_From Copyright Photograph 1904 by E.S. Curtis_
With a large stone knife Locust cut off the horns of the Monsters one by
one. With those from the one toward the east he made a long sweep with his
arm in that direction, and in the distance sprang up an ocean. In like
manner he formed oceans to the south, west, and north with the horns of
the remaining three. The creation of rivers followed: with a wave of the
hand the Rio Grande, the San Juan, the Colorado, the Little Colorado, and
others were made. Hair pulled from the bodies of the Monsters was tossed
to the winds and from it sprang frogs, snakes, lizards, and reptiles of
every kind.
While Locust was doing this the remainder of the people came up. They
stood about on the small bare spots of ground wondering what to do. Among
them were the four Winds (Ni{~COMBINING BREVE~}lchi), Black, Blue, Yellow, and White. Each
blew toward his respective cardinal point and soon much of the water dried
up, leaving a quantity of bare land. But not a sign of vegetation was
there at any hand; all was as barren as the desert sands. Luckily each had
brought seeds of many kinds from the world below. These they began
planting, finishing the task in four days.
After the planting, First Man, First Woman, Wolf Chief, and Mountain Lion
Chief each made a speech advising the creation of a number of mountains
similar to the ones they had had in the lower world. This was agreeable to
all, and accordingly the work was begun. The handfuls of earth caught up
hurriedly from the tops of the mountains below as they were driven off by
the rising flood were taken to the cardinal points and deposited in the
same relative positions, an equal distance apart, as were the submerged
mountains from which the earth had been taken. First Si{~COMBINING BREVE~}snajini, the White
Mountain, was made in the east; then Tsotzilh, the Blue Mountain, in the
south; next Dokooeslit, the Yellow Mountain, in the west, and lastly
Depe{~COMBINING BREVE~}nsa, the Black Mountain, in the north. Having yet portions of each
handful of earth remaining, two more mountains, called Choili and
Tzilhnuhodihli, were made near the point of emergence in the middle of the
rectangle formed by the creation of the other four. To give each mountain
color, white shell, turquoise, abalone, and jet were used for those at the
cardinal points, while the middle two were colored with a mixture of all
these substances.
When the mountains were finished and the people looked about, it was
proposed that a sky should be made to cover the earth. "But," said one,
"what of the earth itself; is it not too small to furnish food for the
people who shall later come to live upon it?" None had thought of this,
but reflection, followed by a discussion, brought them all to the one
opinion--they would enlarge the earth and at the same time spread the sky
above. Accordingly, the chief who had spoken asked if anyone had a piece
of turquoise weighing as much as a man, and the skin of a large male deer
which had been smothered to death in pollen. First Man answered that he
had. A large white shell and the skin of a doe which had been smothered in
pollen were next requested. First Woman responded with them. The two skins
were then placed on the ground, side by side, with their heads toward the
east. Upon the one was put the turquoise and a piece of abalone shell; on
the other the white shell and a pearl. First Man and First Woman then
called for Kosdilhkih, Black Cloud, and Adilhkih, Black Fog. These came
and spread out over the skins four times each, lifting and settling each
time. When Fog lifted the last time it took up with it the skin with the
turquoise and abalone and began to expand, spreading wider and wider until
a blue film covered all, in the form of the sky. As the turquoise skin
expanded, so also did the white-shell skin, broadening the earth as it
grew. During this period of transition the people all travelled eastward,
and being Holy People, covered great distances each day. At the end of the
fourth day they stopped. Then also the sky and the earth ceased widening,
having reached their present dimensions. Since the two skins had been
placed with their heads toward the east, the heads of the sky and the
earth are now in that direction.
[Illustration: _Hasche{~COMBINING BREVE~}lti_ - Navaho]
_Hasche{~COMBINING BREVE~}lti_ - Navaho
_From Copyright Photograph 1904 by E.S. Curtis_
This, the Talking God, is the chief character in Navaho mythology. In the
rites in which personated deities minister to a suffering patient this
character invariably leads, carrying a four-piece folding wand, _balil_,
and uttering a peculiar cry.
