The state of California stretches along the coast in
the south-western part of the US. It was one of the most populous parts of the
American continent in pre-Columbian times. There was an abundance of fruits,
berries, and edible roots, therefore there was no such need for agriculture as
in other parts of the country. There are several different groups of Miwok
people situated between San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys into the Sierra
Nevadas. This story from Miwok culture teaches the importance of persistence
and describes how Yosemite’s geologic features came to be.
A very long time ago, a mother bear and her two cubs
walked along the river in the Yosemite Valley. It wasn’t long, when the first
cub jumped into the river, followed by the second and third cub. They played
and chased each other. Then they jumped out and laid down on a big flat boulder
in the sun to dry their fur. Soon they fell asleep in the warm sunlight with
the mother bear.
Meanwhile a strange thing happened. The earth
surrounding the stone receded down and the big stone was raised up. When the
mother bear and the cubs woke, they found themselves trapped atop steep-sided
stone. They called for help.
In the valley below, the other animals heard their
cries for help.
“I will climb up,” volunteered Meadow Mouse. But it
was a very short distance before she slid back down.
“I can do this,” yelled Pack Rat. But he as well
slid down to the bottom.
“Watch me,” bragged Raccoon. But he got no farther
than the others before sliding down.
Grizzly Bear and Mountain Lion tried it as well, but
their claws only left the marks in the side of the great rock.
Meanwhile, a little Measuring Worm without a word
began her crawl up the rock. She could move only a little at a time, but she
did it without sliding back. She kept on climbing one day, then another until
she reached the top.
Finally, she spun a rope and used it to lower the mother
bear and her cubs down to the bottom.
The great rock still stands there and today it is known
as El Capitan. But the old people knew it as Tu-tok-a-nu-la, meaning Measuring
Worm’s Rock.
Source: The Girl Who Helped Thunder and Other Native
American Folktales by James Bruchac and Joseph Bruchac
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