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San Buenaventura by Zephyrin Englehardt

Mission Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California, 1930

During the term of Fr. Presidente José Señan’s rule, the interrogatorio or list of questions, proposed by the Spanish government, reached California. The Fathers at each mission answered the questions as far as their respective establishment was concerned, and then they forwarded the results to the Fr. Presidente.

1. At this mission live only Indians and a few whites.

2. The whites hail generally from Sonora, Sinaloa, and Nueva Viscaya. The Indians are natives of the neighboring rancherias, excepting those who were born of Indian parents at the mission. The Indians do not know their original habitat.

3. The Indians here speak their own idiom. Some converse in Spanish, but imperfectly.

4. In their pagan state, the Indians generally care little for their wives. They love their children but give them little or no education. It is different at the Mission, however, where, besides religion, industry and agriculture is taught them.

5. Europeans and Americans are not regarded as differing from other whites. To the Indians they are all without exception gente de razon.

6. Particular affection or aversion is not noticeable.

7. One or the other of the neophytes, more out of curiosity than utility, manifest some inclination to learn to read and write. With charcoal, some of the boys at times draw characters on the walls, as white boys will do. In paganism they have no idea of it. Only in the sand or on tree trunks will they draw figures of animals.

8. There is no way of getting the Indians to devote themselves more diligently to Spanish.

9. The most conspicuous virtues are patience in time of suffering, especially during illness. They are also hospitable.

10. The pagans, especially the old men, cling to many of their superstitions. For instance, a fisherman will not eat of the fish or of the venison, rabbits, hares, etc., which he caught, believing he will in that case catch no more. In order to win at a play of chance, he must fast for some days; and if he loses, he imagines that the winner fasted more. The husband may not touch his wife until the child can stand alone on its feet, otherwise he shall have no more children. When the wife is delivered of a child, the husband must abstain from meat for some time, lest the child die. Instruction is gradually making the recent converts disregard such foolish observances.

11. We have a catechism in the idiom of the Indians of the Mission and also a catechism in Castilian. Instructions are given in both languages alternately.

12. No inclination to idolatry is observed in our neophytes; nor can it be said that in savagery they practiced any formal idolatry. In the vicinity of their rancherias and on the mountain, they used to have some places which they kept very clean, swept, and adorned with beautiful plumage put on poles. To these places they would go as to their sacred places. Here they would assemble in time of need and conduct a sort of pilgrimage. One of their number, in the name of all the rest, who observed profound silence, would pray for rain, offering an abundance of acorns, seeds, and wild fruits which constitute their daily sustenance. They would catch fish or kill deer in order that no bear might catch them or the bite of a rattlesnake might not afflict them. They would pray also for health and other good things. At the end of the supplication, they would, in their simplicity and crude veneration, offer beads, acorns, and various seeds, in order that they might be regarded with favor by the invisible one whom they pictured to themselves according to their rude notions, as the author and giver of rains, seeds, fruits, and other good things. The first part of this petition was always uniform. It was preceded by a salutation which in our language means as much as “Grand Captain or Captain of Captains, behold us and hear what we say.”

Some old men, pretending to be doctors, but being only graduated from the school of their own ignorance, simplicity, and rudeness, tell a long series of ridiculous fables regarding the creation of the world and its government. The boys and young folk take great delight in them and will even pay an old fellow to get him to recite his stories. Nevertheless, some neophytes having good sense and possessing true Christian sentiments frequently told me that they knew the foolishness of these stories; and when they saw the boys in such circles, one or more would not be wanting to instruct them, reminding them of what is true and certain; namely, that there is One who created all things and gave all things. This much is sure, the pagan people of this vicinity are well disposed and they have listened to us with attention or pleasure when we spoke to them of God, the Creator of heaven and earth and all things.

13. A great change for the better is observed, due to the teachings of the Gospel. For one thing, there is now peace where formerly there was constant war.

