VI. Fixing the Sun

Yana Texts, by Edward Sapir, [1910], at sacred-texts.com

VI. FIXING THE SUN.

Sun lived at Hī'tsiriha, three miles up from P‘ā'wi. There was a small hill there of red earth. The people went out to hunt, but did not stay long. Sunset came quickly, the day was short. It was a great trouble. Everyone was in trouble. "What shall we do about it? If the sun came up far off to the east and not right here near us, it would be all right." But the sun was in the center of the world, and that was the cause of the trouble.

The people all got together and talked it over. They asked Cottontail Rabbit and Blue Squirrel. "We have got to move

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the sun." Rabbit said, "Yes, we'll do it." The, people asked, "How?" Rabbit said, "We'll carry it on our backs. When I'm tired, Squirrel can take it." "Where will you put it?" "We'll put it over the mountains far off to the east." They started to carry it, carried it off to the east. When they got tired, they changed off. They carried the sun far, far away, to where he now comes up.