Klamath

(map)

Although a flood does appear in this story, the destruction is primarily by a world fire. Other stories tell that K'mukamtch grew jealous of his son Aishish because Aishish surpassed him in many skills.

K'mukamtch, the creator, fell in love with one of the wives of his son Aishish. He saw a lark nest up a tree, and seeing an opportunity to remove his son, he told Aishish it was an eagle's eyrie. He told Aishish to remove his shirt, belt, and hair ribbon and sent him up the tree to capture the eaglets. Upon reaching the top and finding only larks, Aishish looked down and found that the tree had grown much taller as he climbed, so he could not get down again.

K'mukamtch dressed in Aishish's clothes and returned to Aishish's home, where he consorted with the wife he coveted. The other wives suspected him and stayed away from him.

Aishish, stuck atop the tree with nothing to eat, became nothing but skin and bones. Then two butterfly women brought him food and water, combed and oiled his hair, and dressed him. He told them his story, and they carried him down to the ground in a basket.

Aishish found two of his wives, Tchika (chaffinch) and Kletish (sandhill crane), digging roots. His child recognized him first and called, "Father!" Tchika slapped the boy, thinking he had violated the taboo of speaking of a dead person soon after their death, but when she turned and saw Aishish, she ran joyfully to him. They all went home, and Aishish gave porcupine-quill neckwear to all of his wives.

Hearing that Aishish was still alive, K'mukamtch went to see him. Aishish instructed his son to grab K'mukamtch's pipe and throw it in the fire, which the lad did. Aishish pushed it further in the fire so that it burned completely, and so killed K'mukamtch.

Much later, K'mukamtch came to life again. To take revenge, he daubed pitch all over the sky and set it afire. Aishish protected his home and family by holding a tray, rooflike, over them. The pitch turned into a lake which covered all the world; only Aishish's home remained. Mud Hen, Aishish's third wife, put her head out from under the roof. A drop of pitch fell on her and left a mark on her forehead that has been there ever since.

Albert Samuel Gatschet, The Klamath Indians of Southwestern Oregon, Contributions to North American Ethnology vol. 2, part 1 (Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1890), 94-99.