their present pueblo); Ma´asewe and U´yuuyewĕ desired to attend the
feast, and telling their mother of their wish, she consented to their
going. When they were near the village of the Oraibi they discovered
the home of the bee, and Ma´asewe said, “See, brother, the house of
the bee; let us go in; I guess there is much honey.” They found a
large comb full of honey, and Ma´asewe proposed to his brother that
they cover their whole bodies with the honey, so that the Oraibi would
not know them and would take them for poor, dirty boys; “for, as we
now are, all the world knows us, and to-day let us be unknown.” “All
right!” said U´yuuyewĕ, and they smeared themselves with honey. “Now,”
said the boys, “we are ready for the feast. It will be good, for the
Oraibi are very good people.” Upon visiting the plaza they found a
large gathering, and the housetops were crowded with those looking at
the dance. The boys, who approached the plaza from a narrow street in
the village, stood for a time at the entrance. Ma´asewe remarked, “I
guess all the people are looking at us and thinking we are very poor
boys; see how they pass back and forth and do not speak to us;” but
after awhile he said, “We are a little hungry; let us walk around and
see where we can find something to eat.” They looked in all the houses
facing upon the plaza and saw feasting within, but no one invited
them to enter and eat, and though they inspected every house in the
village, they were invited into but one. At this house the woman said,
“Boys, come in and eat; I guess you are hungry.” After the repast they
thanked her, saying, “It was very good.” Then Ma´asewe said, “You,
woman, and you, man,” addressing her husband, “you and all your family
are good. We have eaten at your house; we give you many thanks; and now
listen to what I have to say. I wish you and all of your children to
go off a distance to another house; to a house which stands alone; the
round house off from the village. All of you stay there for awhile.”
The boys then left. After they had gone the woman drank from the bowl
which they had used, and, smacking her lips, said to her husband,
“There is something very sweet in this bowl.” Then all the children
drank from it, and they found the water sweet, and the woman said, “Let
us do the will of these boys; let us go to the house;” and, the husband
consenting, they, with their children, went to the round house and
remained for a time.
Ma´asewe and U´yuuyewĕ lingered near the village, and the people were
dancing in the plaza and feasting in their houses, when suddenly they
were all transformed into stone. Those who were dancing, and those who
sat feasting, and mothers nourishing infants, all were alike petrified;
and the beings, leaving these bodies, immediately ascended, and at once
became the piñonero (Canada jay). The boys, returning to their home,
said, “Mother, we wish food; we are hungry.” Their mother inquired,
“Why are you hungry; did you not get enough at the feast?” “No; we are
very hungry and wish something to eat.” The mother again asked if it
was not a good feast. “Yes,” said Ma´asewe, “but we are hungry.” The
mother, suspecting something wrong, remarked, “I am afraid you have
been bad boys; I fear you destroyed that village before you left.”
Ma´asewe answered “No.” Four times the mother expressed her fears of
their having destroyed the village. Ma´asewe then confessed, “Yes; we
did destroy the village. When we went to the feast at Oraibi we were
all day with hungry stomachs, and we were not asked to eat anywhere
except in one house.” And when the mother heard this she was angry,
and Ma´asewe continued, “And this is the reason that I destroyed the
villlage[P1: Printer’s error],” and the mother cried, “It is good! I am
glad you destroyed the people, for they were mean and bad.”
When the boys had been home but two days their hearts told them that
there was to be a great dance of the Ka´ᵗsuna at a village located at
a ruin some 18 miles north of the present pueblo of Sia. The Ti´ämoni
of this village had, through his officials, invited all the people of
all the villages near and far to come to the great dance. Ma´asewe
said to his mother and grandmother (the spider woman), “We are going
to the village to see the dance of the Ka´ᵗsuna.” They replied, “We
do not care much to have you go, because you, Ma´asewe and U´yuuyewĕ,
are both disobedient boys. When you go off to the villages you do bad
things. At Oraibi you converted the people into stone, and perhaps you
will behave at this village as you did at Oraibi.” Ma´asewe replied,
“No, mother, no! We go only to see the Ka´ᵗsuna, and we wish to go,
for we know it is to be a great dance; we wish very much to see
it, and will not do as we did at Oraibi.” Finally, the mother and
grandmother said, “If you are satisfied to go and behave like good
boys we will consent.” It was a long way off, and the boys carried
their bows and arrows that their father, the sun, had given them. They
had proceeded but a short distance from their home, when the sun told
them each to get on an arrow, and the father drew his bow, shooting
both arrows simultaneously, the arrows striking the earth near where
the dance was to occur. The boys alighted from their arrows and walked
to the village. Every one wondered how they could have reached the
village in so short a time. The boys stopped at the door of a house
and, looking in, saw many people eating. They stood there awhile but
were not asked in, and they passed on from door to door, as they had
done at Oraibi, and no one invited them to eat. It was a very large
village, and the boys walked about all day, and they were very angry.
Discovering a house a little apart from the village, Ma´asewe said,
“Let us go there,” pointing to the house; “perhaps there we may get
food,” and upon reaching the door they were greeted by the man, woman,
and children of the house, and were invited to eat. The boys were,
as before, disguised with the honey spread over their bodies. After
the meal Ma´asewe, addressing the man and woman, said: “You and your
children are the first and only ones to invite us to enter a house and
eat, and we are happy, and we give you thanks. We have been in this
village all day and, until now, have had nothing to eat. I guess the
people do not care to have us eat with them. Why did your ti´ämoni
invite people from all villages to come here? He was certainly not
pleased to see us. You (addressing the man and woman) and your children
must leave this village and go a little way off. It will be well for
you to do so.”
