When I was reading this section, I noticed that the number four is very prevalent within Apache culture as it is with Creek culture. I thought that was interesting how those two different tribes both have the same connection with the same number.
The Emergence
This story is about the beginning. People were coming and "he" made a mountain with reeds in the center. The reeds were twisted by four girls and wouldn't grow. So, the people made four ladders, one each of black, blue, yellow, and multi-colored. All the people climbed the ladder until they were all worn out. Everyone made it except for one old man and one old woman then everyone went away under the four different chiefs.
The First War
This story is about a raven that would determine whether people should die or not. He threw a stick in the water and it floated. He then threw a stone muller, which is like a grinding stone, into the water and it sunk and then people began to die. The people moved away into the four directions but couldn't sleep. The two old people, which I assume is the same two old people from the last story, gave the people four lice. There is a wounded chief.
Neolithic groundstone picture by Jose-Manuel Benito Alvarez. Source: Wikimedia Commons.
The rest of the stories are a discombobulated mess just like the Eskimo stories, but not near as bad. I can only assume that it is this horrible because of the people making the translations since natives never wrote anything down and it was all passed by word of mouth. There is one story about a boy turning into a bear also. I think I might take the "sticks and stones" section of The First War story and see what I can come up with for my storytelling this week.
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