E24. Knees and elbows. 12.13.20. (.40.) .59.70.

Human joints appear after the first ancestor (or several ancestors) fell from a height, breaking his arms and legs.

Dogon, Hadza, Bellona, (chugach), trio, curiri.

West Africa. Dogon: Griaule 1938 in Kotlyar 2009, No. 265 [the first of eight ancestors was a blacksmith; when he descended from heaven to earth, he took blacksmith tools with him; he did not have fire, he stole a piece of sun in the form of hot coals and hot white iron from Nommo's forge of heavenly blacksmiths; when he began to descend, Nommo's woman was first thrown at him with a head; these guns became objects female and male cult; during landing, the hammer and anvil held by the blacksmith interrupted his arms and legs; this is how joints appeared; bending his arms could be worked]: 157-158; another retelling in Parrinder 1967 [Amma came to earth, giving birth to heavenly blacksmiths of half-human half-snake nummo twins of different sexes; a man stole a piece of sun from them to make a fire, covered himself from lightning with leather furs , slipped to the ground across the rainbow, breaking his limbs; before that, they were bending like Nummo's, and now they have joints]: 23.

Sudan - East Africa. Haza [the earth was above, the sky was below; the Ishoko Sun rolled the earth, told the Haine month to roll the sky, they swapped them and turned them around; people always stood, walked, could not sit; ate raw meat without fire; H. broke the stick, made Shashayko's woman knees out of pieces, she sat down; married, gave fire, taught me how to cook; S. made knees for all women, X. made knees for men; those who were not relatives Sh., became giraffes]: Col-Larsen 1962:47-49).

Micronesia-Polynesia. Bellona [Mautikitiki came from his father's bowel movements; his limbs didn't bend; his father tells him to jump off a tree, he breaks his arms and legs, and people have had knees and elbows ever since]: Monberg 1966:86 (=Elbert, Monberg 1965, No. 32:113).

(Wed. The Arctic. Chugach [A bear bites off a person's hand, hangs it in a smoke hole at home; a man suffers; a raven steals a hand, brings it back, heals the victim]: Birket-Smith 1953:165-166 [Raven asks the Bear to put a smoky bark into the fire, taking advantage of this, takes his hand; since his arm is bent, people now bend their arms], 170 [(=Johnson 1984:71-73); The Raven teaches the Bears how to bite off a person's hand when people lure bears during the salmon course; tells them to hang them in the chimney to cause more suffering to the wounded; people ask the Raven for help; he tells the Bear what if to tie the hand with grass rather than tree roots, the owner's pain will increase; takes his hand; putting it back, asks people to keep their eyes closed; one person opens their eyes, so people's arms bend; See further motif K52]).

Guiana. Trio: Koelewijn, Riviere 1987, No. 4 [Jaraware takes to the sky on the "nightjar hammock" vine, it has holes like a wicker staircase; tells people not to go after him, in a few days he will give they have a stronger staircase; people climb, the Squirrel cuts off the vine, everyone falls, breaks their legs, since then there are bending joints on their knees and ankles]: 31; Magaña 1987, No. 77 [Star Squirrel descends the vine to earth, says Yalavale (future Orion) that he can go to heaven; he is afraid, offers to others; the vine breaks, people fall, break their limbs, since then people have mobile joints; Squirrel Y. gives seeds, teaches me how to grow corn; J. makes holes too deep, so corn is low; I. goes up to heaven, then descends]: 148; 1988b, No. 5 [=1987]: 580.

Eastern Brazil. Kariri [Tuppart sends the Great Father to live among the cariri; people ask him for pig meat; he turns their children into wild pigs; pigs go up to heaven on a huge tree, people they chase them, kill many; the old man The Great Father sends red ants to gnaw through the trunk; toads try to protect the tree, but ants bite them (the origin of warts on the toads' skin); the tree is fallen down; people started throwing arrows at the tree to pick it up again, but raised the leash to half and then it fell again; they went down the rope, it was too short; people fell and broke their legs; so joints appeared; when they returned home, people ate plenty of their children's meat, who were turned into pigs; they asked the Great Father to return, but he did not want to, gave them Batzé tobacco instead; so where appropriate, they make tobacco offerings]: Martin de Nantes 1671-1688 in Lowie 1946:559; in Wassen 1933:125 to 126.