evolved and uplifted. Thus, by means of his innate knowledge, the All-container made himself in person and form of the Sun whom we hold to be our father and who thus came to exist and appear. With his appearance came the brightening of the spaces with light, and with the brightening of the spaces the great mist-clouds were thickened together and fell, whereby was evolved water in water ; yea, and the world-holding sea.
With his substance of flesh outdrawn from the surface of his person, the Sun-father formed the seed-stuff of twain worlds, impregnating therewith the great waters, and lo ! in the heat of his light these waters of the sea grew green and scum rose upon them, waxing wide and weighty until, behold ! they became the « pourfold Containing Mother-earth » and the « All-covering Father-sky ».
From the lying together of these twain upon the great worldwaters, so vitalizing, terrestrial life was conceived ; whence began all beings of earth, men and the creatures, in the Fourfold womb of the World.
Thereupon the Earth-mother repulsed the Sky-father, growing big and sinking deep into the embrace of the waters below, thus separating from the Sky-father, in the embrace of the waters above. »
(Tsimshian : Boas, « Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology »)
Le monde était ténébreux. Dans la ville des animaux, un chef et sa femme perdent leur garçon. Ils le pleurent tellement tous les jours que le Ciel, importuné par leurs constantes lamentations, le renvoie. Il ne mange rien. Mais après que deux esclaves lui ont fait goûter « scabs from their shin bones » (?) il devient si vorace qu’il doit s’expatrier.
Il s’envole en corbeau, puis dépose sa peau de corbeau. Il pense qu’il sera difficile de trouver de la nourriture dans les ténèbres et, se souvenant de la lumière du ciel d’où il descend, résout de l’apporter dans le monde. Il met sa peau de corbeau et retourne au ciel. Il se trans-
