Takatukahane

Wisakedjak is the trickster God responsible for many important events in Native American mythologies such as the creation of animals, the great flood, and the creation of the moon. He is not evil like other trickster gods and is sometimes depicted as a great hero in some stories.

This is one of Wisakedjak’s hero stories: the story of the creation of the moon.

Once upon a time, there was a father, son, and daughter who lived high above the clouds. The father lighted the great fire of the Sun every day and made the Sunrise. Every evening, he put out the fire of the Sun and it would be night.

As the father got older, he realized that day would come soon. He told her daughter and son that when he dies, they have to take care of the Sun. But of course, he died without telling them which one will do the job.

Siblings whose fathers died get into a fight (of course). The sister said that she is older than her brother, that he should light the fire of the Sun. The brother, on the other hand, displayed an uncivilized attitude by saying, “You are a woman, do not meddle in a man’s business.”

When the siblings were quarreling, it was the time for the sun to rise, but it did not rise because the fire had not started yet. Our hero, Wisakedjak, went to the house above the clouds to check what’s going on. He saw the siblings quarreling and said, “Fork the job you will ever do!” and he created the Moon.

He gave the brother the job of starting the fire of the sun and gave the sister the job of starting the fire of the moon. And he said, “Since you can’t get along, for all time, you will see each other from across the sky.”

As it is in many beliefs, Indians believe that the day is male and the night is female. And the moon has quite important effects on women. Its effects on the menstrual period and sleep patterns of women are just a few.