14. When our neophyte youths intend to marry, they offer to the bride and her parents some beads, an otter skin, a blanket, or some similar thing. Other tokens or service they do not offer. After they have presented themselves to the missionary and the examination, prescribed by the Council of Trent, proved that there is no impediment, the missionary marries them during a Nuptial Mass according to the Roman Ritual. Also in paganism they are wont to offer a present to the pretendita or to her parents, though not always. Some, naturally of a good and faithful disposition, will keep their matrimonial contract inviolate; but, generally speaking, it is almost incredible how readily they take and divorce wives, and how the wives themselves, in not a few cases, divorce their husbands, not regarding or understanding the marriage bond. Such is their rudeness and ignorance in this particular.

15. As far as possible, the missionaries see to it that in the Mission are not wanting the most ordinary medicines for their own necessities and those of the neophytes. The poor Indians do not understand curative powers. When one of them feels sick, he lies down near his beloved fire until he is almost roasted. Quacks administer some herbs, roots, and bark, but blindly without knowing their power or giving any reason. The quack’s father or some old man told him that such and such a grass or root was good, which suffices for their keeping many a secret and receiving beads. They say that some are cured with that herb and the sick person so believes, forgetting that the greater part of the infirmities are not grave and that nature herself provides the cure. They have a way of compensating themselves for bloodletting, inasmuch as they cut themselves with a sharp stone and then suck the blood. By the irritation it causes, this crude way of healing has some good effects, especially when applied to the delicate parts. They have various herbs to purge themselves; and as an emetic they would drink an abundance of water mixed with salt or sea water. For pains in the bones they apply the thermal waters, and use the same remedy against the itch and similar ailments. The most prevailing disease are the galico, consumption, and dysentery. These affllict them more forcibly in spring and autumn. The number of births does not correspond with that of deaths; for in some years there are three deaths to two births.

16. They recognize spring by the fresh growth of plants and by the sprouting of the grass. The season of the seeds tells them that summer is there. In the harvest of the acorns, their chief sustenance in paganism, they see the approach of autumn, while the rains and the cold weather are a sign that winter has come. In their dullness, they are ignorant of the calendar,. Though the language has distinct words for morning, noon, evening and night, the pagans, living to suit their fancy, do not understand anything about this as far as eating, working and resting is concerned. The neophytes are guided in everything by the Mission bell.

17. The Indians take no more than one meal a day, inasmuch as when they work they also eat, and at whatever hour of the night they might wake up and remember, they set to eating. At the Mission, there is morning prayer when the sun rises, at which time also holy mass is said. After sunrise they are given a ration of atole, and the same is given after the recital of the Doctrina in the evening. At noon, the meal consists of pozole made of wheat, corn, peas, and other vegetables. Every week they receive a ration of fresh beef, in sufficient amount, according to the means of the Mission. At this Mission, weekly, sixty, fifty, or at least forty five head of cattle are slaughtered. In seasons when the cattle are very fat, sixty head are slaughtered twice a week, in order to increase and sell the tallow and thereby procure the necessary goods. The large parts of the meat are taken in carts to the fields and burnt, since there is no one to collect them and there is plenty of fresh meat in the houses. In addition, they have in their homes supplies of acorns, chia, seeds, fruits, zacates, and other various wild eatables, all of which they do not overlook, being very fond of them. They eat also fish, mussels, ducks, geese, cranes, quail, hares, squirrels, rats, and other animals, which are to be had in abundance. On account of this hodgepodge of eatables, which they have in their homes and to their being like children who eat at all hours, it is hard to determine how much they eat every day.

18. They have not known fermented drinks and use only a concoction of wild tobacco, lime, and water, which, they assure us, brings them comfort; but if they drink it to excess, it intoxicates them and does them considerable harm.

19. The gentiles of this vicinity have not adored the sun nor the moon.

20. The Indians content themselves with the bow and arrow for self-defense and for the chase, and with the net for fishing. For the rest they think only of how to procure food. In consequence, all they know is how to fill the belly, dance, and play like children. It never strikes them in the least that there are in the world more people than those with whom they are acquainted in their rancherias. In like manner, they are not at all concerned as to who were their forefathers. Ignorance, stupidity, and supreme indifference in such matters are doubtless their heritage from a very early date.

