest obsession has been Native American Folklore. I find it absolutely fascinating; the beliefs, the morals, the ways they solved problems, it's completely exotic to me. This is one of my favorite myths, describing how the lakes and tribes were formed, and the reasoning behind it.
from the Chinook tribe
retold by
S.E. Schlosser
Now
Wishpoosh the monster beaver lived in the beautiful Lake Cle-el-lum
which was full of fish. Every day, the animal people would come to the
lake, wanting to catch some fish, but Wishpoosh the giant beaver drove
them away with many threats and great splashing. If they refused to
leave, Wishpoosh would kill the animal people by dragging them deep into
the lake so that they drowned.
Coyote was very upset at
Wishpoosh for the way he treated the animal people. Coyote decided that
he would kill the monster beaver and so he went to Lake Cle-el-lum with
his spear tied to his wrist and started to fish. As soon as Wishpoosh
saw this upstart person invading his territory, the giant beaver
attacked. Coyote threw the spear and it pierced the beaver. Immediately,
Wishpoosh dove to the bottom of the lake, dragging Coyote with him.
Well,
Coyote and Wishpoosh wrestled and tugged and fought each other at the
bottom of the lake until the sides gave way and all the water rushed
out, pouring out over the mountains and through the canyons until it
collected in Kittitas Valley and formed another, larger lake. Coyote and
Wishpoosh burst forth into the new lake, shouting and wrestling and
fighting each other with renewed vigor until the second lake gave way
and the water rushed out, joining in with the waters of several rivers
to form a massive lake at Toppenish.
Wishpoosh the monster beaver
would not give up the fight. He bit and clawed at Coyote and tried to
drown him in the massive lake. Coyote fought back fiercely, and at last
the massive lake gave way, the water roared down into the meeting place
of the Columbia, the Yakima, and the Snake, where it dammed up into a
lake so huge none has ever seen its like before or since.
Coyote
and Wishpoosh dragged at each other, pulling and tugging and ripping and
biting until the dam gave way and a huge wave of water swept down the
Columbia River towards the sea. Coyote and Wishpoosh were tumbled over
and over again as they were swept down river in the mighty wave of
water. Coyote grabbed bushes and rocks and trees, trying to pull himself
out of the massive wave. By these efforts was the Columbia Gorge was
formed. But Coyote could not pull himself out of the great wave and so
he tumbled after Wishpoosh, all the way to the bitter waters at the
mouth of the river.
Wishpoosh was furious. He was determined to
beat this upstart Coyote who had driven him from his beautiful lake. The
giant beaver swept all the salmon before him and ate them in one gulp
to increase his strength. Then he swam out to sea with Coyote in
pursuit. The monster beaver threw his great arms around a whale and
swallowed it whole.
Coyote was frightened by this demonstration
of the monster beaver's strength. But he was the most cunning of all the
animals, and he came up with a plan. Turning himself into a tree
branch, Coyote drifted among the fish until Wishpoosh swallowed him.
Returning to his natural form, Coyote took a knife and cut the sinews
inside the giant beaver. Wishpoosh gave a great cry and then perished.
Coyote
was tired after his long fight with the monster beaver. He called to
his friend Muskrat, who helped drag the body of Wishpoosh to shore.
Coyote and Muskrat cut up the giant beaver and threw the pieces up over
the land, thus creating the tribes of men. The Nez Perce were created
from the head of the giant beaver, to make them great in council. The
Cayuses were created from the massive arms of Wishpoosh, in order that
they might be strong and powerful with the war club and the bow. From
the beaver's ribs, Coyote made the Yakimas and from the belly the
Chinooks. To make the Klickitats, Coyote used the beaver's legs, so that
they would become famous for their skill in running. With the leftover
skin and blood, he made the Snake River Indians who thrived on war and
blood.
Thus were the tribes created, and Coyote returned up the
mighty Columbia River to rest from his efforts. But in his weariness,
Coyote did not notice that the coastal tribes had been created without
mouths. The god Ecahni happened along just then and fixed the problem by
assembling all of the coastal tribes and cutting mouths for them. Some
he made too large and some he made crooked, just as a joke. This is why
the mouths of the coastal tribes are not quite perfect.
As you can see, the Native Americans are full of humor, wit, generosity, and knowledge. Native American myths always make me question where people do come from because although their legends seem far-off, they always have a reason behind them.
