Creation of the World (Osage)
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The Osage creation story beings in the Above World.
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According to the Osages, in the beginning the ancestors lived in the sky. When they asked Sun and Moon who their parents were, Sun said he was their father, and Moon said she was their mother. Then Moon said it was time for them to go down to the earth. As they descended, the people came upon water but no land. They floated in the air, calling for help, but no one came. Finally Elk, one of the animals floating down to earth with the people, came to everyone’s assistance by falling into the water. As he sank he called on the four winds to blow away the waters. A muddy surface appeared as the mist flew off. Then Elk rolled in the mud and the loose hairs that remained in the soil grew into grass and trees. Now the people, called the Little Ones, could continue their descent to the Middle World.
This story conveys two important themes. One theme is that the first people originated in and descended from the Above World. The other is that the animals, and Elk in particular, played an important role in making the Middle World habitable for people and animals. Humans and animals belong to a single, primordial community in many Southeastern Indian creation stories.
The story goes on to relate how the Little Ones alighted on a primordial oak tree and then climbed down to begin exploring the Earth’s surface. During the course of this exploration they discovered another group, who joined the Little Ones to form the primary divisions of the Osage people. We’ll resume this story later. But first, let’s look at some other stories of how the Earth was formed.
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