Ohlone Creation Story

Ohlone creation story – – Monterey County

Eagle, Hummingbird and Coyote stood on top of a mountain after the world was created. Water rose up toward their feet. Eagle carried the other two away to a higher mountain until the water went down. Coyote went out to see if the world was dry. He called back that the world was dry. He checked at the river and found a beautiful girl. Eagle told him she was Coyote’s wife so that people could be raised again. The girl and Coyote married and the children became the forefathers of the different Indian tribes. Coyote gave people bows and arrows to hunt rabbits. He told them to eat acorn mush and bread. He told him to eat seafoods. Coyote thought he was smarter than everyone but Hummingbird was smarter. Coyote was jealous of him because of that he smashed Hummingbird but he came back to life. Coyote wondered how to kill Hummingbird. Some told him to eat him. He did but Hummingbird scratched his insides so he had let him out. Coyote told his wife about the animals in the ocean but he did not tell her about a frightful one. She came to the beach and the animal frightened her so much she fell over dead. Coyote carried her on his back and laid her by a fire and sang and danced three times. She came back to life. Coyote did things that were stingy and mean. He caught salmon and put them in the fire but told his children there was no salmon. He’d reach in and pull out a piece of it. His children thought he was eating fire. They wanted to also but Coyote told them not to, they would be burned.