21. In their pagan state, some were accustomed to bury their dead, while others would burn them on a huge pyre, accompanying the ceremony with loud wailing, relatives and friends stirring up the fire until the corpse was consumed. In burials, they would inter with the corpse some beads, skins of the otter or rabbit, or some other article that belonged to the deceased. Others would place a pole on the grave from which hung an oar, a net, a bowl, the head of a deer, or some other mark, to show in which exercise the deceased excelled. They manifest their grief by cutting their hair, covering themselves with ashes, and scratching and blackening the face, continuing their wailing for many days.

22,. They are quite faithful to their promises and in their bargains; but their words must be taken in a wider sense so far as relatives and friends are concerned; for it is well known that they are forgetful and do not at all, or at least very tardily, comply with their promises.

23. Their inclination to tell lies is great. This does not apply to our Indians, however. These know that it is wicked to lie; and even in their pagan state they knew that it is something to be shunned.

24^.. Their most dominant vice is idleness with all that attends it – incontinence and thievery. The women are quite industrious; but one or the other class are neophytes. Now they are beginning to hear the names of the virtues and of Religion; and our efforts to instruct them in the maxims thereof meet with happy results. Yet there are also sullen and stiffnecked individuals among them.

25. Their money is in the shape of beads and seeds, which they readily lend, without asking security. This was true of them also in paganism.

26. From the products of the field, the missionaries provide for those living in the community; otherwise they would go to the mountains, like children. Some have their little private gardens, in which they raise pumpkins, watermelons, sugar melons, corn, and other vegetables and grains, the missionaries encouraging them in this. In paganism they knew nothing of agriculture, but lived on acorns, seeds, and wild fruits.

27. They are not naturally inclined to anger or to cruelties. They had frequent wars to defend their wives and their little patches or collection of acorns and seeds. With them murder is the greatest injury, and they would seek revenge by taking the life of the murderer.

28. They never offered human sacrifices to the gods.

29. Already answered in the preceding and under numbers 12 and 21.

30. In community, the Indians are all equal, one having as much as the other.

31. There is no distinction among them in the mission, excepting the alcaldes and regidores who are elected annually and who act as foremen and overseers. In paganism, each rancheria had one or more captains who led the others in wars and feasts.

32. No personal services are rendered to anyone. All labor for and serve the Mission in various capacities for the common good.

33. They are now quite eager to sing and to play on the instruments, string as well as wind, and they easily learn by ear or by sight. In paganism they use only a flute like thing made of elderwood, as also a bone whistle, with which the players produce a shriek and violent trill, at the same time making strange and ridiculous contortions of the body. Their songs are weird, more adapted to arouse sadness than gladness.

34. There are Indians here who in paganism had not even an idea of letters or characters. Hence to catalog illustrious men from among them is out of the question.

35. They have some faint idea of the immortality of the soul, though it is coupled with a thousand puerilities. They know something also of reward and punishment, but temporary, affecting only this life. They imagine that after death the souls are transferred to a place of delights, where they are well received and where there will be an abundance of fish, and where they have plenty to eat, and will pass the time in play, dances, and amusements. Thoughts of Last Judgement, Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell never entered their minds.

36. The dress of the male neophyte consists of a short overall, called cotón, of a breach cloth, in place of breeches, and of a blanket. The women wear the cotón with a petticoat and blanket. All this clothing is made at the mission. The pagans know nothing of dress, except that women wear the hide of a deer or fringes of grass to meet the demands of natural decency. – Mission San Buenaventura, August 11, 1815. – Fr José Señan.

 

