e old
men of our people handed down to you from our forefathers the stories to
be kept in remembrance; tell us how the white men come to be here, and
if you know, we should like to hear also of the black people of whom the
runners from other tribes have told us, who also exist in great
numbers." All joined in this request; and so, when the old man had
filled and smoked his calumet again, he told them the Indian tradition
of the origin of the human races:

"Long ago, perhaps as many moons as there are stars in the sky, the
Great Spirit made this world of ours, and fitted it up as a dwelling
place for his people. Then he set to work to make man. He took a piece
of white clay, and moulded it and worked at it until he had formed a
man. Then he put him into an oven which he had prepared, and there he
baked him to make him firm and strong. When he took him out of the oven
he found that he had kept him in too long, and he was burnt black. At
this the Great Spirit was not pleased, and he said, `You will never do;'
and he gave him a great kick which sent him away south to that land
where they have no snow, and where it is very hot, and told the black
man that that was to be his land.

"Then the Great Spirit took another piece of clay, and moulded it and
formed another man, and put him into the oven to bake. But as he had
burnt the first one so badly he did not leave the second one in very
long, and so when he took him out he found that he was still very white;
and at this he was not pleased, and he said: `Ugh! you will never do.
You are too white. You will show the dirt too easily.' So he gave him
a great kick, which sent him across the sea to the land where the white
man first came from to this country.

"Then," said Mookoomis, "the Great Spirit tried again, and he gathered
the finest clay he could, and moulded it and worked it until he was well
pleased with it; and then he put it into the oven to bake it; and now
having the wisdom which came from the experience of the other two
failures, he kept this one in just the right time, and so when he took
him out he was of a rich red colour, and he was very much pleased, and
he said: `Ho! ho! you are just right; you stay here.' So he gave this
country to the Indian."

This account of the origin of the human race, which differs considerably
from Darwin's, very much interested Oowikapun and his companions, and so
they urged Mookoomis to tell them from Indian traditions how