THE GREAT FLOOD AND HOW DOG BECAME MAN’S BEST FRIEND

A very long time ago before the coming of rain and wind and storm upon the Earth there lived here among the people a strange people who had come down from the sky who were giants and very powerful but they were also evil and turned the people’s hearts from Great Spirit.
Great Spirit who is called Nesaru was sad in his heart when he looked upon the Earth and saw that the people no longer called upon him save but a very few and it grieved him that his people no longer sent offerings of thanksgiving and smoke to him as was their custom and Nesaru wished he had never made the people. Nesaru who first made the people and had loved them and gave them gifts of food and shelter and plenty became angered that the people he had so loved had turned their hearts from him and had become evil like the giants on the Earth and he spoke to the sky people and said that he would soon destroy the entire Earth and every living thing whose heart was not turned to him and it was so. Soon after Great Spirit sent a beautiful woman from among the sky people to Earth to warn the people to turn their hearts back to Nesaru and that if they did not turn back and send their smoke with offerings of thanksgiving Nesaru would send a great storm and there would be much wind and much rain and a great flood would consume them and all living things would be destroyed save those who honored the Great Spirit.
The giants mocked the beautiful woman who had come to warn them and said to the people it could not be so for there had never been storm or rain or wind and they laughed for who had ever heard of such a thing and no one believed save those few whose hearts were still turned to Nesaru.
The beautiful woman returned to the sky people who live beyond the stars and told Nesaru what had happened and Nesaru was very angered. He told the woman to return to the Earth and gather all the people whose hearts were turned to him and gather two and seven of every animal upon the earth and take them to a great cave so they would not be destroyed and when she had done this Great Spirit sealed the cave shut and there the people whose hearts were turned to Nesaru along with all the animals stayed for seven moons and Nesaru caused a great storm to come upon the Earth and the Earth and all living things upon it save those who were sealed in the cave were destroyed.
When the time came for the people to come forth Nesaru sent the woman again to instruct the people and he unsealed the cave and the people and animals came forth as she commanded them. Some of the people were to stay there while others were to follow the sun west and make their homes in new lands and it was so.
It was then that the woman spoke to dog and instructed dog that he would no longer run with the wolves or hunt along with the coyote but must stay behind as a friend to man and dog obeyed. Two dogs stayed behind and the rest went with the remaining people on their westward journey. The woman told the dogs they were to be the guardians of the people so long as their hearts were turned to Nesaru and to warn them to find shelter and safety when the earth began to tremble and clouds gathered and the wind began to churn in the trees; and it was so.
When they came to a great lake of water some of the people stayed and made their homes beside the great waters. Again two dogs stayed with them and the woman told the dogs they were to be the guardians of the people so long as their hearts were turned to Nesaru and to warn the people to find shelter and safety when the earth began to tremble and clouds gathered and the wind began to churn in the trees; and it was so.
The remaining people wondered how they were to cross the great water to the other said but the woman told them not to be afraid that Nesaru would make a way for them. As the woman spoke a great giant bird likened to a loon came down from the place that is above the stars and landed on the water. The woman spoke to the great bird and the bird began swimming with great speed like that of a bolt of lightning across the great water and the water parted to the right and to the left and the remaining people with their herds and their flocks and the remaining three dogs crossed the great water on dry land.
When they had reached the other side that is where they made their home and the three dogs were instructed as the other dogs had been, to be the guardians of the people so long as their hearts were turned to Nesaru and to warn the people to find shelter and safety when the earth began to tremble and clouds gathered and the wind began to churn in the trees; and it was so.
And that is how dog came to be man’s best friend and why we should always keep our hearts turned to Great Spirit and send him gifts of thanksgiving with our smoke. This is the story of the great flood and how we came to live here in this land and we must always remember to honor Great Spirit for this gift and respect dog for his protection.

Annette Bromley