Nesaru sent the animals to lead the
ordinary people into a cave so large
that all the animals and people could
live there together. Then he sealed up
the cave and flooded the earth so that
all the giants drowned.

To remind himself that people were under
the ground waiting to be released after
the floodwaters were gone, Nesaru planted
corn in the sky. As soon as the corn
ripened, he took an ear from the field
and turned it into a woman. She was
the Mother-Corn.

"You must go down to the earth," Nesaru
told her, "and bring my people out
from under the ground. Lead them to the
place where the sun sets, for their
home shall be in the west."

Mother-Corn went down to the earth,
and when she heard thunder in the east
she followed the sound into the cave
where the people were waiting. But the
entrance closed behind her, and she
could find no way to lead the people
out upon the earth. "We must leave
this place, this darkness," she told
them. "There is light above the ground.
Who will help me take my people out
of the earth?"

The Badger came forward and said:
"Mother-Corn, I will help."

The Mole also stood up and said: "I will
help the Badger dig through the
ground, that we may see the light."

Then the long-nosed Mouse came and said:
"I will help the other two."

The Badger began to dig upwards.
After a while he fell back exhausted.
"Mother-Corn, I am very tired," he
said.

Then the Mole dug until he could dig no
more. The long-nosed Mouse took the
Mole's place, and when he became tired,
the Badger began to dig again.

The three took turns until at last
the long nosed Mouse thrust his nose
through the ground and could see a
little light.

The Mouse went back and said: "Mother-
Corn, I ran my nose through the earth
until I saw light, but the digging has
made my nose small and pointed. After
this all the people will know by my
nose that it was I who dug through
the earth first."

The Mole now went up to the hole and
dug all the way through. The sun had
come up from the east, and it was so
bright it blinded the Mole. He ran
back and said: "Mother-Corn, I have
been blinded by the brightness of
that sun. I cannot live upon the earth
any more. I must make my home under
the earth. From this time all the
Moles will be blind so they cannot
see in the daylight, but they can
see in the night. They shall stay
under the ground in the daytime."

The Badger then went up and made the
hole larger so the people could go
through. When he crawled outside the
Badger closed his eyes, but the rays
of the sun struck him and blackened
his legs and made a streak of black
upon his face. He went back down
and said: "Mother-Corn, I have
received these black marks upon me,
and I wish that I might remain this
way so that people will remember that
I was one of those who helped to
get your people out."

"Very well," said Mother-Corn, "let
it be as you say." She then led the
way out, and the people rejoiced that
they were now upon the open land.
While they were standing there in
the sunshine, Mother-Corn said:
"My people, we will now journey
westward toward the place where the
sun sets. Before we start, any who
wish to remain here--such as the
Badger, Mouse, or Mole-- may do so."

Some of the animals decided to return
to their burrows in the earth; others
wanted to go with Mother-Corn.

The journey was now begun. As they
traveled, they could see a mountainous
country rising up in front of them.
They came to a deep canyon. The bluff
was too steep for the people to get
down, and if they should get down,
the opposite side was too steep for
them to climb.

Mother-Corn asked for help, and a
bluish-grey bird flew up, hovering on
rapidly beating wings. It had a large
bill, a bushy crest and a banded breast.
The bird was the Kingfisher. "Mother-
Corn," it said, "I will be the one to
point out the way for you."

The Kingfisher flew to the other side
of the canyon, and with its beak
pecked repeatedly into the bank until
the earth fell into the chasm. Then
the bird flew back and pecked at the
other bank until enough earth fell
down to form a bridge.

The people cried out their thanks.
"Those who wish to join me," said the
Kingfisher, "may remain here and we
will make our homes in these cliffs."
Some stayed, but most journeyed on.

After a while they came to another
obstacle--a dark forest. The trees
were so tall they seemed to reach the
sun. They grew close together and were
covered with thorns so that they formed
an impenetrable thicket.

