https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NanabozhoThe king-fisher had told him that if he wounded the chief Snake, he would flood the world as high as the topmost tree; that then the water would go down again; but that if he killed him, the dying reptile would destroy the whole world with a mighty flood. The water had already begun to rise. So Manabozho got on the little raft he had succeeded in making and floated about, as he watched the water rise until the trees all disappeared. Then the water went slowly down again. After it was dry on the earth, Manabozho went back to tell the chief wolf what had happened. After narrating this to the wolf tribe, he went back to the lake where he had the encounter with the chief Snake. He knew by the fact that the world was not destroyed completely that the chief Snake had only been wounded, and he had it in his mind to kill him, whatever the consequence might be. As he was walking along the shore of the lake, he heard something rattling Looking ahead, he saw a large frog-like old lady jumping along. She had a rattle which she used in doctoring. She also had a pack of basswood bark an her back. "Hello, grandma,” shouted Manabozho to her, "where are you going?"
"I am going to the chief Snake's house to doctor him," answered the frog-lady.
"Why, what is the matter with the chief Snake, grandma ?"
"Why, a great god Manabozho, shot the chief Snake for revenge."
“Grandma, teach me your medicine song," broke in Manabozho, "I will pay you."
So, tempted with the promised pay, the old medicine-frog-lady told Manabozho all about her doctoring and medicine songs. Then Manabozho, after he had learned all she could impart to him, killed her, skinned her, then put the skin on himself, took the rattle and the pack of basswood bark and started for the village where the chief Snake lived. On the way, he stopped where the old frog-lady lived and there he made himself at home and waited. That evening a messenger came saying, "Grandma, you are invited again to come and doctor the chief."
"All right," answered Manabozho. Then imitating the old frog-lady, he started to finish his killing of the chief Snake. As he journeyed toward the home of the King Snake he got a lot of trees together for a raft, in case he should need them. Getting everything ready, he continued on his journey to the chief Snake's house. As he neared the door, he noticed his nephew's skin hanging as a curtain in the doorway. The sight of it made him feel so bad that he almost cried. They, thinking he was the old medicine-frog-lady, invited him into the house, and he entered. They led him to the room where the chief Snake lay very sick.
On entering the room, Manabozho took his rattles and started to sing the medicine songs he had learned from the aged frog-lady. As he sang he crawled nearer and nearer to the chief's side. As he did so, he saw that the arrow that he had shot that previous time was still imbedded in his flesh with the broken end sticking out. He waited. At the opportune moment, he pushed the arrow completely in and instantly killed the chief, as he had intended. Immediately he fled from the house, singing to cover his tracks and to prevent suspicion. He knew the consequence of his act, and set out with all speed for his raft arriving there none too soon. While Manabozho was still running, the water began to rise, and by the time he reached his raft it was knee-deep. He got on top of the raft just as it began to float away. The whole world was immediately submerged.
In this catastrophe the animals began to swim around the raft trying to get somewhere safe from the raging waters. Some succeeded in getting up on the raft--all that could; others hung on. For three days they were floating as if it were an ocean and they were in the middle of it; there was no land to be seen anywhere. The whole land surface had been swallowed up.
One thing Manabozho had forgotten before he got aboard his raft: he had forgotten to get a handful of dirt from the earth. So on the morning of the fourth day of the flood, he called a council, saying, "We must do something. We can not stay here on this raft for all time. We must get some dirt." So he chose four divers: Beaver, Otter, Loon, and Muskrat. These were to try to secure some earth from the bottom of the sea so as to be able to start land again. Beaver first dove down; but died before he reached the bottom of the waters.
The Otter dove likewise but died and floated lifeless on the water. Then the Loon went down and down and returned again without anything. He had seen it but had lost his life just as he was nearing the green land and the trees. He floated dead near the raft and Manabozho brought him back to life by blowing his breath into his face. The Muskrat then started to dive downward. For two days nothing was seen of him. At last, however, he floated again on the waters' surface near the raft, dead and all doubled up. They pulled him aboard. Then Manabozho blew life into him again and examined him to see what he had found. In the Muskrat's hands he found a little earth and sand, also in his feet and mouth, also a leaf and some seed. Having obtained the coveted gifts of earth, Manabozho dried them in his hands and caused them to increase till he had a hand full of them. The recreation of the world was at hand.
Being all ready for the great work before him, Manabozho held his hand filled with dirt, sand, and seed up to his face, palm up. At once he began to blow his breath strongly over the lump and blow particles of it off around the raft. In this way he formed an island. At once the animals left the raft and began to roam around on the land surface; but Manabozho kept on blowing the particles from his hand out further and further, thus extending the land area. He kept on blowing till the "land extended beyond human sight."
He then sent the raven to fly around the earth (land) to see how big it was. He was gone for two days, then returned. Manabozho said, "That's too small." So he blew more and more sand. Then he sent the dove to see how large the earth was. But it was so large that the dove never came back. Manabozho was satisfied that the world was big enough. Then he started to plant things, including the great forest of the Northwest.
Having completed his recreation of the earth, he departed for his home. Manabozho now lives down East, the great chief of all spirits of the Indians. He conquered and killed the great enemy of mankind, the Chief-Snake God.
