Kukumatz and Tochipa
Kukumatz and Tochipa In North American Indian mythology (Mojave), creators, twin brothers. Born of earth (woman) and sky (man), the two needed more room and raised the sky. Then they set the cardinal points and created the first people. In a variant myth, Mustamho, the son of a second generation of earth and sky, created the first people. In a myth told by the Walapai, part of the Yuman group that includes the Mojave, the name of the twins are Hokomata and Tochopa. In their myth the two brothers quarrel. Hokomata, jealous of his brother, who brought the arts to humankind, taught men the arts of war. In a rage Hokomata caused a flood that destroyed the earth, saving only his daughter, Pukeheh, in a hollow log, from which she emerged after the flood. She then gave birth to a boy whose father was the sun and to a girl whose father was the waterfall. From these two the earth was repopulated. In the Mojave variant of the myth, Mustambho took some people in his arms and saved them from the flood waters.
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow
– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante
