In the beginning, there was only an infinite celestial dome, empty and silent.
In this empty space, Temaukel, an immortal entity filled with eternal wisdom and energy, emerged. With a thought, Temaukel created another immortal entity, Kenos, and commissioned him to build the world. Kenos, with his great skill and infinite power, began to carve the mountains, dig the valleys, and shape the Land of Fire. He made the oceans, planted forests, and gave birth to animals that walk, swim, and fly.
Initially, in this created world, everything was dark and lacked movement, so Kenos crafted the Moon and the Sun known as Kra and Kran, respectively. He instructed them to take turns illuminating the world, thus creating alternating periods of day and night.
Then, Kenos created the first humans. He mixed water, soil, and a piece of grass together and then replanted them. From this combination, he sprouted a Skeum (male genital organ). Later, using the same method but with different proportions, he created an Askeum (female genital organ). At sunset each day, the Skeum and the Askeum joined together, and a Selk’nam (human) was born. These Selk’nam people grew and created new humans until all creation was inhabited.
Kenos taught the first Selk’nam language and created Kaweskar spirits to reward their skills. Kaweskar spirits lived in mountains, rivers, and forests, revealing secrets of hunting, fishing, medicine, and sacred rituals to humans.
Life in the Land of Fire flowed harmoniously, and the Selk’nam respected the land, animals, and spirits.
They celebrated the changing of seasons with dances and songs, thanked Kenos for his gifts, and sought guidance from the Kaweskar.
Kenos, once a powerful being, began to feel his age catching up to him, and he believed his abilities were fading. In an attempt to regain his youth, he went to sleep, hoping to wake up feeling young and strong again. However, his attempt failed as he found that he was only a little rested after each sleep, but not any younger. Feeling defeated, Kenos decided to embark on a journey northward. When he grew too tired to walk any further, he came across a group of Selk’nam and asked them to wrap him in their capes and bury him.
He remained in a state of “sleep-death” for a long time. However, upon waking up, he discovered that he had become young again.
The Selk’nam witnessed this miraculous transformation and decided to do the same thing. When someone grew old and lost all their strength, they buried them. After waking up from their sleep-death, they would find themselves young again. However, sometimes they would wake up transformed into mountains, lakes, animals, seas, and so forth.
When it was time for Kenos to depart, he was transformed into a star and placed in the sky alongside all of his companions. From then on, Kenos and his companions have been watching over people, animals, and nature, shining brightly in the sky as a reminder of their presence.
This is a variation of the creation myth of the Selk’nam, the early inhabitants of Patagonia. The details of the story vary depending on the narrative and region.
You can find additional myths from various parts of the world here -> Myths Of The World.