different forms according to the number of people and the work being
done; for instance, Hĕn´nati are white floating clouds behind which the
people pass about for pleasure. He´äsh are clouds like the plains, and
behind these, the cloud people are laboring to water the earth. The
water is brought from the springs at the base of the mountains in gourd
jugs and vases, by the men, women, and children, who ascend from these
springs to the base of the tree and thence through the heart or trunk
to the top of the tree which reaches to Ti´nia; they then pass on to
the designated point to be sprinkled. Though the lightning, thunder and
rainbow peoples of the six cardinal points[5] have each their priestly
rulers and theurgists of their cult societies, these are subordinate to
the priest of the cloud people, the cloud people of each cardinal point
having their separate religious and civil organizations. Again these
rulers are subordinate to Ho´chänni, arch ruler of the cloud people of
the world, the cloud people hold ceremonials similar to the Sia; and
the figures of the slat altars of the Sia are supposed to be arranged
just as the cloud people sit in their ceremonies, the figures of the
altars representing members of the cult societies of the cloud and
lightning peoples. The Sia in performing their rites assume relatively
similar positions back of the altars.
When a priest of the cloud people wishes assistance from the thunder
and lightning peoples he commands their ti´ämonis to notify the
theurgists to see that the labor is performed, he placing his cloud
people under the direction of certain of his theurgists, keeping
a general supervision himself over all. The people of Ti´nia are
compensated by those of Ha´arts for their services. These offerings are
placed at shrines, of which there are many, no longer left in view but
buried from sight. Cigarettes are made of delicate reeds and filled
with down from humming birds and others, minute quantities of precious
beads and corn pollen, and are offered to the priestly rulers and
theurgists of Ti´nia.
The lightning people shoot their arrows to make it rain the harder,
the smaller flashes coming from the bows of the children. The thunder
people have human forms, with wings of knives, and by flapping these
wings they make a great noise, thus frightening the cloud and lightning
peoples into working the harder. The rainbow people were created to
work in Ti´nia to make it more beautiful for the people of Ha´arts to
look upon; not only the elders making the beautiful bows, but the
children assisting in this work. The Sia have no idea how or of what
the bows are made. They do, however, know that the war heroes traveled
upon these bows.
The Sia entered this world in the far north, and the opening through
which they emerged is known as Shí-pa-po. They gathered into camps, for
they had no houses, but they soon moved on a short distance and built
a village. Their only food was seeds of certain grasses, and Ût´sĕt
desiring that her children should have other food made fields north,
west, south, and east of the village and planted bits of her heart, and
corn was evolved (though Ût´sĕt had always known the name of corn, corn
itself was not known until it originated in these fields), and Ût´sĕt
declared: “This corn is my heart and it shall be to my people as milk
from my breasts.”
After the Sia had remained at this village a year (referring to a time
period) they desired to pass on to the center of the earth, but the
earth was very moist and Ût´sĕt was puzzled to know how to harden it.
She commanded the presence of the cougar, and asked him if he had any
medicine to harden the road that they might pass over it. The cougar
replied, “I will try, mother;” but after going a short distance over
the road, he sank to his shoulders in the wet earth, and he returned
much afraid, and told Ût´sĕt that he could go no farther. She then sent
for the bear and asked him what he could do; and he, like the cougar,
made an attempt to harden the earth; he had passed but a short distance
when he too sank to his shoulders, and being afraid to go farther
returned, saying, “I can do nothing.” The badger then made the attempt,
with the same result; then the shrew (_Sorex_) and afterward the wolf,
but they also failed. Then Ût´sĕt returned to the lower world and asked
Sûs´sĭstinnako what she could do to harden the earth so that her people
might travel over it. Sûs´sĭstinnako inquired, “Have you no medicine to
make the earth firm? Have you asked the cougar and the bear, the wolf,
the badger and the shrew to use their medicines to harden the earth?”