Hupa creation story – – Humboldt County

He Who is Lost to us Across the Ocean first appeared on the Klamath River. When he appeared there was a ringing noise like a bell. When he appeared burning pieces of wood fell from the sky. When he appeared there was another race of people who went across the ocean, never to be seen again. They were immortals. Some of these people were bad, but one in particular kept all the deer inside a mountain. The God went to him and told him he was hungry for venison. The bad man opened the door on the side of the mountain to get a deer. But the god watched and entered the mountain. His quiver and arrows grew a plant called wild ginger. The deer liked this and he enticed them to come out of the mountain so everyone could have something to eat. A selfish woman kept all the salmon in a pond all to herself. The god asked her for eels to eat and she got some. He next asked for some surf fish. She caught some in a net. The god dug a ditch and released all the salmon from the pond. The old woman followed them. She follows them as they migrate upriver to spawn. She appears as a yellow breasted flycatcher. The god next saw a blind old man carrying a heavy load. He offered to help carry the load but the strap which held it broke. It was a big load of sharp obsidian and it could’ve cut the god to pieces. The old man was in the habit of killing people this way. He felt around for the god but did not find him. The god then pushed the load onto the blind old man’s back and it fell and cut him to pieces. In this way the god killed a cannibal who ate people. Then the god found a bad man who was catching people with a hook. The god hooked the bad man and killed him. He got rid of another cannibal this way. Then he found a bad man with a seesaw. The man asked the god to sit on it and then let it go suddenly. The god jumped off in time but told the man to sit on the seesaw himself. The god let go of the seesaw, which was a sharp stone and it came down hard and killed the man. Then he found a blind old man who split a log. He tried to get the god to stand in the cleft in the log. He let it go suddenly, trying to kill him. He tried to find the dead god but could not because he had stepped out of the cleft. He told the blind old man to step into the cleft and let it spring shut on him. He tried to arrange for people to live forever. But the people did not like this, that is why people die. After he made the world a comfortable place he went across the ocean, never to be seen again. He is there today.

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.

Lake Miwok creation story – – Lake County

Hawk Chief complained to Coyote that there were no humans. Coyote became angry but he created people out of wood. He carved various types of wood, and stuck them in the ground around his house and danced. In the morning the people were there: Blue Jay, Deer, Dog etc. But the people couldn’t talk. He danced again and in the morning the people could talk. They complained about the fleas. Coyote said that he and his grandson would go away. Coyote called his wife, Frog Old Woman, and told her to get ready. He told the people that when they died they would come to his land. But only dead people. So Frog Old Woman, Hawk Chief and Coyote went away.

Miwok creation story – – Mariposa County

There were six different peoples who lived in this world before the coming of the Indians. The first of these people was just like the Indians and they existed until a cannibal giant, Ululiu came. He traveled the world with a sack on his back in which he put people to eat. Soon he had eaten nearly everybody. Ululiu could not be killed and unless he was shot through the heart which was in his heel. The people did not know this but they got together to discuss what to do. Fly found Ululiu asleep and bit him all over. Ululiu did not react until Fly bit him on the heel and he knew that there was where Ululiu’s heart was. Fly told the people. The people devised a plan: they placed six awls along the path that Ululiu walked on. One punctured his heel and he died. The second race of people was the bird people. A spirit named Yelelkin stole most of these people. The remainder left because the world was overrun with black ants. That was the end of that people. The third race were half human and half animal. These people traveled into the present and turned into the birds and animals. Raven, who was a great hunter, was one of them. Raven was originally white and he went to hunt deer and when he went to hunt deer they saw him. He smeared himself with charcoal which is why he is that way today. The fourth race was like the third, part human and animal. Skunk was the chief of this fourth race and he forced people to hunt for him but only fed them on acorn mush. He hunted by spraying his scent at the deer who ran away to where the people were hiding. They shot the deer. The people resented the way they were treated by Skunk and decided to kill him. They could not do it above ground because the scent would be released. So badger dug a hole, and filled it with hot coals. When Skunk ran over it he would fall in. They invited Skunk to a dance and praised him as he danced. He sank into the hole and tried to release his scent to no avail. He died and the people feasted on all the dried deer meat Skunk had hoarded. The people turned into animals. The fifth race disappeared, which is a mystery to this day. The sixth race came about when the earth was covered with water. Coyote told Frog he would create food and people. Frog said that they could not live without land. Coyote told Duck and Water Snake to dive to see if they could come up with some land. They failed but Frog came up with two handfuls of sand. Coyote scattered this about and created land. He planted food plants like pinenuts and acorns. He gathered six wise men. They said Coyote should create people immediately. He asked if they should have feet like his. Lizard said that they should have feet like his. Coyote agreed. He created people with five fingers like Lizard’s. Coyote told Frog, “You like the water so that’s where you’ll live.” He told each animal what form they would take and where they would live. Since then the world would be inhabited by people from there on out.

