The Origin of People (Smith Valley, Nevada. Shoshoni)

THE ORIGIN OF PEOPLE

(Smith Valley, Nevada. Shoshoni)

All the birds and animals were men. Yellowhammer and the others went to where some people up north had pine nuts. They had put their pine nuts in a deer-skin bag, hung high up on a white pine tree. Coyote's people played the hand game and other games with them. They played for many days and nights. They wanted the pine nuts. Mouse hunted, hunted, and hunted for the pine nuts, but did not see any. The people still played the hand game. Finally, Mouse found the deer-hide bag full of pine nuts hanging in the tree.

That night all the owners of the pine nuts went to sleep. During the night, Coyote and his people tried to get the pine nuts down. Coyote jumped, but he could not jump high enough. All the others tried, but none of them could jump high enough. Then Coyote asked Woodpecker to try. Woodpecker jumped, but he, too, failed to reach the bag of pine nuts. Then all the Woodpeckers took off their long beaks. Woodpecker took all these beaks and placed one

p. 258

upon another. 3 The next time he jumped, he ripped open the deerskin bag and all the pine nuts fell down.

Coyote's people ate and ate. Finally, there was only one pin, nut left.

An old man went to the owners of the pine nuts and cried, "Wake up! Wake up! Someone is stealing your pine nuts!" They jumped up and ran after the others. As they caught each one of Coyote's people, they killed him. They killed many of them, but they did not find the pine nut. Coyote's people had relayed it along to the fastest runners. Coyote said, "Give me the pine nut. I can run fast." They gave it to Coyote. He carried it for a short distance and gave it to Crow.

Crow took the pine nut and bit the end off it. Then he hid it in his leg and ran. The pursuers were gaining on him. They shot him and killed him. When they came up to him, they kicked him, but his legs, ran on by itself, making a track to the mountains. All of Coyote's people were dead now.

By the time the pursuers arrived at the mountains, the pine nut trees had already grown. They grew all over the mountainsides. This was a long time ago. There are no pine nuts on the mountains up north where Coyote's people stole them. Only junipers grow there now.