Earthmaker created an otter. This otter suddenly came to consciousness in the middle of the eastern Ocean Sea, and there he built himself a lodge. This was a lodge of Life, into which no death could enter.

Earthmaker concentrated his mind upon Otter, and Otter said to his wife, "Hare will come forth to give Life to his uncles and aunts." Otter got up and walked around his own fireplace, and as he did so, his lodged glowed with light. Then he took four steps towards the water, and as he continued, he was able to walk upon its surface. Then he dove down to the bottom of the Ocean Sea and brought up a fist full of sand. When he set the sand down, suddenly an island formed. Once again he dove into the sea and came back with a kingfish in his mouth. He set the kingfish down on the bear which was his seat, and used that for his plate. When he took a bite out of its center, he imprinted Light and Life on it. Four times he took a mouthful of that fish's intestines, and each time he lengthened the Light and Life that he imprinted upon it. Then his wife set her hands upon the bones, and they too became white with luminence.

Then Otter and his wife went out and walked upon the surface of the Ocean Sea, and as they set foot upon it, it became as placid as the water in a small dish. They walked until they reached land. Then they dove deeply into the waters, and when they emerged, they had four children between them. Otter dove into the waters again, and this time he came up with a very old and gray kingfish in his mouth. He placed this upon the bear, and biting into it, he created Light and Life. As he ate, the plate became smeared with Light and Life. Then he and his wife took hold of the kingfish and smeared the plate with a very white Light and Life.

Otter and his wife set out for the Creation Lodge of the Medicine Rite. Otter took four steps, then decided to try out his shell. There he saw a great and ancient tree. He shot his shell at it, and to his pleasure he saw that it had entered into the center of its core. He took four more steps, and there he saw an ancient and awe inspiring rock. This he shot, the the shell entered into the center of its core. Then as he was going along, he saw low hanging white clouds. He shot at the protruding edge of the clouds, and his shell once again penetrated to the center of the core. As Otter came up to the Creation Lodge, he shot his shell into its very center. There where the Unopposable stands, there he penetrated to the center of the core. "It is indeed good," said Otter. Thus it was. [1]

Commentary. "an otter" & "shell" -- this story is told in connection with the otterskin pouch which is used to shoot shells into initiates in the Medicine Rite. When the initiate is hit with such a shell, he falls over as if killed, only to arise later reborn.

"uncles and aunts" -- since Hare was born to a virgin, all of humanity is considered his uncles and aunts.

"the bear which was his seat" -- in the Medicine Rite the seats upon which those playing the roles of spirits sit are in origin and esoteric essence bears.

"Unopposable" -- a reference to the fire which stands in the center of the lodge.

Links: Otters, Earthmaker, Hare,

Stories: featuring Otter as a character: Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Turtle's Warparty, The Origins of the Milky Way, Redhorn's Sons, Redhorn Contests the Giants, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men, V. 2, Kunu's Warpath, Îtcorúcika and His Brothers, Morning Star and His Friend; featuring otters as characters: The Fleetfooted Man, The Dipper, The Two Children, Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Spear Shaft and Lacrosse, Turtle's Warparty, The Origins of the Milky Way, Redhorn's Sons, Redhorn Contests the Giants, Kunu's Warpath, Îtcorúcika and His Brothers, The Woman who Loved Her Half Brother, The Chief of the Herok'a, The Animal Spirit Aids of the Medicine Rite, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men, V. 2, Wodjidjé, Morning Star and His Friend; pertaining to the Medicine Rite: The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, The Journey to Spiritland, Holy Song, Maize Origin Myth, The Necessity for Death, Hog's Adventures, Great Walker's Warpath, see also Other Stories from Jasper Blowsnake's account of the Medicine Rite; mentioning Creation Lodges (Wogûzotcíra): The Creation Council, Hare Secures the Creation Lodge of the Medicine Rite, The Descent of the Drum, The Four Steps of the Cougar, The Nightspirits Bless Djobenâgiwíñxga, The Boy who would be Immortal, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, The Animal Spirit Aids of the Medicine Rite, East Enters the Medicine Lodge, East Shakes the Messenger, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men (v. 1), Peace of Mind Regained, South Enters the Medicine Lodge; featuring (spirit) fish as characters: The Man who went to the Upper and Lower Worlds, The Were-Fish, The Greedy Woman, Wolves and Humans, River Child and the Waterspirit of Devil's Lake, The Great Fish, The Spirit of Maple Bluff, Lake Wâkcikhomîgra (Mendota): the Origin of Its Name, The King Bird, Fish Clan Origins, The Blessing of a Bear Clansman, Trickster's Adventures in the Ocean, Hare Visits the Bodiless Heads; mentioning shells: The Gift of Shooting, The Markings on the Moon, The Shell Anklets Origin Myth, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men, The Wild Rose, Young Man Gambles Often (wampum), Wolves and Humans (oyster), Bird Clan Origin Myth, The Lost Child, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, V. 2, Turtle's Warparty, The Lost Blanket (mussel), The Annihilation of the Hotcâgara I, Hare Visits the Bodiless Heads (crab); mentioning the Ocean Sea (De Djâ): Trickster's Adventures in the Ocean, Hare Retrieves a Stolen Scalp (v. 1), The Baldheaded Warclub Origin Myth, Trickster and the Children, The Twins Retrieve Red Star's Head, Wears White Feathers on His Head, White Wolf, How the Thunders Met the Nights (Mâznî'âpra), Bear Clan Origin Myth (vv. 2a, 3), Wolf Clan Origin Myth (v. 2), Redhorn's Sons, Grandfather's Two Families, Sun and the Big Eater, The Journey to Spiritland (v. 4), The Sons of Redhorn Find Their Father (sea), The Thunderbird (a very wide river), Wodjidjé, The Twins Get into Hot Water (v. 1), Redhorn's Father, Trickster Concludes His Mission, Berdache Origin Myth, Thunder Cloud is Blessed, Morning Star and His Friend, How the Hills and Valleys were Formed.