Mono creation story – – Madera County

In the beginning everything was water. Prairie Falcon and Crow surveyed it all from a log sticking up from the water. They decided to call Duck to make a world above the water. Prairie Falcon called and asked what number he dreamed. Duck said two but Prairie Falcon told him to dream for three days and in the dream to dive to the bottom and bring up some land. He dreamed and dove and died under the water, his body floating to the surface. Prairie Falcon brought him back to life but sent Coot down below to bring up some land. He died too and Prairie Falcon brought him back to life. This time he sent Grebe below. He reached the bottom and brought up some sand but he passed out of the dream state on the way up and died. Prairie Falcon brought them back to life and asked him if he had gotten any earth. But the sand had passed out of his hands. Prairie Falcon had found some sand under Grebe’s nails. He threw it in all the directions and this became the world. Things did not go right. Condor had a spring which he brought victims to and beheaded, the blood flowing into the spring. Condor built a fire under the spring to flood the world. He tried to flood Ground Squirrel’s house. Some of them escaped but he captured one and brought it to the spring where he put it aside while he took a drink. Condor’s daughter spoke to Ground Squirrel. “You must kill him or he will flood the world.”  Ground Squirrel cut off Condor’s head but it flooded the world, killing everybody in the world that Prairie Falcon and Crow created.

Maidu creation story – – Butte County

Originally it all was dark and covered with water. A raft, being Turtle, appeared. Earth Initiate descended on a rope of feathers onto the raft. Turtle wanted to know where Earth Initiate came from. “From above,” he said. Turtle asked if he could make some land and some people. Turtle said to tie a stone around his left arm and he would dive to get some land. Turtle dove and was gone for six years. When he came up he was covered with green slime and only a little earth was under his nails. The rest had washed away. Earth Initiate rolled it in his palms into a ball and put it on the raft. He turned to look at it three times and found it had grown large. When he looked the fourth time it had grown to the size of the world. Turtle asked if he would make light to end the perpetual darkness. Earth Initiate told his sister to come up and she was the sun. He told her which way to travel and the sun went down. Earth Initiate told his brother to come up. It was the moon. Then he called each of the stars by name and they came up. Earth Initiate made an oak tree with 12 kinds of acorns. Then the two of them set out to travel the world. Turtle couldn’t keep up. Earth Initiate made the birds, the trees and the animals. Then he said he would make people. From red clay he made two figures, a man and a woman. He lay them at each of his sides and lay down. The woman tickled him but he didn’t laugh. He put a piece of wood in the ground and it burst into flames. He called the man Kuksu and the woman Morning Star Woman. Coyote saw the man and the woman and asked how he had made them. He told Coyote and he said he would do it too. Coyote lay the man and the woman by his side and the woman tickled him and he laughed. Because of this the new creatures had glassy eyes. Earth Initiate told him he shouldn’t have laughed. Coyote lied and said that he didn’t. It was the first lie in the world. The earth filled with people. Earth Initiate came to Kuksu and told him to take the people to a lake. He said he would make him an old man. Kuksu gathered the people and took them to the lake where he turned into an old man and fell in. There was great turmoil in the water and when Kuksu reappeared he was a young man again. Earth Initiate told the people that when they grow old they should come to the lake and they would be made young again. Life went easily and well. Coyote said he would change that. He told the people there would be a mourning ceremony and they should burn property. The people didn’t know what he meant. He told the people to burn all the property on the poles that were erected. He said that there would be games. He said that to begin with there would be a foot race. Kuksu did not attend because he knew death was coming to the world. Rattlesnake said he knew what to do. He hid along the course of the foot race. Along came Coyote’s son and Rattlesnake bit him and he died. This was the first death. The people picked up Coyote’s son and brought him to Coyote. He began to cry. Everyone else cried too. These were the first tears. Coyote took his son to the lake and threw him in but nothing happened. On the fifth day Coyote went to Kuksu with four sacks of beads. He begged Kuksu to return his son to life. Kuksu lowered the body on a bearskin with the beads into a grave. He said that this is how things were to be done. And the world would be made over. The people were burning offerings to the dead when suddenly they all started speaking different languages. Earth Initiate told Kuksu what to do. Kuksu spoke to the people, for he could speak all the languages. He taught them to cook and hunt and gave them all the laws and set the dances and ceremonies. He sent the people to the four quarters of the world and that is how it is today.

