The Flood Myth Of The Coos People of Oregon

From Coos Texts by Leo J. Frachtenberg

When one day the flood-tide came, there was no ebb-tide. Everything was full of water. Not long afterwards the water reached its full mark. The earth was entirely filled with people. There were too many people, and they looked at the water as it reached its full mark.

Some people had big canoes, and some had small canoes. All kinds of people crowded in when they settled down on the earth. Some people had stored away braided ropes. So they quickly went into the canoes. All people became thus scared.

The earth sank into the water. Wherever a small piece of land was sticking out, there they went. A small piece of land was sticking out. There the people assembled. All kinds of animals came there in pairs. All kinds of little birds, all came there in pairs. All kinds of things came there in that manner. They were mixed up there with the people. It seemed as if no one knew the other, when they were thus mixed up with the people. Wherever the top of a fir-tree was sticking out, there they fastened their canoes to it. Some people had no braided ropes. Some people drifted far away. Many people had braided ropes. They no longer knew each other.

The small piece of land kept on floating. This was the name of the small river, "QalâL," Across North Bend, called to-day Kentock Stew. This one was sticking out. There the people assembled. There all kinds of things came together. All kinds of animals were among the people. All kinds of birds mixed in there in pairs. Nobody knew the other one. People were afraid. The thing that was sticking out disappeared. They were scattered everywhere, the people who drifted far away. The water carried them far away. As soon as night came on, the people had their canoes fastened. They were watching their canoes. They were watching the canoes when they were made fast. Some people had short ropes. Suddenly they would let them loose, and they would drift away. The water would carry them away. One-half of the people became thus scattered. They no longer knew one another.

When evening came, the water ran down. Everywhere people had one canoe that was fastened. They did not know how to take care of the canoes when the water went down. Whenever a canoe was caught on a limb, they would let it loose. Some people did not watch the canoes. They did not watch them, and the canoes would consequently tip over whenever they got caught on a limb. This caused their canoes to tip over when night came p. 49 on. Thus they were working. They could not sleep while they were watching their canoes.

When the earth became dry again, the people dropped down to the ground with their canoes. So again they severally came back there. Everywhere they settled down individually,--one man with one woman. Thus they settled down. The animals, too, came back ashore when the earth became dry. And the little birds did likewise. The little birds went everywhere in pairs. They did not know the place where they dropped down, and the people started to go far away. They did not know where they dropped down. Thus the people became scattered.

Thus only the story is being told.