H24A. A bag with stars .44.48.50.

Opening the bag, the character releases stars rushing into the sky in disarray.

The Midwest. Chippewa [every night, Ojishonda, the leader of Star Country, walked around it, carrying a bag of stars and placing them in the sky; one day he put the bag down, lay down to rest; the red fox who lived with him took the bag away scattered stars, O. could not collect them; now he must walk across the sky, lighting stars; when he feels tired or when it snows deep, he does not have time to light everything, so in winter some stars do not visible; O. is getting older, does not have time to go around the sky (Cappel, Chippewa Tales, 45-46)]: Miller 1997:57-58.

California. Shasta [the voice tells the little girl to pick up and carry the bag without opening it; she stops and unties the knots; the stars rush into the sky in disarray; var.: a few stars remain in bag and were removed from it where necessary; we know their names (Shield, i.e. Big Dipper, Sling, Pot Stand)]: Holsinger 1982:20-21; Maidu [the brightest star right above head (Vega?) - The leader, aka First Man, is motionless, commands the movement of the other stars; his three wives appeared from his three ribs, so humans have three lower ribs short; a dark spot that goes into the Star River ( The Milky Way) was the place where the bag of stars was; when the Chief's wives ran across the river, they knocked the bag (Big Dipper) out of her husband's hands, the stars crumbled]: Beck et al. 2001:86.

The Great Southwest. Hopi [stars crumble across the sky in disarray]: Cushing 1923, No. 7:166; Eastern ceres [like Hopi]: Benedict 1931 (Cochiti): 4 [(=Monroe, Williamson 1987:38-39); people went south; the mother gave the little girl a bag, told her not to open it along the way; she opened it, the stars crumbled in disarray; only a few were left in the bag and were placed correctly; so we only know the names few constellations], 4-5 [Our Mother tells Coyote not to open the bag in the corner of the room; the person tasked with placing the stars managed to hang seven Ursa Major stars, three stars Orion's Belts, Morning Star; here Coyote opened the bag, the stars crumbled in disarray; and the beasts spread around the world (=Monroe, Williamson 1987:40-41);]; Dumarest in Boas 1928a (Cochiti) [character prepares corndough to make stars; unsuccessful; The spider advises burning them to ash; stars are obtained; they are put in a bag, given to a scarab beetle, which opens, contrary to warning; the stars have crumbled, and he lost his star-like eyes]: 231; Stevenson 1894 (Sia) [animal people rise to earth from the lower world; Mother (one of two primordial sisters) gives Scarab a bag; he looks into him, stars dot the sky in disarray; Mother dazzles Scarab as punishment; makes Major Dipper, Orion, Pleiades out of the remaining stars]: 37; Tewa (Hano): Parsons 1926, No. 1:169-172 [var.1; women decide that they can live alone; stay in the village, men go across the river; every year men harvest more abundant crops and women poorer crops; the flood begins, women try unsuccessfully to build a tower to the sky; men plant a pine tree, it grows to the sky but does not break through it; reeds pierce; first the Badger, then the rest climb into the upper world; half of the women failed to get up, drowned; The mockingbird gives its tongues to speak; in the lower world, people were with tails, now they have lost them; it is dark around; two young men (the Son of the Sun and the Son of Ooting Water), along with the Coyote, are assigned put stars in the sky; young men place the Pleiades, the Big Dipper, Orion, the Morning Star, some others; the Coyote gets tired of this job, he throws the remaining stars in disarray; young men put on the sky is a month made of a wedding cape, and the sun is made of bison skin, white fox skin and parrot tail; the sun does not move; Coyote: someone must die; the girl dies, the sun moves before noon, again stops; now the young man dies; Coyote explains that every day a person must die in the morning, noon and evening, then the sun will move; first the dead would return on the fifth day; Coyote says this is wrong, dies and does not come back; the widower looks into the hole from which people came out, sees his dead wife and Coyote below], 172-175 [var.2; in the lowest world, people were black ants; when they rose to the second, they became tailed creatures; in the third they became human; in the first world it was dark, in the second world there was a little light, in the third world it was like the moon; then like in var.1; languages are given by the Bear; Mockingbird explains that people must die regularly to keep the sun moving]; Navajo [other gods asked Black God to decorate the sky with stars; he became get crystals out of the bag, created constellations; Ursa Major - Revolving Male, Revolving Male, Revolving Female; also other constellations; Coyote asked for help, threw crystals randomly; the last one left named Coyote Star (Antares, Mars?)] : Haile 1947:4 in Monroe, Williamson 1987:31-33; =Williamson 1984:162-163.