HOW CHA'-KA THE TULE-WREN SHOT OUT THE SUN

The Dawn of the World, by C. Hart Merriam, [1910], at sacred-texts.com

p. 152

A TALE OF THE OLAMENTKO INDIANS OF BODEGA BAY

PERSONAGES

O'-ye the Coyote-man

Chā'-kā the Tule-wren, a poor orphan boy

Koo-loo'-pe the Humming-bird

p. 153

HOW CHA'-KA THE TULE-WREN SHOT OUT THE SUN

CHA'-KA the Tule-wren was a poor worthless boy. He had no father and no mother and went from house to house begging, and the people gave him food to eat. Nobody liked him, and finally they tired of feeding him. One day he told them that if they did not give him food he would shoot out the Sun. Then everybody laughed. Again he said he surely would shoot it out. They said, "Go ahead and shoot."

So he did; he sent his arrow right up into the Sun and let the light out and the whole world became dark. There was no Sun, no Moon, no Stars, no Fire-everything was dark. It was dark for years and years and the people could not see to find food, and everybody was starving.

All this time O'-ye the Coyote-man was thinking how he could get the Sun and light back again. At length he saw just a little light a long way off. He sent Koo-loo'-pe the Humming-bird to steal it.

Koo-loo'-pe set out on the long journey and finally came to the fire and stole a little piece and

p. 154

brought it back under his chin--you can see the blaze there to this day.

When he was bringing it somebody chased him, but he was so small and flew so swiftly they could not see which way he went and could not catch him. So he escaped with the fire and brought it back to O'-ye the Coyote-man, and the people had light again.