This page was last updated on Friday, February 7, 1997 8:37:18 PM
Once upon a time Coyote deliberated for a long time. "Now I am going to create the human race,"
he said. And he built a fire and mixed the ingredients. He made a mold in human form, with feet,
arms, legs, and those human features--head, eyes, mouth. He completed the mold, put it in the
oven and stoked the fire. But he was too impatient and took it out while it was still just white.
He wasn't satisfied with this and threw it across the ocean. That became the white people.
Because it wasn't right the first time, he made another and decided to bake this one longer. And
that's what he did. When he put the mold in this time, he waited too long and it became black,
just totally black and burned. "This isn't quite good enough, too black," he thought. And he
discarded it toward the south. That's why the black people are from there.
Coyote tried a third time, and this time he took greater care. He put it in, and then he
deliberated and watched carefully for just the right time-- neither too long nor too short, but
right in the middle. He opened the oven and took it out, and there it was baked just find, and
he was completely satisfied. He said, "Yes, these will be the People hence." And that's how
Indians got their name. That is the reason they were put here. The Indians never came from any
other place. They are Coyote's creation. That's all.
(Aoki 1989:101-103)
This page was last updated on Friday, February 7, 1997 8:37:18 PM