AN ANALYSIS OF THE FIRST TWO BOOKS OF
THE WALUM OLUM
 




    The following is based on a word for word translation of the Wallum Olum from the original glyphs by C. S. Rafinesque. I have put the story into standard English, using parentheses where any doubtful additions have been made. Every effort has been made to keep the original sense.
 Jim Brady
 

The Creation

At first there was all sea water on top of the land. Above much water it was foggy, and (above) these was these Creator God. He was the First Being, invisible, everywhere. He was Creator God.

He caused there to be much water, much land, much clouds, much heaven. He caused the sun, moon, and stars. He caused all of these to move well.

A hard (wind) blew. It cleared up. The deep water ran off. It looked bright. An island was made there.

Again, the Creator God made the makers, the first beings also; souls also. After He made man, men's ancestor, He gave him the first mother.

He gave him fishes; He gave him turtles; He gave him beasts; He gave him birds. But the bad spirit made bad things, black-snakes, monsters. He made flies, He made gnats.

All beings were friends. Thou being a good God, spirits were good. There were jins, the first men; the first mother, wives, and fairies; fat fruit, the first food. All were pleased, all at ease in their minds, all happy.

But then secretly on earth, the snake god (made the) priest snake. (Men) worshipped the snake.

Wickedness, crime, unhappiness then thus came there. Bad weather came, distemper came, death came. This all happened very long ago, in the first land beyond the great ocean.
 

The Deluge

Long ago, (because of) the powerful snake, men had also become bad beings. (Because of) the strong snake foe, the jins had become troubled, hating each other, both fighting, spoiling, and not keeping the peace.

The strong snake had already resolved to spoil man. He brought the black snake, he brought monsters, he brought snake water rushing. Much water was rushing, it went up to the hills, penetrating everything, destroying everything.

At turtle land, at that island Nana-hare the strong hare became the grandfather of beings; he became the grandfather of men. A turtle is born creeping, he is ready to move and live. All men fled the creeping flood waters to high ground. Which way to the turtle's back? There were many sea monsters, who ate many.

The spirit-daughter helped. She came in a boat and helped all. Men were there, the turtle was there. Frightened, the turtle prayed. He (said), "Let it all be well." The water ran off, the plain and mountain were drying.
 

Conclusions

Granted this is not Genesis, but the similarities are strikng. The first paragraph reads much like Genesis 1:2. There is even a possible hint of the triune God in the literal translation of the second sentence: ". . .and these Creator God . . . ."

It is interesting that the first woman is called the "first mother" (Gen. 3:20). And can it be coincidence that the coming of sin and death is attributed to a snake? Finally, note that this is all said to have happened on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

The flood story is significant in its very existence. While it might be argued that creation accounts are to be expected of any primitive people, there is no logical reason for a story of a great deluge except that it was based on ancestral memories; corrupted obviously, but with some roots in fact. It is interesting to note, as well, men were saved in a boat in this legend.

Obviously, the Delaware legends are much distorted after being handed down over thousands of years, as are a multitude of other such creation and deluge stories in other cultures. The original account is preserved more accurately for us today in the Bible.

Jim Brady
Pensacola, FL