Whilst these individuals resided at Temecula, there existed amongst them a man, Ouiot, of profound sagacity, possessing knowledge exceeding that of all others then living. He instructed the populace, superintended their affairs, and furnished them with all that they required. He styled them all his children.
It was the common practice for all persons to partake of ablutions each morn. Amongst these individuals was a woman of considerable comeliness, whom Ouiot regarded with particular admiration. She possessed a visage of surpassing beauty and tresses of such length as to cascade down to her very feet, entirely obscuring her dorsal aspect. It was her habit to descend to the water's edge at such times as were devoid of other persons, that she might perform her ablutions without observation. Ouiot, noting this proclivity, resolved to observe her upon a certain day. As she plunged into the water, he perceived that her back was concave and flattened, akin to that of a frog, whereupon his admiration transformed into revulsion.
The aforementioned woman, Frog, did observe Ouiot and thusly perused his very thoughts. She was, in point of fact, filled with unmitigated anger toward him. Upon her conveyance to her people of his ill feelings towards her person, they did conspire together, declaring, 'We shall bring about his demise'. Thus, the four of them, to wit, Frog, Earthworm, Gopher, and Water Animal, did resolve to destroy him by means of witchcraft. Immediately upon the completion of their enchantments, Ouiot was stricken with a grievous illness. He endeavoured in vain to alleviate his suffering. He dispatched messengers to the north, south, east, and west in search of remedies, yet naught availed him. His condition did deteriorate to such an extent that he lay utterly helpless, unable to rise from his sickbed. Frog and her confederates did arrive and jeered at his wretched state, and by reason of his prolonged affliction, they bestowed upon him the appellation of Ouiot. Myola, in truth, was his given name.
Thereupon, a man, by the appellation of Rattlesnake, did arise and thus inquire: 'Pray, what aileth all of ye, good people? Ye style yourselves witches, yet are incapable of curing our afflicted brother.' Wherefore, Rattlesnake, possessed of encyclopaedic knowledge, did embark upon a quest, traversing north, south, east, and west, with the intention of discovering a means by which to succour Ouiot, or to ascertain the nature of his malady. Alas, his endeavours proved to be utterly futile. Subsequently, another man, Horned Toad, a personage of equal eminence, engaged in a search for a remedy, exerting his utmost efforts, but to no avail. Next, Roadrunner did stand forth. He subjected Ouiot to a meticulous examination and scrutinised the assembled populace to determine whether any amongst them had been the cause of his distemper. However, he could unearth naught. Following him, Little Bird presented himself. He performed likewise. He examined Ouiot and imparted to the people that someone had administered poison to him and that his demise was imminent.
Ouiot, alas, did steadily decline in health, and in his extremity, he summoned his most esteemed friend, Kingbird, whom he acknowledged as a captain of considerable merit and a man of exemplary virtue. To him, Ouiot confided that he had been subjected to a deleterious poison. Furthermore, he identified the quartet responsible for this odious act, revealing their motives with precision, and foretold his imminent demise. To Kingbird alone did he impart the verity of his return, entreating him to 'Observe the eastern horizon at the break of dawn, for there shall ye witness my coming.' Thus, Kingbird was made privy to this singular secret.
Thereafter, he assembled the remainder of his people, purposing to deliver his final injunctions. Upon their gathering, several of his offspring did raise him gently in their arms, so that he might be seated and address the multitude. At this juncture, tears coursed freely down his venerable cheeks. Coyote, Bluefly, and Buzzard did then press close, their intentions base, desiring to consume his mortal remains. Coyote, in his eagerness, did even commence to lick the tears from Ouiot's face. Ouiot then prognosticated that his end might arrive in the initial month, or perchance in the latter half thereof. Yet, this period elapsed, and he remained among the living. 'It may be,' quoth he, 'that I shall succumb in the succeeding month, or in the latter portion thereof.' This, too, came to pass without his expiration. Thus did he foretell his death in each month thereafter, only to endure until the very last.
In the final month, death claimed him, and thus did mortality enter into the world, for ere this time, no soul had yet tasted of its sting.
There existed a fellow, designated Kangaroo-Rat, who did fabricate a reticulated device, purposed for the conveyance of Ouiot. Dispatches were transmitted to the cardinal extremities, procuring divers species of timber – the sycamore, the Quercus nigra, the Quercus alba, the Scirpus lacustris, the Tsuga, and the Cedrus – with the objective of constructing a pyre funereal. They did acquire a hollowed section of arboreal matter, and upon the inferior moiety thereof, they did recline the mortal remains. Subsequently, the complementary section was positioned superjacent, serving as an operculum. Subsequent to the arrangement of the assembled timber and the commencement of combustion, the individuals conveyed the cadaver within the aforementioned reticulated device, circumambulating the conflagration thrice, prior to its deposition upon the incandescent inferno.
