Copyright 1998 by Tad Beckman, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
Like the Cahuilla, the Maidu pictured a primordial universe that was prior to the earth as we know it. It was water, all water, with no air, earth, light, or darkness. And in the beginning we find an individual who is called Earthmaker and who is responsible for the creation of earth as well as most other things that ultimately come to inhabit earth. Interestingly, Earthmaker never literally makes earth himself but always works through others. In one version of the story collected by Dixon, Earthmaker and Coyote are floating on a raft somewhat anxiously, singing songs which they hope to use in securing some land, where they hope to gain some food. They discover Meadowlark's nest and they stretch it out to form the beginnings of earth. This process proceeds through several stages, with Meadowlark's cooperation, and Coyote's ingenuity. Finally, Earthmaker has land that is big enough to travel about in. (Shipley, 1991; 18-23)
In another Maidu story, also collected by Dixon, Turtle and Father-of-the-Secret-Society are floating on a raft when Earth-Initiate descends to them. Earth is ultimately made when Turtle is sent under water at the end of a very long rope and finally emerges, six years later and covered with green slime, with mud under his nails. Earth-Initiate makes the mud into earth by scraping it out into a ball and allowing the ball to grow into the earth as we know it. (Thompson, 1966; 24)
Living just north of the Maidu, the Achumawi, in a story collected by C. Hart Merriam, conceived of two deities, Tikado Hedache and Annikadel, the former appearing to be a somewhat abstract deity principle and the latter serving the practical roles of creation and arrangement. Annikadel, like the others in these related creation stories does not make earth himself but works through another character, in this case, Apponahah, who becomes the First Person. In this conception, Apponahah forms the earth by capturing some floating foam and causing it to dry out. (Merriam, 1992; 1-3)
After the earth has been created, including the sky, sun, and moon, Earthmaker begins the creation of creatures. He creates them in pairs and he creates them in various shapes and colors. And since he is traveling through the world during this process, he creates them with the distinct intention that they will adopt each of these regions as their particular homes. The creatures are placed in these regions in some nascent form, like seeds, which will grow, through many seasons, and finally be born as male and female and have the capability of giving birth to their own offspring. In a way, this establishes for human society the puberty initiation as the true birth time of the human person. But it also establishes, in mythical time, a period when humans are only potential and the earth is inhabited only by the First People. Finally, Earthmaker gives songs to his creatures.
There follows a period when Earthmaker and Coyote argue about the nature of the world and, in particular, the idea that humans will enjoy immortal life. Coyote thinks Earthmaker foolish to suggest this and insists that humans should die and stay dead. Earthmaker sets the creatures of the world against Coyote and there follows a period of pursuits from which Coyote always escapes successfully. As the final episode in this duel, Earthmaker contrives to flood the earth and instructs his creatures to make boats for their escape and not to allow Coyote to escape with them. But when the wile Coyote fools them all and escapes with them, Earthmaker gives up and admits his defeat. Earthmaker retires to a far away place in the east from which he never returns.
There follows a period in which Coyote goes to the east where Earthmaker now lives and continues to pursue various issues dealing with life and death and how the earth will be. In many ways this is an opportunity to develop Coyote's character, as a liar, trickster, glutton, and lecher, but it is also, more importantly, a time to lay the mythological foundation for the way the world is --- neither wholly good nor wholly bad, a world in which life has moments of joy as well as moments of pain. There are two clear cases in which this is seen. First, Coyote, who is greatly attracted to some young women in Earthmaker's village boasts that he could sleep with them without ever responding to them. Of course, late into the night, Coyote responds, making his boast a lie, and they disappear. And, second, Earthmaker finally gives up maintaining for immortality and, coincidentally, Coyote's own son is the first to die, having been bitten by rattlesnakes. It will be a world of treachery and death.
Earthmaker and Coyote separate permanently at this point; it is the mythological end of the First People and the beginning of the human era of earth. And it is Coyote's practicality, wile nature, and uncomfortable combination of good and bad that sets the tone of that era. The First People become the real animals of today, and various landmarks remain from these primal events.
The Pomo represent another sub-group of the Central area, one of those who followed the Kuksu religion. While the origin of these people from water, or a great flood, is a predominant theme and while various animals figure heavily into the characterization of the First People, the origin stories associated with Kuksu differ somewhat in possessing a cast of anthropomorphic beings who create the world and establish various traditions. It is these beings, Kuksu himself, for instance, who come to be imitated by members of the secret societies and through whom sacred time is re-created and re-enacted on earth in ritual dance. One should note the similarity here to pueblo ritual cycles of the katsinas.