In The Beginning – Inuit Before the dawn of time there were no people on earth. There were no animals, no birds, and no fish. There was nothing but ice and snow and the Great Western Sea. One day Old-Man-Father-of-Fish looked about the empty land. All he saw was snow, miles and miles of ice and snow. He sat by the water and looked at the gray rocks along the shore. Then he looked out at the Great Western Sea, sparkling under the morning sun. "There should be creatures to fill this sea," he sai "Creatures that swim and jump and dive about in the wave Creatures that will feed the people-yet-to-be." He sat on a rock and he thought and he thought. Then Old-Man-Father-of-Fish took out his knife and t began to whittle on a piece of driftwood. All day long I carved and he whittled, sending chip after chip flying into the sea. "On-ja-ja-ja," he sang. The chips began to squirm. "Ja-ja-ja-ja," he chanted. The chips began to twist. "On-ja-ja-ja," he cried. The chips turned into wiggling, squirming, fish. "From henceforth you shall be Salmon," said Old-Mar Father-of-Fish. Away swam Salmon far out into the waters of the Great Western Sea and disappeared under the rolling waves. All night long Old-Man-Father-of-Fish carved and h whittled, sending chip after chip into the sea. "On-ja-ja-ja," he sang. The chips began to wiggle. "Ja-ja-ja-ja," he chanted. The chips began to squirm. "On-ja-ja-ja," he cried. The chips turned into more fish. "Henceforth you shall be Char, and you," he said, "shall be Cod." Char dived deep beneath the great blue waters and hi among the rocks. Cod swam far out to sea. All summer long Old-Man-Father-of-Fish sat on his rock and he carved. All winter long Old-Man-Father-of-Fish sat on his rock and he whittled. As he sat and as he whittled, chip after chip went flying into the sea. There they turned into fish. "You shall be Halibut. You shall be Lumpsucker. And you," he said, "shall be Capelin." On and on he went, carving and whittling and naming fish after fish. When all the fish were created and all the fish were named, Old-Man- Father-of-Fish stood up and threw the last piece of driftwood out to sea, far out beyond the rolling waves. "On-ja-ja-ja," he sang. "Ja-ja-ja-ja," he chanted. "You shall be the largest of all the creatures. "I name you Whale." And that is how Old-Man-Father-of-Fish filled the ocean with food for the people-yet-to-be. Taken from On the Trail Made of Dawn - Native American Creation Stories Retold by M. L. Webster