And she replied, “I have tried all these.” Then, said Sûs´sĭstinnako,
“Others will understand;” and he told Ût´sĕt to have a woman of the
Ka´pĭna (spider) society to use her medicine for this purpose. Upon
the return of Ût´sĕt to the upper world, she commanded the presence
of a female member of this society. Upon the arrival of this woman
Ût´sĕt said, “My mother, Sûs´sĭstinnako, tells me the Ka´pĭna society
understands the secret of how to make the earth strong.” The woman
replied, “I do not know how to make the earth firm.” Three times Ût´sĕt
questioned the woman regarding the hardening of the earth, and each
time the woman replied, “I do not know.” The fourth time the question
was put the woman said, “Well, I guess I know; I will try;” and she
called together the members of the society of the Ka´pĭna and said
to them, “Our mother, Sûs´sĭstinnako bids us work for her and harden
the earth so that the people may pass over it.” The woman first made
a road of fine cotton which she produced from her body (it will be
remembered that the Ka´pĭna society was composed of the spider people),
suspending it a few feet above the earth, and told the people they
could now move on; but when they saw the road it looked so fragile that
they were afraid to trust themselves upon it. Then Ût´sĕt said: “I wish
a man and not a woman of the Ka´pĭna to work for me.” A male member
of the society then appeared and threw out the serpent (a fetich of
latticed wood so put together that it can be expanded and contracted);
and when it was extended it reached to the middle of the earth. He
first threw it to the south, then to the east, then to the west. The
Na´pakatsa (a fetich composed of slender sticks radiating from a center
held together by a fine web of cotton; eagle down is attached to the
cotton; when opened it is in the form of an umbrella, and when closed
it has also the same form minus the handle) was then thrown upon the
ground and stamped upon (the original Na´pakatsa was composed of cotton
from the spider’s body); it was placed first to the south, then east,
west and north. The people being in the far north, the Na´pakatsa was
deposited close to their backs.
The earth now being firm so that the people could travel, Ût´sĕt
selected for the ti´ämoni who was to take her place with the people
and lead them to the center of the earth, a man of the corn clan,
saying to him, “I, Ût´sĕt, will soon leave you; I will return to the
home whence I came. You will be to my people as myself; you will pass
with them over the straight road. I will remain in my house below and
will hear all that you say to me. I give to you all my wisdom, my
thoughts, my heart, and all. I fill your head with my mind.” She then
gave to her newly appointed representative a crooked staff as insignia
of his office, saying, “It is as myself; keep it always.” “Thank you,
mother,” he replied, and all the people clasped the staff and drew a
breath from it. “I give to you all the precious things which I brought
to this world [Ût´sĕt having brought these things in a sacred blanket
on her back]. Be sure to follow the one straight road for all years
and for all time to come. You will be known as Ti´ämoni [meaning the
arch-ruler]. I bid you listen to all things good, and work for all
things good, and turn from all things bad.” He replied: “It is well,
mother; I will do as you say.” She then instructed this ruler to make
the Ï´ärriko[6] (Pl. IX) which was to represent herself that they
might have herself always with them and know her always. Again Ût´sĕt
said: “When you wish for anything make hä´chamoni and plant them, and
they will bear your messages to your mother in the world below.”
[Illustration: Bureau of Ethnology. Eleventh Annual Report. Plate IX
Drawn by J. L. Ridgway. GAST LITH. CO. N.Y.
Ī-ÄR-RI-KO.
A SIA FETISH]
Before Ût´sĕt left this world she selected six Sia women, sending one
to the north, one to the west, one to the south, one to the east, one
to the zenith, and one to the nadir, to make their homes at these
points for all time to come, that they might be near the cloud rulers
of the cardinal points and intercede for the people of Ha´arts; and
Ût´sĕt enjoined her people to remember to ask these women, in times of
need, to appeal to the cloud people for them.
The Sia alone followed the command of Ût´sĕt and took the straight
road, while all other pueblos advanced by various routes to the center
of the earth. After Ût´sĕt’s departure the Sia traveled some distance
and built a village of beautiful white stone, where they lived four
years (years referring to time periods). The Sia declare that their
stay at the white house was of long duration. Here parents suffered
great distress at the hand of the tíämoni, who, objecting to the
increase of his people, for a time caused all children to be put to
death. The Sia had scarcely recovered from this calamity when a serious
difficulty arose between the men and women. Many women sat grinding
meal and singing; they had worked hard all day, and at sundown, when
the men returned to the houses, the women began abusing them, saying:
“You are no good; you do not care to work; you wish to be with women
all the time. If you would allow four days to pass between, the women
would care more for you.” The men replied: “You women care to be with
us all day and all night; if you women could have the men only every
four days you would be very unhappy.” The women retorted: “It is you
men who would be unhappy if you could be with the women only every four
days.”
