Chicloumanram: a creation myth by Ava McHugh

Once upon a time all the planets were mad at each other.  They were mad because the mother planet Java was pregnant and was going to have a baby.  Java was their mother.  At this, her six children were mad so all at once they kicked their mother so she would not have the baby. But Java was angered by this and ate up all six of her children and then burped them back out.  But when she did one more came out. It was not like the others. It was very special.  The other planets were dry and crumbling to pieces.  Some were covered in ice and others were hot like fire.  But this new planet was perfect.  It had trees, plants, waterfalls, rivers and two people on it.   There was a beautiful woman with blond white hair and bright green eyes, she was kind and loving. Then there was a man who was strong and good.   Their names were Lucsharama and Chicloumanram.  These two people lived together in peace on the beautiful planet.  One day they had a son and named him Berglahem.   He grew up to be a very big troublemaker and so his parents did not want him in the house.  So one day he chose to go out and paint something.  And while he was walking he tripped and fell onto his blue paint and it squirted into the air and made the sky blue. So he watched it dry and made it his piece of art.  He realized that his sky needed more something more.  He painted two beautiful clouds and at once they started to move.  Then he decided to paint a bird and when  he was done it started to fly.  That night his sky became dark and he became upset.  So he painted all the stars and they started twinkling like diamonds.  When his parents saw what he had done they were happy.  They told Berglahem that they had been wrong when they called him a troublemaker.

The sun was made on the first day of the year.  This is how it went: A very long time ago on the day Chicloumanram and Lucsharama first met, Chicloumanram wanted  Lucsharama to stay with him forever.  He gave her a very special gift.   Out of his biggest muscle in his arm, he molded a sun and gave it to her.  She was astonished.  She threw the sun into the sky so she could see it everyday.  Then Lucsharama, at night, went to the river and dipped in her hair and said to Chicloumanram ” You have given me the sun so I give you the moon.”  Chicloumanram asked Lucsharama, ” Is this a yes to my question?”  Lucsharama said yes and they were never apart after that day.

One day the six planets were talking about planet Earth.  They were jealous of all the wondrous things that it had.  They were mad because their mother Java was always saying how much she loved planet Earth.  The planets wanted to do something that would hurt the Earth. They decided that they would send down a tiger and let it eat all man kind. So they created a tiger that was big and ferocious, with big feet and sharp claws and one green eye.  The green eye was a symbol of their jealousy.  One morning Berglahem went out into the forest to paint animals.  Each animal he painted sprang to life.  He made foxes with bushy tails and snakes that slither.  He painted fish with shiny white scales and fireflies that glowed.  He made bears with bushy fur and bees that made delicious honey.  He made mosquitoes and ants and butterflies.  He worked very hard all day.  On his way back home he bumped into the tiger.    The tiger had one green eye.  Berglahem knew what this meant and said “What do you want?”  The tiger said, “I want to eat all mankind”.  “Why would you do such a thing?”, asked Berglahem.  “Because the six planets, Earth’s brothers and sisters, are jealous.  They want to hurt Earth by killing all her people.  They sent me and I am very hungry.”  Berglahem was scared.  He asked the tiger, “What can I do to save the people?”  The Tiger replied, “Let me eat just you and everyone else will be saved.”  “You have made Earth more beautiful and create new things each day.  If I destroy you, Earth will stay as it is.  You will not create any animal more ferocious than me.”  Berglahem was silent.  He thought of his parents, and how sad they would be if he died.  He thought about never creating beautiful things again.  If he said “no” his parents would die with all the other people too.  Berglahem then said, “Yes, you may eat me.”  The tiger ate him and it took one hundred bites.  Because of his sacrifice  Java made him into the brightest star in the night sky.  The sky that Berglahem had made with his paints and brush.  Berglahem was the hero because he saved the people. We can still see Berglahem today if we look for the brightest and most twinkling star in the night sky.