As yet there was neither sun nor moon to shed light, only dawn, circling
the horizon in the four colors--white in the east, blue in the south,
yellow in the west, and black in the north. Deeming it necessary that they
should have light to brighten the world, and warmth for the corn and the
grass, on their return to the earth's centre one of the chiefs made a
speech advocating the creation of a sun and a moon.
First Man and First Woman placed two sacred deerskins on the ground as
before. On the buckskin a shell of abalone was placed, on the doeskin a
bowl made of pearl. The shell contained a piece of clear quartz crystal,
and the bowl a moss agate. The objects were dressed respectively in
garments of white, blue, yellow, and black wind, and were carried to the
end of the land in the east by First Man and First Woman. With their
spirit power Astse Hastin and Astse Estsan sent both the shell and the
bowl far out over the ocean, giving life to the crystal and the agate as
they did so, directing that the one who would be known as Chehonaai, the
Sun, should journey homeward through the sky by day, shedding light and
warmth as he passed; the other, Klehonaai, the Moon, must travel the same
course by night. To each were given homes of turquoise in the east and
west, and none but the Winds and the gods, Hasche{~COMBINING BREVE~}lti and Haschogan, were
to visit them.
Upon their return Astse Hastin and Astse Estsan were asked if they would
leave the sky in so plain a condition, or if they intended to beautify it
with jewels. They replied that it was their intention to dot it with many
bright stars. All those who had bits of white shell, turquoise, crystal,
pearl, or abalone were directed to contribute them for the making of the
stars. These were placed upon the two deerskins by First Man and First
Woman. The seven stars of the Great Dipper, Nohokos Baku{~COMBINING BREVE~}n, were the first
to be set in the sky. Next, those of Nohokos Baad, his female complement,
were placed in the blue dome. Then followed Ete{~COMBINING BREVE~}tso and Etetsozi, Sontso
and Sontsozi, and Dilgehet, the Small Dipper, Sonhotsi and Klekai Stai,
the Milky Way.
In each instance the arrangement of the stars in the constellation was
made when the fragments of precious stones were placed upon the skins,
where Astse Hastin and Astse Estsan imparted glowing light to them and
delivered them to the Winds to carry to the sky. Only a small portion of
the gems had been thus transformed and sent up, when a fine-looking,
well-dressed stranger came up to watch the proceedings. In reply to his
question as to what was being done, his attention was directed to the sun,
the moon, and the many stars already created, while more were soon to
follow. The man was Coyote, son of Darkness. He watched the work for a
time, when, seeing his chance, he caught the large deerskin containing the
pile of jewel fragments and flung it skyward, blowing into the bits four
times ere they could fall, scattering them all over the sky. Thus it is
that there are myriads of stars irregular in arrangement and without
names. As he strode off Coyote explained curtly that there were already
enough sacred things to worship.
Then the Winds were stationed at the horizon to guard the earth, and at
the four sacred mountains in the east, south, west, and north, to act as
messengers for the Hasche{~COMBINING BREVE~}lti and Haschogan--Talking Gods and House
Gods--who had their abodes on them. On the same plane, one behind the
other, the Winds were ranged in streaks, White, Blue, Yellow, and Black.
Outside of all Coyote placed a streak of Red Wind. This forced itself to
the inside many years later and gave rise to disease and premature death,
for as the good Winds are life-breathing, so the evil Winds are
life-taking. Even now the Red Wind takes the lives of many children every
year.
[Illustration: _Haschogan_ - Navaho]
_Haschogan_ - Navaho
_From Copyright Photograph 1904 by E.S. Curtis_
Second in general importance only to Hasche{~COMBINING BREVE~}lti among Navaho deities is
the House God, here shown. His position among the gods is quite parallel
with that of peace chief among Indians in life. Like the majority of the
myth characters he has numerous counterparts in the various world
quarters.
