Creation Story

Daniel D. Old Horn and Timothy McCleary. 1995. Apsáalooke Social and Family Structure. Little Big Horn College, Crow Agency, Montana.

The Crow people say the Creator, Iichikbaalia, created the humans by instructing four ducks to go down into a body of deep water and retrieve mud from the bottom. The first three ducks failed, but after a long time, the fourth duck brought some mud from the bottom of the water. From this the Crow were formed. The Creator then breathed into his creation and for this reason Crow people say that speech or the word is sacred. Then he brought the Crow to a very clear spring and inside this spring they were shown a man with his bow drawn taught. The Creator said, "This is Crow people, I have made them to be small in number, but they will never be overcome by any outside force." The Crow people say that neither man nor woman was made first, it is simply said that the Crow were created.