Silver Fox and Coyote Create the Earth (Miwok)

“Keepers of the Animals”
by Michael J. Caduto and Joseph Bruchac

Back then, Silver Fox was the only one living. There was no earth, only water. Silver Fox
walked along through the fog, feeling lonely. So she began to sing:

I want to meet someone.
I want to meet someone.
I want to meet someone.
I want to meet someone.

So she sang and then she met Coyote.

“I thought I was going to meet someone,” Silver Fox said.  “Where are you traveling?”

“Where are you traveling”? Coyote said.   “Why are you traveling like this?”

“I am traveling because I am lonely.”  Silver Fox said. 

“I am also wandering around,” Coyote said.

“Then it is better for two people to travel together,” Silver Fox said. 
Then, as they traveled along, Silver Fox spoke.  “This is what I think. Let’s make the world.”
“How will we do that?” Coyote said. 
“We will sing the world,” said Silver Fox. 
So the two of them began to sing and to dance. They danced around in a circle and Silver Fox thought of a clump of sod. Let it come, Silver Fox thought, and then that clump of sod was there in Silver Fox’s hands. Silver Fox threw it down into the fog and they kept on singing and dancing.

“Look down”, Silver Fox said, “do you see something there below us?”
“I see something”, Coyote said, “but it is very small.”
“Then let us close our eyes and keep dancing and singing,” said Silver Fox. 
And that was what they did. They danced and sang and beneath them Earth took shape.
“Look down now,” said Silver Fox..
Coyote looked down. “I see it,” said Coyote.   “It is very big now. It is big enough.”

Then the two of them jumped down onto Earth. They danced and sang and stretched it out even more. They made everything on Earth, the valleys and the mountains and the rivers and the lakes, the pines and the cedars and the birds and the animal people. That was what they did way back then.