How Red Squirrel got his white eyelids

A long time ago, long before people can remember, there were no animals or any other living things in this whole big world.

The “Great Spirit” looked down from the clouds and saw how big and empty the world was and was sorry that it was so. Long before this he had planted the world with all kinds of trees and flowers and it was a beautiful place. Why should all this pretty world be empty of any kind of beings to enjoy it.

For a long while the “Spirit Father” thought about the matter, then he came down and walked through the land and tried to plan what he would do. As he walked he became tired and sat down by a little brook to think and rest.

As he sat there his hands rested on the damp earth on either side of him and when he lifted them little lumps of wet clay stuck to his palms. As he rubbed his hands together to brush off the clay it rolled into a ball and began absent mindedly molding it with his fingers. Then a thought struck him and he set to work.

One after another he molded the animals we know, the Bear, the Fox, the Rabbit, the Lynx, and all the others that roam through our woods and fields.