And the men and women grew very angry with one another. The men cried:
“Were it ten days, twenty days, thirty days, we could remain apart from
you and not be unhappy.” The women replied: “We think not, but we women
would be very contented to remain away from you men for sixty days.”
And the men said: “We men would be happy to remain apart from you women
for five moons.” The women, growing more excited, cried: “You do not
speak the truth; we women would be contented to be separated from you
ten moons.” The men retorted: “We men could remain away from you women
twenty moons and be very happy.” “You do not speak the truth,” said the
women, “for you wish to be with us all the time, day and night.”
Three days they quarreled and on the fourth day the women separated
from the men, going on one side of the pueblo, the men and boys
gathering on the other side. All the women went into one chí-ta,
the men into another. The women had a great talk and the men held a
council. The men and women were very angry with one another.
The tíämoni, who presided over the council, said: “I think if you
and the women live apart you will each be contented.” And on the
following morning he had all the men and male children who were not
being nourished by their mothers cross the great river which ran by
the village, the women remaining in the village. The men departed at
sunrise, and the women were delighted. They said: “We can do all the
work; we understand the men’s work and we can work like them.” The men
said to each, other: “We can do the things the women did for us.” As
they left the village the men called to the women: “We leave you to
yourselves, perhaps for one year, perhaps for two, and perhaps longer.
For one year you may be happy to be apart from us. Perhaps we will be
happy to be separated from you; perhaps not; we can not tell. We men
are more amorous than you.”
Some time was required for the men to cross the river, as it was very
wide. The tíämoni led the men and remained with them. The women were
compelled by the tíämoni to send their male infants over the river as
soon as they ceased nourishing them. For ten moons the men and women
were very happy. The men hunted a great deal and had much game for
food, but the women had no animal food. At the expiration of the ten
moons some of the women were sad away from the men. The men grew stout
and the women very thin. As the second year passed more of the women
wanted the men, but the men were perfectly satisfied away from the
women. After three years the women more and more wished for the men,
but the men were but slightly desirous of the women. When the fourth
year was half gone the women called to the tíämoni, saying: “We want
the men to come to us.” The female children had grown up like reeds;
they had no flesh on them. The morning after the women begged the
tíämoni for the return of the men they recrossed the river to live
again with the women, and in four days after their return the women had
recovered their flesh.
Children were born to the women while they were separated from the men,
and when born they were entirely unlike the Sia, and were a different
people. The mothers, seeing their children were not like themselves,
did not care for them and drove them from their homes. These unnatural
children matured in a short time, becoming the skóyo (giant cannibals).
As soon as they were grown they began eating the Sia. They caught the
children just as the coyote catches his prey. They made large fires
between great rocks, and throwing the children in, roasted them alive,
and afterward ate them. When parents went to the woods to look for
their lost children, they too were caught by the giants and roasted.
No one ever returned to the village to tell the tale. The Sia were not
only devoured by the skóyo, but by those animals who quarreled with
their people at the time of the rupture between the Sia men and women,
the angry animals joining the skóyo in their attacks upon the Sia.
Although the children were destroyed whenever they ventured from their
homes the vigilance of some of the parents saved the race, and in
spite of the numerous deaths the people increased, and they built many
houses. Four years (referring to periods of time) the Skóyo and animals
captured and ate the Sia whenever they left their villages, but the Sia
were not always to suffer this great evil.
The sun father determined to relieve the people of their trouble and so
he became the father of twin boys.
Ko´chinako, a virgin (the yellow woman of the north), when journeying
to visit the center of the earth, lay down to rest. She was embraced by
the Sun, and from this embrace she became pregnant. In four days she
gave evident signs of her condition, and in eight days it was still
more perceptible, and in twelve days she gave birth to male twins.
During her condition of gestation her mother, the spider woman, was
very angry, and insisted upon knowing the father of the child, but the
daughter could not tell her; and when the mother asked when she became
pregnant, she could not reply to the question, and the mother said: “I
do not care to see the child when it is born; I wish to be far away.”
And as soon as the daughter complained of approaching labor the mother
left, but her heart softened toward her child and she soon returned. In
four days from the birth of the boys they were able to walk. When twins
are born, the first-born is called Kat´saya and the second Kat´che.
