Coos Texts: Creation Myths: 6. The Flood

6. THE FLOOD.

When (one day) the flood-tide (came), there (was) no ebb-tide. (Everything was) full of water. Not long (afterwards) the water (reached) its full (mark). The earth was entirely filled with people. There were too many people, and they looked at the water as it (reached) its full (mark).

Some people had big canoes, and some had small canoes. All kinds of people crowded in when they settled down on the earth. Some people had stored away braided ropes. So they quickly went into the canoes. All people became thus scared.

The earth sank into the water. Wherever a small (piece of land) was sticking out, there they went. A small 2 This one was sticking out. There the people assembled. There all kinds of things came together. All kinds of animals were among the people. All kinds of birds mixed in there in pairs. Nobody knew (the other one). People were afraid. (The thing that) was sticking out disappeared. They were scattered everywhere, the people who drifted far away. The water carried them far away. As soon as night came on, the people had their canoes fastened. They were watching their canoes. They were watching the canoes when they were made fast. Some people had short ropes. Suddenly (they would let them) loose, and (they) would drift away. The water would carry them away. One-half of the people became thus scattered. They no longer knew one another.

When evening came, the water ran down. Everywhere people had one canoe (that was) fastened. They did not know how to take care of the canoes when the water went (down). Whenever a canoe was caught on a limb, they would let it loose. Some people did not watch the canoes. They did not watch them, and the canoes would consequently tip over whenever they got caught on a limb. This caused their canoes to tip over when night came Footnotes

47:2 Across North Bend, called to-day Kentock Stew.