YUMA

In the beginning there was only water and darkness. The water splashed about causing foam and spray. Some of this congealed and became the sky. Underwater, there lived the Creator, Kokomaht. He was two beings in one, and one day he rose up from the water and said his own name. Out of himself came another being who called himself Bakotahl. Bakotahl asked Kokomaht how he had risen out of the water: with his eyes open, or closed? But Kokomaht knew that Bakotahl was evil, and so deceived him and said that he had risen from the water with his eyes open. Bakotahl then emerged with his eyes open and was blinded. To this day, evil ones are blind (Bakotahl means "the blind one"). All things created by Kokomaht were good, and all things created by Bakotahl were evil.

The two gods stood on the water as there was a lack of land to do so on. Kokomaht asked his brother where north was, but as he was blind, he pointed to the south. Kokomaht responded that that was not north. He then looked west and said "This is west." He turned east and said "This is east." He took 4 steps south to create south, and 4 steps north to create north.

Then Kokomaht told Bakotahl that he was going to scatter the water to create earth. Turning north, Kokomaht created a whirlwind that cleared enough water to create the world. Bakotahl wanted to outdo his brother, and so said he would create humans. He made them with wet clay and ended up making them no fingers or toes. Kokmaht, when shown these creatures, knew there was something wrong, so he decided to make them himself. He too took clay and created a male with hands and feet. Swinging the man four times to the north and four times to the south, Kokomaht's figure was given life. He did the same thing with a woman.

At the same time as Kokomaht was creating humans, Bakotahl had created seven beings. Kokomaht asked what Bakotahl was doing, who responded that he was making humans. But Kokomaht showed him his own humans who had fingers and could create and make works of art, and this made Bakotahl jealous. Kokomaht stamped his feet and Bakotahl's creations became ducks and geese.

Bakotahl grew angry at this action which resulted in a great whirlwind that held all the destructive things that kill man: disease, plagues and bad intentions.

Kokomaht, now along on earth with the one man and one woman, set about creating more humans. He made people of every race: the Cocopahs, the Mojaves and all other races on earth. He taught them how to make love and so continue humankind.

The people scattered over earth and Kokomaht realized his work of creating was finished. But there was the Frog (Hanyi) who rebelled against him. Hanyi burrowed deep into the ground and sucked out Kokomaht's breath until his throat dried up and he began to die.

Kokomaht's son, Komashtam'ho, became the creator in Kokomaht's place. He made the sun by rolling up a ball of spit in his hand and throwing it into the eastern sky. He then spat into his hands and threw it up into space and his spit became the stars.

Komashtam'ho decided to burn his father's body and show the people, who were now despairing over Kokomaht's death, the proper funeral rites. As there was no wood to burn in the fire, he called trees from the north, and then created a pyre for his father's corpse.

Kokomaht had told the Coyote, just before his death, to take his heart and be good to all his creatures, but the coyote had misunderstood. He had thought that Kokomaht had meant to eat his heart, so the night that Komashtam'ho was going to burn his father's body, Coyote waited until the right moment to snatch it. Komashtam'ho learned of Coyote's plan and so sent him to the east when the sun was rising to get some fire. Coyote returned successfully and began plotting once more to take Kokomaht's heart. The badger got in the way and stole the heart first, and none of the other animals could stop him.

Komashtam'ho told the Coyote he would always be a thief and that men will hate him and kill him to defend their flocks of animals. All the people heard this.

Komashtam'ho then told the people that this would be the last time they would see Kokomaht because he was dead - and they, too, would all die one day. If Kokomaht had lived, then they would all too be immortal, and the world would have become overpopulated, but "Kokomaht's spirit lives on and so will your spirits." (Parallel Myths, p.66)

The fire on Kokomaht's funeral pyre blazed high and scorched the land around it, turning it to the desert that the Yuman people live in today.

A wind formed around Kokomaht's ashes and the people wanted to know what it was. Komashtam'ho answered that it was Kokomaht's spirit, and that in death, the spirit leaves the body and goes off to live with all those dead spirits it had loved in life.

Kokomaht's spirit still exists and protects all things good. Bakotahl is still underground, and as he tosses and turns, he causes earthquakes. He still causes evil, but the spirit of Kokomaht overcomes it all.