In the beginning it began in the underworld. They made a mountain that kept on growing. Then reeds grew. When the reeds got to the top four girls twisted them so they stopped growing. A messenger goes up and discovers the twisted reeds. He tells the people what has happened. He goes back up and sees that there is much water. Then Beaver goes up and see that the water is receding. Beaver doesn't return so they send Badger up. So badger goes up and he see Beaver building a dam so people will have something to quench their thirst when they get up there. Finally the people use all four of the ladders they had to ascend, but they leave and old man and woman behind.
Raven divined to see if people would die. The old couple gave the people lice in their heads and their beds so they wouldn't be able to sleep.
Father tells four children to sit by the fire. He asks them "Why did you come to see me?"
The children responded "We want something to play with."
The father made them the hoop and pole game but tells them to not move to the north. Of course the children don't listen and they head to the north. Owl sees the children and says to quickly put them in the pot to cook. Owl's wife chops them up, puts them in a pot, pours water on them, and sets them over a fire to boil. However, the boys just sit at the bottom telling stories. Owl says "you are something bad. You are using supernatural powers."
The boys continue to tell stories and jump out of the pot again. Owl asks "why do you come here and practice magic?
He gives them the hoop and the pole back. The boys return to their father and he tells them "I told you so."
Bibliography
Jicarilla Apache Texts edited by Pliny Earle Goddard (1911) = New York: Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VIII.
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