Maidu creation story from Butte County

Originally all was dark and covered with water. A raft, being Turtle, appeared. Earth Initiate descended on a rope of feathers onto the raft. Turtle wanted to know where Earth Initiate came from. “From above,” he said. Turtle asked if he would make some land and some people. Turtle said to tie a stone around his left arm and he would dive to get some land. Turtle dived and was gone for six years. When he came up he was covered with green slime and only had little earth under his nails. The rest had washed away. Earth initiate rolled it in his palms into a ball and put it on the raft. He turned to look at it three times and found it had grown large. When he looked the fourth time it had grown to the size of the world. Turtle asked if he would make light to end the perpetual darkness. Earth Initiate told his sister to come up and she was the sun. He told her which way to travel and the sun went down. Earth Initiate told his brother to come up. It was the moon. Then he called each of the stars by name and they came up. Earth Initiate made an oak tree with 12 kinds of acorns. Then the two of them set out to travel the world. Turtle couldn’t keep up. Earth Initiate made the birds, the trees and the animals. Then he said he would make people. From red clay he made two figures, a man and a woman. He laid them at each of his sides and lay down. The woman tickled him but he didn’t laugh. He put a piece of wood in the ground and it burst into flames. He named the man Kuksu and the woman Morning Star Woman. Coyote saw the man and the woman and asked how he had made them. He told Coyote and he said he would do it too. Coyote laid the man and the woman by his side and the woman tickled him but he laughed. Because of this the new creatures had glassy eyes. Earth Initiate told him he shouldn’t have laughed. Coyote lied and said that he didn’t. It was the first lie in the world. The earth filled with people. Earth Initiate came to Kuksu and told him to take the people to a lake. He said he would make him an old man. Kuksu gathered the people and took them to the lake where he turned into an old man and fell in. There was a great turmoil in the water and when Kuksu reappeared he was a young man again. Earth Initiate told the people that when they grow old they should come to the lake and they would be made young again. Life went easy and well. Coyote said he would change that. He told the people there would be a mourning ceremony and they would burn property. The people didn’t know what he meant. He told the people to burn all the property on the poles that were erected. He said there would be games. He said to begin with a foot race. Kuksu did not attend because he knew death was coming to the world. Rattlesnake said he knew what to do. He hid along the course of the foot race. Along came Coyote’s son. Rattlesnake bit him and he died. This was the first death. People picked up Coyote’s son and brought him to Coyote who began to cry. Everyone else cried too. These were the first tears. Coyote took his son to the lake and threw him in but nothing happened. On the fifth day Coyote went to Kuksu with four sacks of beads. He begged Kuksu to return his son to life. Kuksu lowered the body on a bearskin with the beads. He said that this is how things were to be done. Then the world would be made over. The people were burning offerings to the dead when suddenly they all started speaking different languages. Earth Initiate told Kuksu what to do. Kuksu spoke to the people, for he could speak all the languages. He taught them to cook and hunt and gave them all their laws and set the dances and ceremonies. He sent the people to the four corners of the world and that is how it is today.

Wiyot creation story from Humboldt County

Above Old Man made the first people but they were not formed right and could not talk right. They were furry. He decided to get rid of them by flooding the earth. Condor knew what was going to happen so he wove a tight basket and he and his sister got into it and closed it tight. When it stopped being tossed by the waves they got out and found that the flood had subsided. There were no people. Condor flew about and found birds and the tracks of a raccoon. He called his sister. She didn’t like being called like that. He called her his wife and she liked that. They married and a baby was born. From then on well-formed people were born. Above Old Man was content with the new people. All this was after the flood.

Yuki creation story from Mendocino County

Taikomol and Coyote floated on the water which was the only thing around. Taikomol took the shape of a human. He made a basket from his body. From the basket he made earth. He fastened the four corners of the earth and made the sky from four whale skins. He made people from sticks of wood. He wished that the people could live forever. However, Coyote’s son died. He was burned. Taikomol offered to bring him to life but Coyote said “no.” Because of this people do not come to life after they die.