INDIAN CONCEPTS OF THE SUN — STIRLING 393 



Lizard once went hunting with his torch far to the east, until one time he saw 

 a little light. He reported this to the people but was not believed. Various 

 animals were sent to investigate but all failed, until the Dove returned and 

 reported finding a village far to the east where the sun was kept and it was 

 daylight all the time. An expedition was sent to steal the sun. After many 

 difficulties they succeeded in releasing the sun from the sack in which it was 

 sewed. 



The people then started to roll the sun along toward their village but the Sun- 

 people pursued and fought with them, with the result that arrows were shot in all 

 directions and fell everywhere. That is the reason why you can find arrowheads 

 scattered all over the country now. They all came from this war. 



When they had taken the sun about halfway home, they tried to put it up in the 

 sky. All of the different kinds of birds tried this. Dove tried first, then others. 

 Finally, the Crow brothers succeeded in hanging it up and it stayed there. The 

 Crows were able to hang the sun up in the sky, because they were able to go 

 without water for a longer time than any of the other birds. (Barrett, 1933.) 



This story of the sun is told by the Achomawi. 



One time Sun conceived the great idea of rolling along on the ground instead of 

 in the sky. So she fell down from the sky just about sunrise. 



But Mole saw what Sun was trying to do and he ran and caught hold of her. 

 He held her up as high as he could, while he shouted in a loud voice for the people 

 to come and help him. 



All the people came running when they heard Mole's excited voice. With much 

 shoving and pushing they helped Mole shove Sun up into the sky again. Otherwise 

 today we would not have Sun in the sky, but instead she would be rolling along on 

 the ground. It was from holding up Sun that Mole's hands are bent so far back. 



The Maidu say that 



a long time ago, in the days before Indians lived on this earth, a brother and sister 

 lived together far away to the east. They were Sun and Moon. Instead of rising 

 every day and traveling over the world as the people wanted them to do, they 

 remained within their house, which was made of solid stone. Many people were 

 sent to try and see if they could make the two rise but all failed for they could not 

 even enter the house built of solid stone. At last Gopher and Angleworm went. 



When they arrived at Sun and Moon's stone house they stopped to consider how 

 best to enter. Angleworm made a hole in the ground, boring down outside and 

 coming up inside the house. Gopher followed, carrying a bag of fleas. Once 

 inside, Gopher opened his bag and let half of the fleas out. The fleas began to 

 bite Sun and Moon, making them move around. Then Gopher let out the rest of 

 the fleas. These made life so miserable for Sun and Moon that they decided to 

 leave the house. 



Sun said to her brother : "Both of us cannot travel together. Do you wish to 

 travel by day or by night?" 



Moon replied, "You try traveling by night." 



So Sun tried it ; but the Stars all fell in love with her, and she could not travel 

 because of their attractions. Sun then went back and told her brother that he 

 must go by night. This he agreed to, and has done ever since. Sun traveled by 

 herself in the day. (Gifford and Block, 1930.) 



Many Northwest coast tribes have their versions of the theft of the 

 sun. Among the Kwakiutl it was said that 



at first all was darkness and living was very difficult and uncomfortable for the 

 people. This was because a certain chief who lived in a cave had the sun and the 

 moon in a box which he kept tightly closed in his cave under a great mountain. 