Ko´chinako named her first-born Ma´-a-se-we and the second U´-yuuyewĕ.
These children grew rapidly in intelligence, but they always remained
small in stature. One day they inquired of their mother, “Where is our
father?” The mother replied, “He is far away; ask no more questions.”
But again they asked, “Where is our father?” And they received the
same reply from the mother. The third time they asked, and a fourth
time, when the mother said, “Poor children, your father lives far away
to the east.” They declared they would go to him, but she insisted
they could not; that to reach him they would have to go to the center
of a great river. The boys were so earnest in their entreaties to be
allowed to visit their father, that the mother finally consented. Their
grandmother (the spider woman) made them each a bow and arrows, and the
boys started off on their journey, traveling along way. Upon reaching
the river they were puzzled to know how to enter their father’s house.
While they stood thinking, their grandmother (the spider woman)
appeared and said, “I will make a bridge for you.” She spun a web back
and forth, but when the bridge was completed the boys feared to cross
it; it appeared so frail. Then the grandmother tested the bridge to
show them it was safe. They, being now satisfied, crossed the bridge
and descended to the center of the river, and there found their
father’s house. The wife of their father inquired of the boys, “Who are
you, and where did you come from?” “We come to find our father.” The
woman then asked, “Who is your father?” and they answered, “The Sun is
our father;” and the wife was angry and said, “You tell an untruth.”
She gave them a bowl of food, which was, however, only the scraps left
by her children.
In a little while the Sun returned home. His wife was very indignant;
“I thought you traveled only for the world, but these children say you
are their father.” The Sun replied, “They are my children, because all
people are my children under my arm.” This satisfied the wife, even
though the children appealed directly to the Sun as father. When he saw
the boys were eating scraps, he took the bowl, threw out the contents,
and had his wife give them proper food. He then called one of his men
who labored for him, and said, “Build me a large fire in the house,”
designating a sweat-house, “lined with turkis, and heat it with hot
rocks,” the rocks being also turkis. He sent the children into this
house and had the door closed upon them. The Sun then ordered water
poured upon the hot rocks through an opening in the roof, but the
children cooled the sweat-house by spitting out tiny shells from their
mouths.
When the Sun ordered the door of the sweat-house opened he was
surprised to find the children still alive. He then had them cast
into another house, which was very large and filled with elk, deer,
antelope, and buffalo; he peeped through an opening in the wall and saw
the boys riding on the backs of the elk and deer apparently very happy
and contented. He then had them placed in a house filled with bear,
cougar, and rattlesnakes, and he peeped in and saw the children riding
on the backs of the bear and cougar and they were happy and not afraid,
and he said, “Surely they are my children,” and he opened the doors
and let them out, and asked, “My children, what do you wish of me?”
“Nothing, father,” they replied, “We came only to find our father.” He
gave to each of them a bow and arrows, and to each three sticks (the
rabbit stick), which he told them not to use until they reached home
for if they threw one, intending it only to go a little way it would go
very far. When they had proceeded on their journey but a short distance
Ma´asewe said to U´yuuyewĕ, “Let us try our sticks and see how far they
will go;” but U´yuuyewĕ refused, saying, “No; our father told us not to
use them until our return home.” Ma´asewe continued to plead with his
younger brother, but he was wise and would not yield. Finally Ma´asewe
threw one of his, and it was going a great distance off, but he stopped
it by throwing shells from his mouth.
The mother and grandmother were delighted to see the boys again,
and happy for all to be under one roof, but the boys, particularly
Ma´asewe, were soon anxious to travel. They wished to try the bows
their father had given them, and after they had been home four days
they started on a hunt. The mother said to the boys: “Children, I do
not wish you to go far; listen attentively to what I have to say. Away
to the east is a lake where many skoyo and their animal companions live
and when the sun is over the middle of the world these people go to the
lake to get water. They are very bad people and you must not go near
the lake.” Ma´asewe replied, “Very well, mother; I do not care to go
that way and I will look about near home.” But when the boys had gone
a little distance Ma´asewe said to his younger brother, “Let us go to
the lake that mother talked of.” U´yuuyewĕ replied: “I do not care to
go there, because our mother told us not to go that way;” but Ma´asewe
importuned his younger brother to go, and U´yuuyewĕ replied, “Very
well.” They then followed the road indicated by their mother until the
lake was discovered.