Again Mother-Corn asked for help. This
time an Owl came and stood before her,
and said: "I will make a pathway for
your people through this forest.

Any who wish to remain with me may
do so, and we shall live in this forest
forever." The Owl then flew up through
the timber. As it waved its wings it
moved the trees to one side, so that
it left a pathway for the people to
go through. Mother-Corn then led the
people through the forest and they
passed onward.

As they journeyed through the country,
all at once they came to a big lake.
The water was too deep and too wide to
cross, and the people talked of turning
back. But they could not do this, for
Nesaru had ordered Mother-Corn to lead
them always toward the west.

A water bird with a black head and a
checkered back came and stood in front
of Mother-Corn, and said: "I am the
Loon. I will make a pathway through
this water. Let the people stop crying.
I shall help them."

Mother-Corn looked at the Loon and
said: "Make a pathway for us, and
some of the people will remain with
you here." The Loon flew and jumped
into the lake, moving so swiftly that
it parted the waters, and when it
came out on the other side of the
lake it left a pathway behind. Mother-
Corn led the people across to dry
land, and some turned back and became
Loons. The others journeyed on.

At last they came to a level place
beside a river, and Mother- Corn told
them to build a village there.

"Now you shall have my corn to plant,"
she said, "so that you, by eating of
it, will grow and also multiply."

After they built a village and
planted the corn, Mother-Corn returned
to the Upper World.

The people, however, had no rules or
laws to go by, no chiefs or medicine
men to advise them, and soon they
were spending all their time at
playing games.

The first game they played was shiney
ball, in which they divided into sides
and used curved sticks to knock a
ball through the other's goal. Then
they played at throwing lances
through rings placed upon the ground.
As time went on, the players who lost
games grew so angry that they began
killing those who had beaten them.

Nesaru was displeased by the behaviour
of the people, and he and Mother-Corn
came down to earth. He told them that
they must have a chief and some
medicine men to show them how to
live. While Nesaru taught the people
how to choose a chief through tests
of bravery and wisdom, Mother-Corn
taught them songs and ceremonies.

After they had chosen a chief, Nesaru
gave the man his own name, and then
he taught the medicine men secrets
of magic. He showed them how to make
pipes for offering smoke to the gods
of the four directions.

When all this was done, Nesaru went
away toward the setting sun to
prepare a place for new villages.

Mother-Corn led the people in his
tracks across plains and streams to
this country where Nesaru had
planted roots and herbs for the
medicine men. There they built villages
along a river that the white men later
called the Republican River, in
Kansas.

On the first day that they came to
this country, Mother-Corn told them
to offer smoke to the gods in the
heavens and to all animal gods. While
they were doing this, a Dog came
running into the camp crying, and he
accused Mother-Corn of doing wrong
by going away and leaving him behind.

"I came from the Sun," he cried," and
the Sun-god is so angry because I was
left behind that he is sending the
Whirlwind to scatter the people."

Mother-Corn called on the Dog to save
the people by appeasing the Whirlwind.
"Only by giving up my freedom," the
Dog replied, "can I do this. No longer
can I hunt alone like my brother the
Wolf, or roam free like the Coyote.
I shall always be dependent upon the
people."

But when the Whirlwind came spinning
and roaring across the land, the
Dog stood between it and the people.
"I shall always remain with the
people," he shouted to the Whirlwind.
"I shall be a guardian for all
their belongings."

After the wind died away, Mother-Corn
said: "The gods are jealous. If you
forget to give smoke to them they
will grow angry and send storms.

In the rich earth beside the river
the people planted her corn, and then
she said: "I shall turn into a
Cedar-Tree to remind you that I am
Mother-Corn, who gave you your life.
It was I, Mother- Corn, who brought
you from the east. I must become a
Cedar-Tree to be with you. On the
right side of the tree will be placed
a stone to remind you of Nesaru, who
brought order and wisdom to the
people."