Origin: Yu’pik (a Native Alaskan tribe)

Theme: Origin of earthquakes

One time Spider Woman and her sister were arguing about who should cook food there in the sky camp, one would pull the food and try to jerk it away from her sister.  When Negury’aq, Spider Woman’s husband returned from hunting he heard all this screaming and shouting, he saw his wife and her sister fighting like two birds – picking at each other, screeching and screaming so loud no one could understand them, they were making such noise that their fight was affecting the world (Ella), it was like a big storm and each time Spider Woman stomped her foot a loud clap would happen (slapping hands together) Negury’aq said stop – and yelled “where is my food!”

The women did not hear him, they kept fighting.  Negury’aq walked up to them and tapped Spider Woman’s sister on the arm, she reached around and scratched him on his face.  Angry Negury’aq (Big Spider) cursed the sister and banned her to live in the earth realm under the ground.  He said she will be asleep and never be heard from again.

For a long time things were very quiet and Spider Woman’s sister rested under the ground, but one day she moved and when she did the whole Ella (Earth) shook – from that day forward she was called Earthshake (Earthquake) Woman.  And because time is different for the spirits she never moves very often.