Koryak (Siberia)

IT was at a time when the Creator lived. Once a violent snowstorm broke out and it blew incessantly. Creator got ready to go to Wind Man’s village to find out why the storm raged so constantly. He took a skin boat instead of a sledge. He hitched to it mice instead of reindeer. Then he started.

He came to the village of the Wind People. All the people surrounded him and laughed at his sledge and reindeer. “How will you carry off our presents on such reindeer?” they asked.

Creator said, “Just put them into the boat and never mind how I carry them off.”

The Wind People took out all the food and clothes they had and loaded the skin boat heaping full. Creator drove back his mice which dragged the loaded skin boat home. Then he returned to the village of the Wind People. They loaded his skin boat again and he carried off everything they had. Then Creator’s mice gnawed the straps off all the sledges and harness of the Wind People. Thus the Wind People could not drive any more and the snowstorm ceased. That’s all.