Koyukon

(map)

This myth shows influence from the Noah story, but it incorporates many distinctively native elements as well.

Long ago, before mankind, there were giant animals which could talk with each other and use magic.

One day, Dotson' Sa, the Great Raven, told Raven to build an especially big raft. Raven did so. It took him a long time to make a raft so big. When he was done, Dotson' Sa said, "It must be bigger." Raven went back to work on it.

When he was done, it began to rain. Following Dotson' Sa's instructions, Raven gathered pairs of all animals, along with food for them, and got them all on the raft. When he had finished that, the rain began falling very heavily, and soon the whole world was flooded.

When the rain stopped, Raven directed the seagulls to fly out in search of land. There was none to be found.

Later, with food supplies running low, Raven told muskrat to dive down and make an island. Muskrat, who was rather large, dived to the bottom and began heaping up mud. He continued until land appeared above the surface.

Dotson' Sa created berries, plants, and trees on the land, and he made ponds, lakes, and rivers. The rivers were made to flow both ways, one side going down to the sea, and the other side flowing up. He later decided that that made travel too easy, though, so now rivers flow only one direction.

Dotson' Sa next created men. If he would make them of rock, they would never die, so he made them of clay instead. Then he created women to marry the men and have children.

Raven wanted to marry one of the women, but the men took her away from him. In anger, he crushed up some dry leaves into a large sack, and then he went and opened the sack where people lived. Millions of mosquitoes flew out to pester mankind, and they are still with us.

John E. Smelcer, The Raven and the Totem (Anchorage, AK: Salmon Run, 1992), 124-125.