Last Updated: 10 years
The Apache people, deeply connected to the natural world, hold a profound reverence for animals, the elements, the celestial bodies of the solar system, and all observable natural phenomena. In their worldview, occurrences that defy immediate comprehension are often attributed to the supernatural, reflecting a belief in forces beyond the tangible realm. Central to this understanding is their creation story, a narrative rich in symbolism and profound meaning, explaining the genesis of their world. This Apache Creation Story provides insights into their cosmology and the values that underpin their culture.
In the beginning, according to Apache oral tradition, there was nothing. An absolute void prevailed. No earth existed, no sky stretched above, and neither the sun nor the moon graced the darkness with their presence. Only an all-encompassing darkness filled the entirety of existence, a primordial state of pure potential. This Apache Creation Story starts with such a vast and empty expanse.
From this profound darkness, an extraordinary event occurred. A thin disc materialized, seemingly suspended in the empty space. One side of the disc radiated a warm, vibrant yellow, while the opposite side glowed with a pure, pristine white. Upon this disc sat a figure of immense significance: Creator, also known as the One Who Lives Above. He was depicted as a small man with a beard, conveying a sense of wisdom and age. As if stirred from a deep slumber, Creator slowly awakened. He raised both hands and gently rubbed his eyes and face, a symbolic act of clearing his vision and preparing to shape the world.
As Creator’s gaze pierced the endless darkness, light emerged. Looking upwards, he brought forth a radiant light that illuminated the expanse above. Directing his gaze downwards, he transformed the darkness below into a sea of light, a boundless expanse of illumination. To the east, he willed into existence streaks of yellow dawn, painting the horizon with the promise of a new day. To the west, an array of tints and hues bloomed, creating a mesmerizing spectacle of color that adorned the opposite horizon. Clouds of various colors began to form, adding depth and texture to the newly illuminated sky.
The effort of bringing light and color into existence caused Creator to sweat. He wiped his face and rubbed his hands together, then thrust them downwards with purposeful force. In response to this gesture, a shining cloud appeared below, seemingly solid and yet ethereal. Upon this cloud sat a young girl, a figure of profound significance known as Girl-Without-Parents, her origins shrouded in mystery.
"Stand up and tell me where are you going," Creator commanded, his voice resonating in the vastness. But the Girl-Without-Parents remained silent, offering no reply to his question. Creator, undeterred, rubbed his eyes once more, further clarifying his vision. He then extended his right hand towards her, offering a gesture of connection and invitation.
The Girl-Without-Parents, accepting his offer, grasped his hand. "Where did you come from?" she inquired, her voice filled with curiosity.
Creator, stepping onto her cloud, replied, "From the east, where it is now light." He pointed to the direction of the newly created dawn.
"Where is the earth?" she then asked, seeking to understand the nature of their surroundings.
Creator responded with a question of his own, "Where is the sky?" He then began to sing, his voice carrying a profound and resonant melody: "I am thinking, thinking, thinking what I shall create next." He repeated this verse four times, invoking the power of the number four, a number held sacred in many indigenous traditions and often associated with completeness and balance. This Apache Creation Story emphasizes the power of thought and intention.
Creator brushed his face with his hands once more, rubbed them together, and then flung them wide open in a grand gesture. In that instant, Sun-God materialized before them, radiating warmth and light. Again, Creator rubbed his sweaty brow, and from his hands dropped Small-Boy, completing a quartet of divine beings.
The four gods, Creator, Girl-Without-Parents, Sun-God, and Small-Boy, sat together in deep contemplation upon the small cloud. The immensity of the task before them weighed heavily in the silence.
"What shall we make next?" Creator finally asked, breaking the silence. "This cloud is much too small for us to live upon."
To address the immediate need for space and structure, Creator brought forth a series of beings and elements. He created Tarantula, a skilled weaver; Big Dipper, a celestial guide; Wind, a force of nature; Lightning-Maker, a bringer of power; and a collection of western clouds in which to house Lightning-Rumbler, the embodiment of thunder.
Creator then began to sing, his voice filled with purpose: "Let us make earth. I am thinking of the earth, earth, earth; I am thinking of the earth." He repeated this verse four times, focusing his intention on the creation of a solid foundation for their world.
The four gods shook hands, their sweat mingling together. Creator then rubbed his palms, and from this mixture, a small, round, brown ball appeared, no larger than a bean. This humble beginning held the potential for an entire world.
Creator kicked the ball, and it began to expand. Girl-Without-Parents then kicked the ball, causing it to enlarge further. Sun-God and Small-Boy took turns giving it hard kicks, and each time the ball grew in size. Creator then commanded Wind to enter the ball and blow it up from within, filling it with the breath of life.
