HOW THE CHILDREN OF HE-LE'-JAH BECAME PEOPLE – Miwok FRAGMENT OF CREATION STORY OF THE NORTHERN MEWUK As told at Wal'-le and Hā'-cha-nah PERSONAGES: He-le'-jah the Cougar or Mountain Lion-man Oo-soo'-ma-te the Grizzly Bear-woman, wife of He-le'-jah Paht'-ki-yu the Raccoon-woman, another wife of He-le'-jah Pe-tā'-le the Little Lizard-man, who gave the people five fingers HOW THE CHILDREN OF HE-LE'-JAH BECAME PEOPLE HE-LE'-JAH the Cougar or Mountain Lion had two wives, Oo-soo'-ma-te the Grizzly Bear-woman and Paht'-ki-yu the Raccoon-woman. Their children looked a little like people but still were not people. Every year there were more children, and as they grew up and had children of their own, the children came to look more and more like people, only they had no fingers. Then Pe-tā'-le the Lizard gave them five fingers and they became real people (Me'wuk). The Dawn of the World; Myths and Weird Tales Told by the Mewan [Miwok] Indians of California; Collected and Edited by C. Hart Merriam; Cleveland: Arthur H. Clarke Co., [1910] ] and is now in the public domain.