Origin of the Animals
When Apaches emerged from
the underworld, they traveled southward for four days. They had no other food
than two kinds of seeds, which they ground between two stones.
Near where they camped on the fourth night, one teepee stood apart from the
others. While the owner and his wife were absent for a short time, a Raven brought
a quiver of arrows and a bow, hanging them on the lodge pole. When the children
came out of the lodge, they took down the quiver and found some meat inside.
They ate it and instantly became very fat.
Upon her return, the mother
noticed grease on the hands and faces of her children, who told her what
had happened. The woman hurried to tell her husband the tale. All the tribe
marveled at the wonderful food that made the children so fat. How they hoped
the Raven might soon return with more of his good food.
When Raven discovered that his meat had been stolen, he flew eastward to his
mountain home beyond the normal range of man. A bat followed Raven and later
informed the Apaches where Raven lived. That night the Apache Chief called a
council meeting. They decided to send a delegation to try and obtain some of
Raven's special kind of meat.
In four days the Apache delegation reached the camp of the ravens, but could
not obtain the information they desired. They discovered, however, a great circle
of ashes where the ravens ate their meals. The Apaches decided to spy upon the
ravens. That night the Medicine Man changed an Apache boy into a puppy to spy
from a nearby bush. The main delegation broke camp and started homeward, leaving
behind the puppy.
Next morning the ravens examined the abandoned camp of the Apaches. One of the
young ravens found the puppy and was so pleased, he asked for permission to
keep it under his blanket. Toward sunset, the puppy peaked out and saw an old
raven brush aside some ashes from the fireplace. He then removed a large flat
stone. Beneath was an opening through which the old raven disappeared. But when
he returned he led a buffalo, which was then killed and eaten by all the ravens.
For four days the puppy spied upon the ravens, and each evening a buffalo was
brought up from the depths and devoured. Now that he was certain where the ravens
obtained their good food, the puppy resumed his normal shape.
Early on the fifth morning, with a white feather in one hand and a black one
in the other, he descended through the opening beneath the fireplace.
In the underworld, he saw four buffaloes and placed the white feather in the
mouth of the nearest one. He commanded it to follow him. But the first buffalo
told him to take the feather to the last buffalo. This he did, but the fourth
buffalo sent him again to the first one, into whose mouth the boy thrust the
white feather.
"You are now the King of the Animals," declared the boy.
Upon returning to the above-world, the boy was followed by all the animals present
upon the earth at that time. As the large herd passed through the opening, one
of the ravens awoke, hurrying to close the lid. Upon seeing that all the animals
willingly followed the Apache boy, the raven exclaimed, "When you kill
any of the animals, remember to save the eyes for me."
For four days the boy followed the tracks of the Apaches and overtook them with
his giant herd of animals. Soon they all returned to the camp of the Apaches,
where the Chief slew the first buffalo for a feast that followed. The boy remembered
and saved the eyes for the ravens.
One old grandmother who lived in a brush lodge was annoyed with one of the deer
that ate some of her lodge covering. Snatching a stick from the fire, she struck
the deer's nose and the white ash stuck there leaving a white mark that can
still be seen on the descendants of that deer.
"Hereafter, you shall avoid mankind," she pronounced. "Your nose
will tell you when you are too close to them."
Thus ended the short period of harmony between man and the animals. Each day
the animals wandered farther and farther from the tribes. Apaches prayed that
the animals would return so they could enjoy the good meat again. It is mostly
at night when the deer appear, but not too close, because the old grandmother
told them to be guided by their noses!
Apaches developed skill in using the bows and arrows to hunt the good animal
meat they liked so much, especially the buffalo.