Tarantula spun a black cord and attached it to the ball. He then crawled swiftly to the east, pulling on the cord with all his strength. He repeated this process with a blue cord to the south, a yellow cord to the west, and a white cord to the north. With mighty pulls in each direction, the brown ball stretched to an immeasurable size, transforming into the earth. However, this new earth was smooth and featureless, a vast plain devoid of hills, mountains, or rivers. Only a treeless, brown expanse met the eye.
Creator scratched his chest and rubbed his fingers together, and Hummingbird appeared.
"Fly north, south, east, and west and tell us what you see," Creator instructed.
Hummingbird swiftly obeyed, returning with the report, "All is well. The earth is most beautiful, with water on the west side."
Despite Hummingbird’s positive assessment, the earth remained unstable, rolling and dancing up and down. To stabilize it, Creator created four giant posts, each a different color: black, blue, yellow, and white. Wind carried these posts and placed them beneath the four cardinal points of the earth, anchoring it in place. The earth finally sat still.
Creator sang, "World is now made and now sits still," repeating the verse four times, solidifying the stability of the newly formed earth.
He then began a song about the sky, which did not yet exist. He believed that there should be a sky above the earth. After singing about it four times, twenty-eight people appeared to assist in the creation of a sky above the earth. Creator then chanted about creating chiefs for both the earth and the sky.
He sent Lightning-Maker to encircle the world, and he returned with three uncouth creatures, two girls and a boy, whom he had found in a turquoise shell. These beings lacked eyes, ears, hair, mouths, noses, or teeth. They possessed arms and legs but lacked fingers and toes.
Sun-God summoned Fly to construct a sweathouse. Girl-Without-Parents covered it with four heavy clouds. In front of the east doorway, she placed a soft, red cloud to serve as a foot-blanket for use after the sweat.
Four stones were heated by the fire inside the sweathouse. The three uncouth creatures were placed inside, and the others sang songs of healing on the outside until the sweat was complete. The three strangers emerged and stood upon the magic red cloud-blanket. Creator then shook his hands towards them, bestowing upon each one fingers, toes, mouths, eyes, ears, noses, and hair.
Creator named the boy Sky-Boy, designating him chief of the Sky-People. One girl he named Earth-Daughter, entrusting her with the care of the earth and its crops. The other girl he named Pollen-Girl, assigning her the responsibility of healthcare for all Earth-People.
Recognizing that the earth was still flat and barren, Creator decided to create animals, birds, trees, and a hill. He sent Pigeon to observe the world’s appearance. Four days later, Pigeon returned and reported, "All is beautiful around the world. But four days from now, the water on the other side of the earth will rise and cause a mighty flood."
In anticipation of the impending flood, Creator made a very tall pinon tree. Girl-Without-Parents covered the tree framework with pinon gum, creating a large, tight ball.
In four days, the flood occurred. Creator ascended upon a cloud, taking his twenty-eight helpers with him. Girl-Without-Parents placed the other beings into the large, hollow ball, sealing it tightly at the top.
After twelve days, the water receded, leaving the float-ball high on a hilltop. The rushing floodwater had transformed the plains into mountains, hills, valleys, and rivers. Girl-Without-Parents led the gods out of the float-ball onto the new earth. She then took them upon her cloud, drifting upwards until they met Creator and his helpers, who had completed their work of making the sky during the flood.
Together, the two clouds descended to a valley below. There, Girl-Without-Parents gathered everyone to listen to Creator.
"I am planning to leave you," he announced. "I wish each of you to do your best toward making a perfect, happy world." He then assigned specific roles and responsibilities:
"You, Lightning-Rumbler, shall have charge of clouds and water."
"You, Sky-Boy, look after all Sky-People."
"You, Earth-Daughter, take charge of all crops and Earth-People."
"You, Pollen-Girl, care for their health and guide them."
"You, Girl-Without-Parents, I leave you in charge over all."
Creator then turned towards Girl-Without-Parents, and together they rubbed their legs with their hands and cast them forcefully downwards. Immediately, a great pile of wood arose between them. Creator waved a hand over the wood, creating fire.
Great billowy clouds of smoke drifted skyward. Creator disappeared into this cloud, followed by the other gods in other clouds of smoke, leaving the twenty-eight workers to populate the earth.
Sun-God journeyed east to live and travel with the Sun. Girl-Without-Parents departed westward to live on the far horizon. Small-Boy and Pollen-Girl established cloud homes in the south. Big Dipper remains visible in the northern sky at night, serving as a reliable guide to all. This Apache Creation Story demonstrates the interconnectedness of all things. This version of the Apache Creation Story offers a glimpse into the rich tapestry of Apache beliefs and traditions.