Old-Man-in-the-Sky created the world.
Then he drained all the water off the
earth and crowded it into the big salt
holes now called the oceans. The land
became dry except for the lakes and
rivers.

Old Man Coyote often became lonely and
went up to the Sky World just to talk.
One time he was so unhappy that he was
crying.

Old- Man-in-the-Sky questioned him.
"Why are you so unhappy that you are
crying? Have I not made much land for
you to run around on? Are not Chief
Beaver, Chief Otter, Chief Bear, and
Chief Buffalo on the land to keep you
company? "Why do you not like Mountain
Sheep? I placed him up in the hilly
parts so that you two need not fight.
Why do you come up here so often?"

Old Man Coyote sat down and cried
more tears.

Old-Man-in-the-Sky became cross and
began to scold him.
"Foolish Old Man Coyote, you must not
drop so much water down upon the land.
Have I not worked many days to dry it?
Soon you will have it all covered with
water again. What is the trouble with
you? What more do you want to make
you happy?"

"I am very lonely because I have no
one to talk to," he replied. "Chief
Beaver, Chief Otter, Chief Bear, and
Chief Buffalo are busy with their
families. They do not have time to
visit with me. I want people of my
own, so that I may watch over them."

"Then stop this shedding of water,"
said Old-Man-in-the-Sky. "If you will
stop annoying me with your visits, I
will make people for you. Take this
parfleche. It is a bag made of rawhide.
Take it some place in the mountain
where there is red earth. Fill it
and bring it back up to me."

Old Man Coyote took the bag made of
the skin of an animal and traveled
many days and nights. At last he came
to a mountain where there was much
red soil. He was very weary after
such a long journey but he managed
to fill the parfleche. Then he was
sleepy.

"I will lie down to sleep for a while.
When I waken, I will run swiftly back
to Old-Man-in-the-Sky."

He slept very soundly.

After a while, Mountain Sheep came
along. He saw the bag and looked to
see what was in it.

"The poor fool has come a long distance
to get such a big load of red soil,"
he said to himself. "I do not know
what he wants it for, but I will have
fun with him."

Mountain Sheep dumped all of the red
soil out upon the mountain. He filled
the lower part of the parfleche with
white solid, and the upper part with
red soil. Then laughing heartily, he
ran to his hiding place.

Soon Old Man Coyote woke up. He tied
the top of the bag and hurried with
it to Old-Man-in-the-Sky. When he
arrived with it, the sun was going to
sleep. It was so dark that the two of
them could hardly see the soil in
the parfleche.

Old-Man-in-the-Sky took the dirt and
said, "I will make this soil into
the forms of two men and two women."

He did not see that half of the soil
was red and the other half white.
Then he said to Old Man Coyote, "Take
these to the dry land below. They
are your people. You can talk with
them. So do not come up here to
trouble me."

Then he finished shaping the two men
and two women--in the darkness.

Old Man Coyote put them in the
parfleche and carried them down to
dry land. In the morning he took
them out and put breath into them.
He was surprised to see that one pair
was red and the other was white.

"Now I know that Mountain Sheep came
while I was asleep. I cannot keep
these two colors together."

He thought a while. Then he carried
the white ones to the land by the
big salt hole. The red ones he kept
in his own land so that he could
visit with them.