Coyote, possessed of a rapacious desire to consume the mortal remains, was promptly dismissed. He did abscond, yet, upon casting his gaze backward, he beheld the smoke emanations of the conflagration ascending skyward. Consequently, he reversed his course and hastened back with the utmost alacrity. The assembled company, armed with staves, endeavoured to repel him, forming a close-knit circle about the fire to preclude his encroachment. However, Badger, being a personage of diminutive stature, proved an insufficient impediment; Coyote, with a bound, vaulted over his cranium. He purloined the heart, being the sole anatomical fragment that had eluded the flames' ravenous appetite, and absconded therewith, devouring it in transit.
Amongst their number was a fellow known as Little Squirrel, and upon the conflagration of Ouiot, he did arise and address the assembled populace. He summoned forth the clouds from the mountains, adjuring them to descend, and entreated the mists and fogs from the sea to coalesce and gather, and thereafter to precipitate in torrential showers upon the terrestrial sphere, with the express purpose of obliterating all traces of Ouiot's passage upon this world. He did implore that naught be spared. Thus, the clouds responded to his invocation, and a heavy rain did ensue.
Ouiot had imparted unto them that, in epochs yet to unfold, they must observe festivals in honour of the departed, and that they must commence to slay and consume for sustenance. Prior to this juncture, they had never indulged in the consumption of flesh nor grains, subsisting solely upon clay. They engaged in deliberation upon the matter, posing the query as to whom should be the inaugural sacrifice. One man after another was selected, yet each, in turn, demurred.
Ouiot didst decree that Eagle must meet his demise at each and every fiesta, a fate which Eagle found most disagreeable. In an attempt to evade this grim destiny, he ventured forth to the north, south, east, and west. Yet, death didst await him at every turn, and thus, he was compelled to return and surrender himself to his appointed end. Hummingbird, emboldened by ambition, didst express a desire to assume Eagle's vacant role, believing himself to be a personage of considerable import. However, the populace didst demur, exclaiming, 'Nay! Thou art but a diminutive fellow, quite unfit for such a weighty undertaking.' And so, they didst deny him his audacious aspiration.
Ouiot had, furthermore, stated that they might avail themselves of Deer as sustenance. Discourses ensued regarding the slaying of Deer. 'He possesses a countenance of comeliness; he would prove eminently suitable for victuals'. Lion, a man of considerable puissance and might, proclaimed, 'Wherefore do ye tarry and engage in protracted deliberation? This is the manner in which it must be executed'. Whereupon he assailed Deer and extinguished his life, and the others, having been designated to undergo transformation into beasts, were concurrently put to death. They metamorphosed into sundry species of animals and diverse varieties of grain, and all the objects that are presently observable in the world.
When the deer were slain, the slender, pointed bones of the leg were appropriated for use as awls in the fabrication of baskets. A basket of fine make was duly wrought, and within it were deposited the bones and ashes of Ouiot. This receptacle was then interred within the earth. During the act of burial, solemn incantations, accompanied by groans, were uttered, and a dance was performed. This marked the inaugural instance of singing and dancing in observance of the deceased. It was Rabbit who first intoned the funerary song, whilst Crow and Wild Goose initiated the solemn dance.
Following the cessation of the fiesta, a grand convocation was held at Temecula, wherein they remained assembled. They had ascertained that death had entered the world, a phenomenon hitherto unknown to them, and were at a loss as to how to proceed. The matter was duly deliberated upon. All entities that now constitute the celestial array ascended into the firmament at this juncture, in the hope of evading mortality through such means. Concomitantly, all terrestrial beings, such as worms, insects, and fossorial creatures, sought refuge beneath the surface of the earth, thereby concealing themselves from death's grasp. However, others resolved to remain upon the terrestrial sphere, positing that it might be feasible to subsist for a determinate span of years, and thereafter revert to a state of rejuvenated youth. Subsequently, they all departed from Temecula, dispersing across the land, as is evident in the present day. With the departure of Ouiot, there remained no justifiable cause to tarry in their primordial domicile. They were bereft of their erstwhile guide and instructor.
Save for Kingbird, none were privy to the impending return of Ouiot. 'Twas his wont, at the earliest hour, to ascend to the roof of his dwelling and proclaim, 'Ouiot is coming back'. The populace, in their bewilderment, queried, 'What doth he utter?' Their understanding remained obscured until Ouiot ascended, moon-like, in the eastern sky. As the celestial orb mounted, they recognised it as Ouiot himself. This marked the moon's inaugural appearance, a phenomenon perpetuated ever since.
