Each morning Sun shone down on the Wampanoag people, but they squinted and put their hands over their faces.
Angry at their reaction, the Sun refused to rise again.
"Help!" the people shouted. "Save us from the darkness."
Maushop the Giant heard them and walked across the Ocean to find Sun.
When Sun refused to return, Maushop asked Spider to spin a net, and then Maushop caught Sun in the net and carried him back to Wampanoag country. 'The Wampanoag people rejoiced to see Sun again, and each morning they give thanks, so the Sun returns happily again and again.
Inspired by: "Greeting the Sun, A Maushop Story (Wampanoag)" in Four Ancestors: Stories, Songs, and Poems from Native North America by Joseph Bruchac, 1996.
Notes: You can read the original story online at the Internet Archive. In the original story there is more detail, like Maushop being able to cross the ocean in just a few steps, and how he visits the Wampanoag people before going to visit the Sun, stepping carefully so he does not crush them underfoot in the dark. You can read more about the Wampanoag people at Wikipedia.
sunrise photo by Robert Laliberte at Flickr
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