The Flood According to the Head-Hunting Indigenous People
A mura had gone to a lagoon near the Pastaia River with the intention of fishing. A young caiman bit the hook. The crocodile's mother became enraged and lashed the water with her massive tail. This caused the river to swell, overflow, and flood the entire valley. Only one mura survived because he had climbed to the top of a tall palm tree. Surrounded by darkness, the man would throw a fruit into the water each day to check if the floodwaters had receded. One day, the fruit made a dry sound when it hit the ground, and the mura was able to descend.
Realizing he was the sole survivor, the man cut a piece of his own flesh, planted it in the ground, and from it grew the first woman of the new generation. The pair vowed never to kill a caiman again.
