INDIAN MYTHS OF SOUTH CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
BY
A. L. KROEBER
[1907]

Part 1 of 2

RUMSIEN COSTANOAN. THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD
When this world was finished, the eagle, the humming-bird, and Coyote were
standing on the top of Pico Blanco. When the water rose to their feet, the eagle,
carrying the humming-bird and Coyote, flew to the Sierra de Gabilan. There they
stood until the water went down. Then the eagle sent Coyote down the mountain
to see if the world were dry. Coyote came back and said: "The whole world is
dry." The eagle said to him: "Go and look in the river. See what there is there."
Coyote came back and said: "There is a beautiful girl." The eagle said: "She
will be your wife in order that people may be raised again." He gave Coyote a
digging implement of abalone shell and a digging stick. Coyote asked: "How will my
children be raised'?" The eagle would not say. He wanted to sec if Coyote was
wise enough to know. Coyote asked him again how these new people were to be
raised from the girl. Then he said: "Well, I will make them right here in the
knee." The eagle said: "No, that is not good." Then Coyote said: "Well then, here
in the elbow." "No, that is not good" "In the eyebrow." "No, that is not good."
"In the back of the neck." "No, that is not good either. None of these will be
good." Then the humming-bird cried: "Yes, my brother, they are not good. This
place will be good, here in the belly.

Then Coyote was angry. He wanted to kill him. The eagle raised his wings and
the humming-bird flew in his armpit. Coyote, looked for him in vain. Then the
girl said: "What shall I do? How will I make my children?" The eagle said to
Coyote: "Go and marry her. She will be your wife." Then Coyote went off with this
girl. He said to her: "Louse me." Then the girl found a woodtick on him. She was
afraid and threw it away. Then Coyote seized her. He said: "Look for it, look
for it! Take it! Eat it! Eat my louse!" Then the girl put it in her mouth.
"'Swallow it, swallow it!" he said. Then she swallowed it and became pregnant. Then
she was afraid. She ran away. She ran through thorns. Coyote ran after her. He
called to her: "Do not run through that brush." He made a good road for her.
But she said: "I do not like this road." Then Coyote made a road with flowers on
each side. Perhaps the girl would stop to take a flower. She said. "I am not
used to going between flowers." Then Coyote said: "There is no help for it. I
cannot stop her."

So she ran to the ocean. Coyote was close to her. Just as he was going to take
hold of her, she threw herself into the water and the waves came up between
them as she turned to a sand flea (or shrimp: camaron). Coyote, diving after her,
struck only the sand. He said: "I wanted to clasp my wife but took hold of the
sand. My wife is gone."

RUMSIEN COSTANOAN. COYOTE

Coyote's wife said to him: "I do not want you to marry other women." Now they
had only one child. Then Coyote said: "I want many children. We alone cannot
have many children. Let me marry another woman so that there may be more of us."
Then the woman said, "Well, go."

Then he had five children. Then his children said: "Where shall we make our
houses? Where shall we marry?" Coyote told them: "Go out over the world." Then
they went and founded five rancherias with five different languages. The
rancherias are said to have been Ensen, Rumsien, Ekkheya, Kakonta, and that of the
Wacharones.

Now Coyote gave the people the carrying net. He gave them bow and arrows to
kill rabbits. He said: "You will have acorn mush for your food. You will gather
acorns and you will have acorn bread to eat. Go down to the ocean and gather
seaweed that you may eat it with your acorn mush and acorn bread. Gather it when
the tide is low, and kill rabbits, and at low tide pick abalones and mussels to
eat. When you can find nothing else, gather buckeyes for food. If the acorns are
bitter, wash them out; and gather "wild oat" seeds for pinole, carrying them
on your back in a basket.

Look for these things of which I have told you. I have shown you what is good.
Now I will leave you. You have learned. I have shown you how to gather food,
and even though it rains a long time people will not die of hunger. Now I am
getting old. I cannot walk. Alas for me! Now I go."

RUMSIEN COSTANOAN. COYOTE AND THE HUMMINGBIRD

Coyote thought he knew more than anyone; but the hummingbird knew more. Then
Coyote wanted to kill him. He caught him, struck him, and mashed him entirely.
Then he went off. The hummingbird came to life, flew up, and cried: "Lakun,
dead," in mockery. Coyote caught him, made a fire, and put him in. He and his people
had gone only a little way when the hummingbird flew by crying: "Lakun!"
Coyote said: "How shall I kill him?" They told him: "The only way is for you to eat
him." Then Coyote swallowed him. The hummingbird scratched him inside. Coyote
said: "What shall I do? I shall die." They said: "You must let him out by
defecating." Then Coyote let him out and the hummingbird flew up crying: "Lakun!"



RUMSIEN COSTANOAN. COYOTE AND HIS WIFE

Makewiks is an animal that lives in the ocean and sometimes comes to the
surface. Coyote went to the ocean with his wife. He told her not to be afraid. He
told her about the sea lion, about the mussels, about the crabs, and the octopus.
He told her that all these were relatives; so when she saw them she was not
afraid. But he did not tell her about the makewiks. Then when this rose before her
it frightened her so that she fell dead. Coyote took her on his back, carried
her off, built a fire, and laid her by the side of it. He began to sing and
dance and jump. Soon she began to come to life. He jumped three times and brought
her to life.

RUMSIEN COSTANOAN. COYOTE AND HIS CHILDREN

Coyote killed salmon and put them into the ashes to roast. He did not want his
children to eat them. Therefore he pretended that they where only ashes. Once
in a while he reached into the ashes, took a piece, and ate it. Then his
children cried out that he was eating fire and would be burned. When they wanted to
take some, he did not let them. He said: "You will be burned."

RUMSIEN COSTANOAN. COYOTE WITH A THORN IN HIS EYE

Coyote came to some women and asked them to pull out a thorn from his eye.
There was only a little stick which he held in place with his eyelid. At first they
distrusted him. He selected the most beautiful; "You draw it out," he sang.
When she was about to take it with her fingers, he said: "No, take hold of it
with your teeth." He said this so that he might seize her. When she took hold of
the little stick he seized her and ran off with her. His song:

Meneya doñ kac op ka yapunnin, you ( ?) me pull-out my thorn!