Blackfoot - Earth Diver


Long ago there was a time when water covered the entire world. Napi the creator wanted to know what happened below all of this water. He sent a duck, an otter, then a badger, but all came up with nothing. Finally, a muskrat dove beneath the water and was down a very long time. He returned with a ball of mud in his paws. Napi took the lump and blew on it until it dried and was transformed into the earth. He molded the hills, valley, and mountains with his hands. He created groves in the earth for rivers and lakes. The first people were molded from this earth and Napi taught men and women how to hunt and to live. Once Napi felt his work was complete, he climbed up to a mountain peak and disappeared.

Origins Canadian History to Confederation. 3rd edition. R.D. Francis, R. Jones, D.B. Smith, Harcourt Brace & Co. Toronto, 1996.

Last modified: Tuesday, 26 June 2012, 11:34 AM