_Omaha_
In the beginning the people were in water. They opened their eyes, but
they could see nothing. As the people came out of the water, they
first saw the daylight. They had no clothing. Then they took weeds and
grasses and from them wove clothing.
The people lived near a large body of water; it was in a wooded
country where there was game. The men hunted the deer with clubs; they
did not know the use of the bow. The people wandered about the shores
of the great water. They were poor and cold. The people thought, "What
shall we do to help ourselves?" So they began chipping stones. They
found a bluish stone that was easily flaked and chipped; so they made
knives and arrowheads out of it. But they were still poor and cold.
They thought, "What shall we do?"
Then a man found an elm root that was very dry. He dug a hole in it
and put a stick in and rubbed it. Then smoke came. He smelled it. Then
the people smelled it and came near. Others helped him to rub. At last
a spark came. They blew this into a flame. Thus fire came to warm the
people and to cook their food.
After this the people built grass houses; they cut the grass with the
shoulder blade of a deer. Now the people had fire and ate their meat
roasted. Then they grew tired of roast meat. They thought, "How shall
we cook our meat differently?"
A man found a piece of clay that stuck well together. Then he brought
sand to mix with it. Then he molded it as a pot. Then he gathered
grass until he had a large heap of it; he put the clay pot into the
midst of the grass and set it on fire. This made the clay hard. After
a time he put water into the pot; the water did not leak out. This was
good. So he put water into it and then meat into it, and put the pot
over the fire. Thus the people had boiled meat to eat.
Now their grass coverings would grow fuzzy and drop off. It was hard
to gather and keep these coverings. The people were not satisfied.
Again they thought, "What can we do to have something different to
wear?"
Before this, they had been throwing away the hides from the game which
they killed. But now they took their stone knives to scrape down the
hides and make them thin. They rubbed the hides with grass and with
their hands to make them soft. Then they used the hides for clothing.
Now they had clothing and were warm.
Now the women had to break the dry wood to keep up the fires. They had
no tools. So the men made a stone ax with a groove. Then they put a
handle on the grooved stone and fastened it with rawhide. This was
used. Then they wanted something better to break the wood. So they
made wedges of stone.
Now the grass shelter came to pieces easily. Then the people thought,
"What shall we do? How can we get something that will not come to
pieces?" Then they tried putting skins on poles.
First they tried deerskins. But they were too small. They tried elk
skins. But they became hard and stiff in the rain and sun. Then they
did not try skins longer. They used bark to cover the poles of their
tepees.
But the bark houses were not warm. Then the people took the leg bone
of the deer and splintered it So they made sharp pieces for awls. Then
they took buffalo skins and sinews, and with the awl they fastened the
skins together. So they made comfortable covers for their tepees.
Then a man wandered around a long time. One day he found some small
pieces of something which were white, and red, and blue. He thought
they must be something of great value, so he hid them in a mound of
earth. Now one day he went to see if they were safe. Behold! When he
came to the mound, green stalks were growing out of it. And on the
stalks were small kernels of white, and red, and blue. Behold! It was
corn. Then the man took the corn, and gave it to the people. They
tried it for food. They found it good, and have ever since called it
their life.
Now when the people found the corn good, they thought to hide it in
mounds as the first man had done. So they took the shoulder blade of
an elk and made mounds. Then they hid the corn in it. So the corn grew
and the people had food.
Now as the people wandered around, they came to a forest where the
birch trees grew. There was a great lake there. Then they made canoes
of birch bark. They traveled in them on the water. Then a man found
two young animals. He carried them home. He fed them so they grew
bigger. Then he made a harness which he placed upon them and fastened
it to poles. So these animals became burden bearers. Before that,
every burden had to be carried on the back. Now the dogs helped the
people.