III. ORIGIN TALES
37. The Introduction of Death; or,
the Council of Spider,Ant and Fly1Formerly there was no death in the world, and people did not know exactly what it was. Ant and Spider were very wise. They held a council with Fly. Spider said to Ant " You are cutting yourself in two with your tight belt. Soon you will die." Ant answered," If I die I shall not die properly. In four, six, seven, or eight days, I shall come to life again." Spider said, " I think it would be better if all people and animals were to die properly: for if none die, soon there will be too many people on earth/ and there will not be enough food for all. They will suffer the pains of hunger." Ant answered. "The pains of hunger are as nothing compared with the pains that people feel when their relatives, or those they love, die. I propose that we leave conditions as they are, and that people do not die." I Spider andAnt argued long, but neither vould convince the other; so they asked Fly for his opinion.
These three men disputed by all the people and animals to decide whether death should be in the world or not. Fly was very selfish and cunning, and, taking sides with Spider , said, " I think it will be better to let people die. They will still bw useful, for I shall rear my young on their bodies. People will be better off if they die, for I will take charge of them and preserve their bodies, so they will always bw as if asleep. They will have no cares, nor will they need fire or food. I will look after them well, and their relatives will have no trouble or bother." Now Ant spoke in vain, as there were two against him. So at last he gave way to the others, and it was ordained that people and all living things should die. And since that time, people have died.
Soon afterwards Spider's child died. He felt very sad, and went to Ant, and said,"At the council, you were right and I was wrong. The pain of a father's heart when his child dies is indeed worse than the pains of hunger. Let us put things tight by declaring that people shall not die." Ant answered, "Already death has entered the world. It has been agreed that death should be. It is now too late to change it." Fly also attended this second meeting, and now spoke up, addressing Spider thus, "Why are you sorry? Those who die are better off than those who live. We will not revoke our decree. Take your dead child and lay it on the ground some distance away from your house. I will look after it for you. Did I not promise to undertake the care of all those who die?” Spider did as directed, and Fly laid eggs in the corpse, so that it soon became covered with worms and flies. It became swollen and black, and soon rotted and stank. Fly visited Spider, and told him his child looked just the same as ever. Shortly afterwards Spider went to view his child, and felt very sad when he saw the condition of the body. He cursed Fly, and transformed him, saying, “Henceforth you will be a fly and will live among rottenness, and eat filth. You will be the most loathsome and unloved of all things.” Then he dug a grave and buried his child’s body, saying, “Henceforth people will make graves, and bury their dead.”
According to the Nkamtci'nemux death was introduced by Raven, whose child was sick and who asked Old-One to let it die. Before that time people always revived after a short time.
1. A very common tale; see for instance, A.L Kroeber, Cheyenne Tales, Journal of American Folk Lore XIII,
p, 161.
