The Origin of Beans (Tunica)

Once upon a time there was an orphan boy and his sister. Every morning they went to the ocean to play in the sand. On some days puppies came out of the ocean and ran about in the sand. The girl and her brother tried to catch the puppies. One day the girls caught one of the puppies, but then she was caught by the waves and pulled down below the water. The boy went home alone. Every day he returned to the ocean but could not find his sister. One day he forgot to go, and was just sitting at home. His sister returned, carrying two beans. She asked her brother: “Have you anything good to eat?” “No, there is nothing” he replied. The sister said: “It will be good if you put a pot on the fire.” So he put a pot on the fire. She broke one of the beans and put it into the pot, saying: “If you cook the bean thoroughly, you will eat well.” The brother wanted to play, but the sister didn’t. She said: “Four months after I plant the bean, I eat it.” The brother wasn’t listening to her, so she said again: “If I give you this bean and you plant it, you will be able to eat it in four months.” When she finished speaking, she went back to the ocean and disappear once more.

Adapted from Tunica Texts, by Mary Haas (1950, University of California Press.)