Stories from Jasper Blowsnake's account of the Medicine Rite (The Road of Life and Death) in notebook order: The Shell Anklets Origin Myth, V 1, Keramanic'aka's Blessing, The Woman's Scalp Medicine Bundle, The Blessing of Kerexûsaka, Historical Origins of the Medicine Rite, Hare Secures the Creation Lodge of the Medicine Rite, Lifting Up the Bear Heads, East Enters the Medicine Lodge, V. 1, The Creation of the World, V. 12, The Creation of Man, V. 8, The Journey to Spiritland, V. 4, East Enters the Medicine Lodge, V. 2, Testing the Slave, South Enters the Medicine Lodge, V. 2, The Descent of the Drum, V. 1, The Commandments of Earthmaker, The Coughing Up of the Black Hawks, The Animal Spirit Aids of the Medicine Rite, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men, V. 2, East Shakes the Messenger, The Medicine Rite Foundation Myth, V. 4, The Messengers of Hare, V. 2, North Shakes His Gourd, Grandmother's Gifts, South Seizes the Messenger, Four Steps of the Cougar, The Messengers of Hare, V. 1, The Island Weight Songs, The Petition to Earthmaker, A Snake Song Origin Myth, The Completion Song Origin, Great Walker's Medicine, V. 2, Great Walker and the Anishinaabe Witches, The Diving Contest, The Sweetened Drink Song, The Plant Blessing of Earth, Tobacco Origin Myth, V. 3, The Tap the Head Medicine, The Claw Shooter, Tobacco Origin Myth, V. 4, Peace of Mind Regained, The Journey to Spiritland, V. 5, A Wife for Knowledge, The Shell Anklets Origin Myth, V. 2, The Descent of the Drum, V. 2, South Enters the Medicine Lodge, V. 1, Death Enters the World.

Themes: someone is able to exert supernatural power upon an object by concentrating his mind upon it: Hare Establishes Bear Hunting, Hare Recruits Game Animals for Humans, The Boy who was Blessed by a Mountain Lion, The Petition to Earthmaker, The Messengers of Hare, South Enters the Medicine Lodge, The Blessing of Kerexûsaka; walking on water: Bear Clan Origin Myth (v. 3), Bird Clan Origin Myth, How the Thunders Met the Nights, The Chief of the Herok'a, Redhorn's Sons; something is of a (symbolic) pure white color: White Bear, Deer Spirits, The Journey to Spiritland (v. 4), White Flower, Big Eagle Cave Mystery, The Fleetfooted Man, Thunderbird and White Horse, The Orphan who was Blessed with a Horse, Worúxega, The Two Boys, The Lost Blanket (white spirits), Skunk Origin Myth, He Who Eats the Stinking Part of the Deer Ankle, White Wolf, A Man and His Three Dogs, The Messengers of Hare, The Brown Squirrel, The Man Who Fell from the Sky, Bladder and His Brothers, White Thunder's Warpath, The Shell Anklets Origin Myth, The Dipper, Great Walker's Medicine (v. 2), Creation of the World (v. 12), Hare Secures the Creation Lodge, The Descent of the Drum, Tobacco Origin Myth (v. 5), The Diving Contest, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men, The Animal Spirit Aids of the Medicine Rite, Grandmother's Gifts, Four Steps of the Cougar, The Completion Song Origin, North Shakes His Gourd, Lifting Up the Bear Heads, Thunder Cloud is Blessed, Peace of Mind Regained; shooting shells in connection with the Medicine Rite: The Gift of Shooting, The Arrows of the Medicine Rite Men.

Notes:

[1] Jasper Blowsnake's Account of the Medicine Rite, in Paul Radin, Winnebago Notebooks (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, n.d.) Freeman #3876, Winnebago II, #6: 166-169 (the original handwritten interlinear text); Freeman #3886, Winnebago III, #6: 357.65-361.86. For a loose English translation, see Paul Radin, The Road of Life and Death: A Ritual Drama of the American Indians. Bollingen Series V (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973 [1945]) 255-257.