Part 1 Section 1 Summary and Analysis

Part 1 of the book is entitled "The World Beyond Ours". Section 1 contains various stories of creation.

"How the World Was Made" (Cheyenne) An introduction describes the Cheyenne community's history, its socio-cultural reliance on the buffalo, the particular craft-making skills of the women in the community, and how they retained their stories and legends.

The story begins with Maheo, the Creator, inhabiting a universe of nothingness and deciding that his power (a rough translation of a word that in the original language means "creativity" or "genius") should be put to good use. He creates salt water and sea creatures to live in the water, sea birds to live atop the water, and light by which He can see it all. He then gives the sea birds the ability to fly, but when the Loon asks for something solid upon which...