Remaking the World – A Brule Sioux Legend.
In a world before the one we know today, the beings inhabiting it did not understand how to live harmoniously or act with humanity. The Creating Power was dissatisfied with this earlier world and resolved to create a new one. He prepared by placing the chief pipe and its bag on a sacred pipe rack. Using four dry buffalo chips, he set three under the sticks and reserved the fourth to light the pipe. The Creating Power declared, “I will sing three songs to bring a heavy rain, and a fourth song will cause the Earth to crack open, allowing water to cover the land.”
As he sang the first song, rain began to fall. With the second, the rain intensified. The third song caused rivers to overflow, and with the fourth, the Earth split like a broken gourd, water gushing out to engulf everything. The Creating Power floated on his sacred pipe and large pipe bag, allowing the waves and wind to guide him. Eventually, the rains ceased, and by this time, all creatures had perished, except for Kangi, the crow. Exhausted and without a place to land, the crow circled above, pleading with the Creating Power for a resting place.
Realizing it was time, the Creating Power unwrapped the pipe and opened the bag, which contained various animals and birds. He selected four creatures known for their underwater endurance. First, he sang a song and instructed the loon to dive for mud, but it returned empty-handed, unable to reach the bottom. Similarly, the otter and beaver failed despite their efforts. Finally, the Creating Power sang a fourth song and sent the turtle, a symbol of strength and endurance, to dive. The turtle remained underwater for an eternity, leading the others to believe it had perished. Yet, it emerged triumphant, bringing back earth clinging to its feet and shell.
With the mud, the Creating Power sang and molded dry land, sufficient for himself and the crow. He invited the crow to rest. Then, using eagle feathers, he spread the land until it covered everything. Recognizing that earth without water was incomplete, his tears of compassion created oceans, streams, and lakes. The Creating Power then populated the land with various animals, birds, and plants, bringing them to life with a stamp of his foot. He crafted humans from different earth colors, bestowing upon them speech and understanding, and assigned them their tribes.
The Creating Power warned, “The first world I created was destroyed by fire, the second by water. This is the third world, marked by a rainbow as a sign that there will be no more Great Floods. Live in harmony with all life — two-legged, four-legged, winged, and the green plants. If this world becomes tainted, it too shall be destroyed.” He entrusted the people with the sacred pipe, instructing them to live by its teachings. The land was named Turtle Continent in honor of the turtle’s contribution. With the world prepared, the Creating Power rested, contemplating the possibility of a future fourth world.
This retelling is shared with respect for the Brule Sioux tradition, to whom this living legend belongs.
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