In the beginning the people lived in darkness. They disliked the darkness and wanted light. They called a council to discuss how they could get light. Coyote was the first to speak, and he said: "We have had enough darkness; we must now have light. It is right that we should have both and not all darkness." There was a man at that time who was a prophet, and Coyote appointed the prophet to investigate and see how the people might obtain light. The prophet thought over the question and then announced:

"There are yellow, black, spotted, half-spotted, and white deer upon the earth. These deer are here for some purpose. If you kill the yellow deer, everything shall be yellow all the time. If you kill the white deer, everything shall be white all the time. If you kill the spotted one, everything shall be spotted and very bad. If you kill the black one, everything shall be black as it is now. But if you kill both the black and the white deer, then we shall have day and night. During the day everything will be white, and we can go about and hunt and visit, and during the night it will be dark so we can return to our homes and rest."

White, Black and Yellow Deer, by Yonavea Hawkins. All rights reserved.

The people accepted the prophet's words and started out and hunted until they killed the black and white deer. From that time we have had day and night.

The next story provides a brief account of the separation of animals from the human community. Animals are prominent members of the Caddo world, and this story explains the origins of a form of kinship that exists between people and animals. Caddos also believe that animals have supernatural powers and that these powers can affect peoples' lives. The story also introduces a belief in the recurrence of life, an important element of many Caddo stories.