When the Creator finished making the world and animals, he believed something was missing.
He decided to make creatures like himself, since his only companion was the tricky coyote.
Using clay and water, he carefully fashioned a man, but while the Creator looked for wood to build a fire, Coyote sneaked over to the small clay figure and made some adjustments.
The Creator came back and, without looking closely, slipped the clay figure into the red-hot oven to bake. After the right amount of time, the Creator pulled the figure from the oven and breathed life into it, but he then realized that the figure was no longer a man.
Instead, it panted and barked and wore a coat of fur just like a coyote. Creator made this being into a dog.
Although Coyote was delighted with this creature, the Creator was not satisfied. He tried again, fashioning several men and women and putting them into the oven.
As they baked, Coyote strolled over and told the Creator that they were done. The Creator rushed over, took the figures from the oven, and blew life into them. To his surprise, they were pale, he had taken them out too soon.
The Creator decided that the pale people would live somewhere across the ocean. He crafted more figures and put them in the oven. This time, Coyote urged him to let them cook a little longer, but they came out too dark.
As he had done with the pale people, the Creator put the dark people in a place across the ocean. His patience at an end, Creator made one last batch of people and told Coyote to keep quiet.
These people emerged from the oven with the perfect color, they were not undercooked or overcooked.
These people became the North American Indians.
