First Creator and Bald Eagle 

Bears Arm

            First Creator went out walking. As he traveled along, he came upon a small lodge made of wood that resembled a tipi. Upon entering it, he found Bald Eagle and his wife living there. “Hello, my friend,” said Bald Eagle. “I’m glad to see you again. Come inside and sit down.” After offering First Creator a place to sit, they all began to visit. As they talked, Bald Eagle disclosed that his favorite food was fish. “That,” he said, “is the only thing I enjoy eating. Since I’m almost out of food, I must soon go to work and catch fish for our meal.” Although First Creator agreed that fish are good to eat, his choice of foods was not so small. “It’s best to be able to eat anything,” he said. “One shouldn’t be too particular.” 

            Before leaving to work, Bald Eagle asked his wife to find his paint, which she located under his pillow and handed to him. He painted his body yellow, put white clay on his head, pulled all his hair forward and tied it into a knot on his forehead. He then asked her for his whistle and them for his hammer, which the woman found and handed to him. “Now I’m ready to work,” he said.

            Bald Eagle invited the coyote to go outside to watch him catch fish. They walked to a large water hole, a little way from the lodge, where a high tree leaned out over ice-covered water. Bald Eagle climbed the tree and walked until he came to the end of a limb. He stopped there momentarily and made a movement three times, as if he intended to drop into the water hole. The fourth time, he jumped, falling towards the ice while making a motion as if he intended to strike the ice with his stone hammer. Just before landing, he threw the hammer to one side. When he did this, the ice broke apart and flew to the side, allowing the eagle to dive into the water. When he came out, he carried two large catfish. 

            The fish were brought back to the lodge for the wife to cook. One fish was for First Creator to eat, and the other was for Bald Eagle and his wife. She took the fish from her husband, cut them open, cleaned them and put them into a pot to boil. After cooking them, she placed the fish into wooden bowls. They had enough fish for a fine meal. 

            After finishing his meal, First Creator invited the eagle and his wife to his home, saying, “I live over there towards the northwest.” It isn’t far from here. Someday you must come visit me.” Bald Eagle was pleased with this invitation and promised to visit First Creator in the near future. First Creator then left camp and traveled in a northwester direction. As he walked along, he looked for a new place to live having a tree leaning over the edge of a large water hole. He found a place with these attributes and thought, “This is a good place to live. I’m going to erect my house here.” He gathered wood to build a lodge, and then seeing a dead tree standing nearby, walked up to it and said, “You will be my wife.” The dead wood turned into a woman and lived there with First Creator in the newly constructed lodge.

            After a few days, the bald eagle came to visit. First Creator was glad to see him, and invited him inside his lodge. The coyote asked his wife to fix a place for his visitor, which she did. First Creator then asked his wife to hand him his paint, which he said, “is under the pillow.” She raised the pillow, found a bag and handed it to her husband. He took the paint from the bag, added water to wet it, and painted his body yellow. Then he asked for his whistle with a string attached, which the woman found at the same place as the paint. Next he took white clay, rubbed it into his hair, and pulled his hair forward, tying it into a knot and positioning it on his forehead. “Now,” he said, “hand me my stone hammer. It is also under the pillow.” Again she searched, finding the stone hammer where she was directed to look. To Bald Eagle he said, “My friend, this is where I live. We live on nothing but fish. Since we have no provisions, I must now go to work.” First Creator then invited his friend outside to watch him work. Bald Eagle said nothing. He just sat there watching. 

            At the water hole, First Creator climbed the tree with some difficulty, but succeeded at last. He also had a hard time walking to the end of the limb. When there, he made a motion as if he intended to jump off the limb into the water. He made this motion three times, and then fell from the limb towards the water. As he dropped down, he swung the stone hammer and threw it up into the air. Just as he struck the ice, the hammer came down and struck him on his back, knocking him senseless. First Creator’s wife and Bald Eagle ran down to the water hole where First Creator sprawled, picked him up, and carried him back to his lodge. 

            Bald Eagle then took the yellow paint, fixed himself up, took the whistle and hammer, and climbed the tree. He walked out to the end of the overhanging limb, leaned over three times and on the fourth time dropped down towards the water. Before he struck the ice, he made a motion as if he intended to hit the ice with his hammer, and then threw the stone hammer to one side. As the ice flew apart, he dove into the water and disappeared. When he came up, he had two catfish. He took the fish to First Creator’s wife and gave them to her saying, “Here, take these fish and eat them.” Then he walked away, saying, “Fish is what I live on.” When coyote regained his senses, his wife laughed at him, ridiculing him for almost loosing his life, trying to imitate Bald eagle. First Creator then walked away, resuming his wandering.