Paiute myth
Long , long, ago, there was a beautiful, shady green forest, where all the plants were lush, tall and abundant.All the animals who lived there were happy and cheerful.Their normal daily routine was eating and playing the day away. That also included the great king of the forest, an absolutely enormous, fuzzy, (not to mention aggressive) black bear. hHs name was Tinthesias (tin-thu-si-us).But one bright and sunny day, the pretty, blue sky suddenly gave way to dark, gloomy, gray rain clouds. In an instant, the forest plunged into soggy-wet, darkness.''Oh no! cried Shyaquaya,(sha-qway-uh) the squirrel, Tinthesias's best friend,''everybody run!'' A little spotted fawn wailed. Tinthesias sprinted into his den a heartbeat before it started pouring. Shyaquaya leapt into her tree, squealing angrily at the top of her lungs- a rabbit had halfway trampled her into the muddy-muck. After an hour had passed, Tinthesias cautiously stepped outside.It was still drizzling, and he was famished. But all the other animals were still hiding in their dens. Seeing her big, furry friend outside, Shyaquaya scampered down the tree trunk. Hi! She squeaked, Tinthesias smiled, and declared, ''I'm starving! ''Oh, I know a great place for lunch, just follow me, his little companion chattered. So, they ran past trees, and skirted boulders, until they arrived at the edge of southern Utah. Yellow fields of tall, golden grasses and the occasional rock or weed stretched far ahead. Beyond that, scraggly cedar trees heavily speckled the vast foothills and mountainside, and weaving through that wondrous scenery were sparkling cold rivers and ponds. Sand and sagebrush decorated the rest. As Tinthesias and Shyaquaya stared in awe, Tinthesias spotted a tan, bouncy jackrabbit hopping through the sagebrush. The black bear and squirrel raced away, the jackrabbit sensed that she was being chased, and she bolted out of sight. They couldn’t follow her: too much sage brush. But wait! there was another, a second female. Tinthesias bounded into the cedar trees, caught her by surprise, and leapt. Shyaquayay munched pine nuts while Tinthesias devoured his catch. When he finished, he buried the small white bones underground. How could he know that just the next day, the bones would crack and burst open, to allow a clever, tiny Indian girl to catch her very first glimpse of the world. Shurrrrhhhhh….. They woke to the sound of running water nearby, and soft slurping sounds as a young male mule deer stopped for a drink. Shyaquayay and Tinthesias, ran in hot pursuit, and despite his speedy prancing and gallops, they soon caught up to him. They ate breakfast, Tinthesias buried the bones deep within the ground, and the next day they transformed into a bright-eyed Indian boy. Because the food was plentiful, and there where many cottonwood trees to sleep under, Tinthesias and Shyaquayay stayed for about two moons, and each time the black bear ate, he buried the bones, and the next day, well,-you can probably guess what happened. Then the pair of them journeyed happily back home. The two Indian children met, and became good friends. Many others joined them, and soon they all united, and called themselves, the Southern Paiute Indian tribe of Utah. So that is the story of the creation of the Southern Paiute Indian tribe of Utah. The end! Ta da! ,