The Origin of People (Skull Valley, Utah. Gosiute)

THE ORIGIN OF PEOPLE

(Skull Valley, Utah. Gosiute)

Two women, a mother and her daughter, lived on an island in Great Salt Lake ...

Sinav and Coyote lived in Skull Valley. After the girl had killed all the men in the world, she came to get Coyote. Sinav told her that there was no [such person as] Coyote.

Sinav went with the woman toward her home. It was very hot and they had no water. After a while the woman wanted to rest under a tree but Sinav knew better [than to let her stop]. He said, "No, we must go on." They went on to Great Salt Lake. The woman walked across on the water to the island. Sinav stayed near the shore, standing in the water. The girl's mother said to her, "Why don't you bring him over?" The girl made a path of earth through the water. Sinav walked over to the island, the water closing in behind him all the way. ¹⁸

Sinav went hunting and brought back deer. The women ate the meat and disposed of the bones . . . Sinav killed two mountain sheep, an old one and a young one. He first used the neck of the old one . . . Then he used the neck of the young one . . .

For several days Sinav hunted and brought in two deer each day. Each night he visited the women. Each woman bore a baby daily and put it in a large basketry jug. The jug became larger each day.

Finally, the older woman told Sinav to go South and take the jug with him. She made a path of dirt across the lake to the shore. Sinav crossed, and the water closed in behind him. At first, as he walked along, the jug was light and easy to carry. It became heavier. After a while, he had to set it down. He went on again and set it down again. Each time he went a shorter distance before he had to set it down. This happened five or six times.

Sinav heard a buzzing noise like a bee inside the jug. He wanted to look. When he began to open it, men jumped out and made a lot of dust. They knocked him over and ran away. Three times

p. 268

he removed the stopper and people came out. He watched them. They ran in all directions. They were the Shoshoni, Ute, Paiute and other tribes. The last man to come out was all covered with dust' He was the Gosiute. 19 He is tougher than other people; he is bulletproof.

Footnotes

267:18 This is probably Antelope Island, which, in years of exceptionally low water, is joined to the mainland.