Four Mallards Created the Earth
Our walk on May 16, 2023
I asked dream.ai to draw four mallards. The plumage is off, but that’s OK.
“There was no land here before. It is said that there was nothing but water everywhere, so Iichíhkbaalee (First Maker) called four mallards. He told them I want to make land, dive into the water, and get me some mud. I will make dry land with that. One of the Mallards went into the water but came up with nothing. The next one was the same, and so was the next one. Then the fourth one went to the water. He was gone for a long time, and Iichíhkbaalee thought that the mallard had died, but then he saw the mallard coming with mud in his beak. He took the mud and made the Earth as we know it today. He moved portions of water that today that are the oceans, lakes, and rivers. He molded the mountains, hills, valleys, and so forth. He made man also.”
In many Native American traditions, birds are intermediaries between this world and others. Being masters of earth, sky, and water, birds serve as intermediaries between humans and supernatural beings and often communicate among those belonging to different worlds.
Here are some of the birds I heard speaking today. If only I could understand them. Some images are repeated because I heard the same bird in different places.
Hello friend!
It looks to me that this medium size gastropod is Anguispira alternata, also known as the Flamed Tigersnail or Flamed Disc. Read more about it here.
The only reason I spotted the snail is when it is wet, it’s tough to climb out of the creek bed at one spot (above), so I often have to crawl up the bank on my hands and knees. Tuesday was one of those days, which is likely the only reason I saw it.
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