It was now about the middle of the day, and Ma´asewe said “There are
no people here, none at all; I guess mother told us a story;” but in
a little while he saw a great wolf approach the lake; then they saw
him enter the lake; he was thirsty, and drank; both boys saw him at
the bottom of the lake and they exclaimed: “See! he looks pretty in
the bottom of the lake.” Ma´asewe said: “I guess he will drink all the
water; see, the water grows less and less.” And when all the water was
gone there was no wolf in the bottom of the lake and then the boys
discovered the wolf on a low mesa, it having been only his reflection
they had seen in the lake. The boys aimed their arrows at him, but they
did not hit him and the wolf threw a large stick at them, but they
bowed their heads and it passed over them. Ma´asewe said to U´yuuyewĕ:
“I guess these people are those of whom mother spoke; see,” said he,
“this stick is the same as those given us by our father.” The boys
carried their rabbit sticks of great size and Ma´asewe aimed one of his
at the wolf, who wore a shirt of stone which could be penetrated only
at certain points. The wolf again threw a stick, but the boys jumped
high from the ground and the stick passed under them. Ma´asewe said to
U´yuuyewĕ, “Now, younger brother, you try.” U´yuuyewĕ had not used his
arrows or sticks up to this time. He replied, “All right,” and throwing
one of his sticks he struck the wolf in the side, and the protective
shirt was destroyed for the moment. Then Ma´asewe threw a stick, but
the shirt of stone again appeared protecting the wolf. U´yuuyewĕ,
throwing a second stick killed the wolf. Then Ma´asewe said, “Younger
brother, the wolf is destroyed; let us return; but we will first secure
his heart;” and with a stone knife he cut the wolf down the breast in a
straight line, and took out the heart, which he preserved, saying: “Now
we will return to our home.”
Upon their reaching home, their mother inquired: “Where have you been,
where have you been?” “We have been to the lake,” said the boys. “My
boys, you are fooling me.” “No, we are speaking the truth.” “Why did
you go there?” Ma´asewe replied, “We wished very much to see the lake.”
The mother asked: “Did you not see any Sko´yo?” “Yes,” said Ma´asewe,
“we saw one; at least we saw a great wolf;” and the mother cried, “Oh,
my boys, you are not good boys to go there.” Then Ma´asewe told his
mother that they had killed the wolf. At first, she refused to believe
him; but when Ma´asewe declared he spoke the truth, the mother took
the boys to her breast and said: “It is well, my children.” In a short
time the boys started out on another tour. Before leaving home, they
inquired of their mother where good wood for arrow shafts could be
procured. “Far off to the north in a canyon is good wood for shafts,
but a bad man sits in the road near by; this path is very narrow, and
when one passes by he is kicked into the canyon by this bad man, and
killed.” Ma´asewe declared to his mother he did not care to go there,
but he was not far from her eyes before he prevailed upon U´yuuyewĕ to
accompany him to this canyon, saying: “Let us go where we can find the
best wood.”
It required some persuasion from Ma´asewe, as U´yuuyewĕ at first
declared he would not disobey his mother. They traveled a long way
ere reaching the bad old man, the cougar, but when they saw him they
approached very cautiously, and Ma´asewe asked him if he could tell him
“where to find good wood for arrow shafts.” “Yes, I know,” replied the
cougar; “down there is much,” pointing to the canyon below. Ma´asewe
inquired, “How can I reach the canyon?” The cougar said, “Pass by me;
this is the best way.” Ma´asewe declared he must not walk before his
elders, but the cougar insisted that the boys should pass in front of
him. They were, however, determined to pass behind. Finally the cougar
said, “All right.” Ma´asewe asked him to rise while they passed, but
he only bent a little forward; then Ma´asewe said, “Lean a little
farther forward, the path is narrow;” and the cougar bent his body a
little more, when Ma´asewe placed his hands on the cougar’s shoulders,
pressing him forward, saying, “Oh! the way is so narrow; lean just
a little more; see, I can not pass.” U´yuuyewĕ, who was close to
Ma´asewe, put both his hands on the cougar’s right shoulder, while his
brother placed his on the left, they saying to him, “Just a little
farther forward,” and, with their combined effort, they threw him to
the canyon below, Ma´asewe crying out, “This is the way you have served
others.” The cougar was killed by the fall.