Origin of the Great Basin People

Long ago in the beginning, there was a great body of water around the land of the coyote. One day as he was on one of his journeys, he saw some distant lands across the water. Since he could not swim across the water, he tricked the waterbug into carrying him on his back. Waterbug was afraid of the Coyote but the Coyote knew if he did not behave, the waterbug would dump him in the middle of the water. Coyote made it safely across the water and began his journey.

Along the way he met some people and stayed with them. While he was there he acquired a bride, the daughter of one of the leaders. The leader did not trust Coyote and knew he was always up to mischief. The leader wanted him to leave, but knew Coyote would take his daughter with him. So he told Coyote that if he would leave he would give him a great gift to take with him in exchange for his daughter. Coyote, enticed by the thought that he would be given this gift, decided he could always find another bride and agreed to the trade. When he left the leader gave him a woven willow basket with a lid and told him that he was not to open the lid until he returned to his homeland.

Coyote was a very curious person and had little patience. As he was traveling, he could hear sounds and movements within the basket. The sounds sounded like singing and drums beating. Coyote thought it would not hurt to take a small peek once he returned to the other side of the body of water. So once he touched the land, which was far from his homeland, Coyote opened the basket. Immediately, the little people who were inside the basket, jumped out and began running in all directions. Stunned, he watched them run away. He quickly shut the lid on the basket, fearing that he would lose all of them.

When he returned home, he opened the basket again, finding only three little people left in the basket. These three people stayed in this area and became the Great Basin People. The others who got away from Coyote were all the other Native American tribes that populated the North and South American continents.