The Digi{~COMBINING BREVE~}n made their homes near Choili, close to the place of emergence.
It was there that all ceremonies took place. From their homes the people
saw a dark Cloud settle and cover the top of Choili. For four days it kept
lowering until the mountain was completely shrouded in dark blue fog. They
did not know whether it portended good or evil, but realized that
something of moment was at hand. Astse Hastin ascended the mountain
through the fog to learn what it meant, but found nothing unusual. As he
turned to descend, a faint, apparently distant cry reached his ears, but
he paid no heed. Ere long the same sound came to him again; then a third
and a fourth time, whereupon he turned and walked in the direction whence
it came. On the eastern slope he found a tiny baby, and wrapping it in
rays of sunbeams he carried it home to his wife.
The Cloud that descended was a portion of the sky which had come to meet
the Earth; from the union of the two Yolkai Estsan, White-Shell Woman, was
born. In twelve days the baby had grown to maturity, subsisting on pollen
only. Astse Hastin and Astse Estsan sent messengers to all the Digin to
tell them of the marvel and to summon them to a ceremony which would be
held four days later. Word was sent also to the gods on the four sacred
mountains.
Astse Estsan dressed Yolkai Estsan in fine garments ornamented with
beautiful jewels. At the western side of her hogan she placed a sacred
deerskin and laid upon it several wool and cotton blankets, covering the
whole with a mountain-lion skin. These were arranged as the seat of honor
for White-Shell Woman, for whom was about to be held a ceremony
celebrating her maturity.
On the appointed day all assembled. The first matter to decide was the
number of songs to be sung. Some wished fourteen, others thought twelve
sufficient. Hasche{~COMBINING BREVE~}lti, Talking God, sang the songs and chose to sing
fourteen. When he had finished, each of the Holy People sang six songs,
making in all two hundred and eighty-two. An entire night was thus
consumed. At dawn Astse Estsan came into the hogan with a white-shell bowl
containing yucca root, a black _tozus_, or water bottle, containing black
rain, and a blue one with blue rain. From each bottle she poured a little
water upon the yucca root and proceeded to wash Yolkai Estsan and all her
finery. That done, Yolkai Estsan was directed to run toward the rising sun
for a short distance and return. Many of the young people followed, a
chosen singer chanting eight songs during their absence. The ceremony
finished, the assemblage returned to their homes, each of the selected
singers taking one of the blankets from the seat in return for his
services.
Although all the people then on earth were of the Digi{~COMBINING BREVE~}n, only a few had
god-like powers, particularly First Man, First Woman, Yolkai Estsan, and
the Winds. The lesser Holy Ones worked much in clay, making pottery and
adobe houses. The designs they used in their earthenware, however, were of
a sacred nature, to be used only in ceremonials, and when the Fox, Wolf,
Badger, Bird, and many other people repeatedly employed sacred symbols to
adorn their cooking pots, First Man and his wife became very angry and
called a council, which, in addition to themselves, was attended by
Chehonaai, Yolkai Estsan, and Ni{~COMBINING BREVE~}lchi, the Wind People.
The wicked people had homes throughout the land, many of which were built
of stone, upon the plains, and others in the cliffs. The councillors
decided that these people and their homes must be destroyed, but how to
effect this was a problem.
First Woman and Chehonaai thought it would be wise to give birth to
demoniac monsters and let them devour the evil ones, but First Man
objected, and finally the council agreed that the Winds should perform the
task by bringing forth a devastating storm. The faithful were warned and
given time to seek refuge under the water, inside the sacred mountains, in
the higher cliffs, and in the sky. Then the Winds came. For four days
terrific storms raged, hurling men and trees and houses through the air
like leaves. When they abated hundreds of houses lay in ruins which may
yet be traced by heaps of stones scattered throughout the Navaho country.
[Illustration: Antelope Ruin - Canon del Muerto]