And this family had no sooner obeyed the commands of the boys than
the people of the village were converted into stone, just as they
were passing about, the Ka´ᵗsuna as they stood in line of the dance,
some of them with their hands raised. It was never known what became
of the beings of the Ka´ᵗsuna. Ma´asewe then said: “Younger brother,
now what do you think?” U´yuuyewĕ replied, “I do not think at all; you
know.” “Yes,” said Ma´asewe, “and I think perhaps I will not return to
my house, the house of my mother and grandmother. I think we will not
return there; we have converted the people of two villages into stone,
and I guess our mother will be very unhappy.” And again Ma´asewe said:
“What do you think?” and U´yuuyewĕ replied, “I do not think at all;
you, Ma´asewe, you think well.” Then Ma´asewe said, “All right; I think
now I should like to go to see our father.” “Well,” said U´yuuyewĕ,
“let us go to him.”
There was a great rainbow (Kash´-ti-arts) in ti´nia; the feet of the
bow were on the earth and the head touched the heavens. “Let us be
off,” said the boys. They stepped upon the rainbow, and in a short
space of time the boys reached their father, the sun, who was in
mid-heavens. The bow traveled fast. The sun saw the boys approaching
on the bow and knew them to be his children. He always kept watch over
them, and when they drew near the father said, “My children, I am very
happy to see you. You have destroyed all the giants of the earth who
ate my people, and I am contented that they are no more; and it was
well you converted the people of the two villages into stone. They
were not good people.” Then Ma´asewe said: “Father, listen to me while
I speak. We wish you to tell us where to go.” “Yes,” said the father,
“I will; I know where it is best for you to make your home. Now, all
the people of the earth are good and will be good from this time forth
(referring to the destruction of the Sia by the cannibals). I think it
will be well for you to make your home there high above the earth,”
pointing to the Sandia mountain, “and not return to the people of the
earth.” “All right, my father,” replied Ma´asewe; “we are contented and
happy to do as you say.”
Before leaving their people Ma´asewe organized the cult societies of
the upper world. These tiny heroes then made their home in the Sandia
mountain, where they have since remained, traveling, as before, on the
rainbow.
The diminutive footprints of these boys are to be seen at the entrance
of their house (the crater of the mountain) by the good of heart, but
such privilege is afforded only to the ti´ämoni and certain theurgists,
they alone having perfect hearts; and they claim that on looking
through the door down into the house they have seen melons, corn, and
other things which had been freshly gathered.
After the expiration of four years the ti´ämoni desired to travel on
toward the center of the earth, but before they had gone far they
found, to their dismay, that the waters began to rise as in the lower
world, and the whole earth became one vast river. The waters reached
nearly to the edge of the mesa, which they ascended for safety. The
ti´ämoni made many offerings of plumes and other precious articles
to propitiate the flood, but this did not stay the angry waters, and
so he dressed a youth and maiden in their best blankets, and adorned
them with many precious beeds and cast them from the mesa top; and
immediately the waters began to recede. When the earth was again
visible it was very soft, so that when the animals went from the mesa
they would sink to their shoulders. The earth was angry. The ti´ämoni
called the Ka´pĭna Society together and said, “I think you know how to
make the earth solid, so we can pass over it,” and the theurgist of
that order replied, “I think I know.” The same means was used as on the
previous occasion to harden the earth. The theurgist of the Ka´pĭna
returning said, “Father, I have been working all over the earth and it
is now hardened.” “That is well,” said the ti´ämoni, “I am content. In
four days we will travel toward the center of the earth.”
During the journey of the Sia from the white-house in the north they
built many villages. Those villages were close together, as the Sia
did not wish to travel far at any one time. Finally, having concluded
they had about reached the center of the earth, they determined to
build a permanent home. The ti´ämoni, desiring that it should be
an exact model of their house of white stone in the north, held a
council, that he might gain information regarding the construction,
etc., of the white village. “I wish,” said the ti´ämoni, “to build
a village here, after our white-house of the north, but I can not
remember clearly the construction of the house,” and no one could be
found in the group to give a detailed account of the plan. The council
was held during the night, and the ti´ämoni said, “To-morrow I shall
have some one return to the white-house, and carefully examine it. I
think the Si´sika (swallow) is a good man; he has a good head; and I
think I will send him to the white-house,” and calling the Si´sika he
said: “Listen attentively; I wish you to go and study the structure
of the white-house in the north; learn all about it, and bring me
all the details of the buildings; how one house joins another.” The
Si´sika replied, “Very well, father; I will go early in the morning.”
Though the distance was great, the Si´sika visited the white-house,
and returned to the ti´ämoni a little after the sun had eaten (noon).
“Father,” said the Si´sika, “I have examined the white-house in the
north carefully, flying all over it and about it. I examined it well
and can tell you all about it.” The ti´ämoni was pleased, for he had
thought much concerning the white house, which was very beautiful.
[Illustration: FIG. 15. Diagram of the white house of the north,
drawn by a theurgist.
Lines indicate houses.
_a_, Street.
_b_, Plaza.
_c_, Plaza.
_d_, Doorway of the north wind.
_e_, The great chita.
_f_, Cougar, mother of the north village.]
He at once ordered all hands to work, great labor being required in the
construction of the village after the plan laid down by the Si´sika.
Upon the completion of this village, the ti´ämoni named it Kóasaia. It
is located at the ruin some 2½ miles north of the present site of
Sia. (Fig. 15.) It is an accurate copy of a plan drawn by the theurgist
who first related the cosmogony to the writer.
The theurgist explained that the cougar could not leave her post at
the white stone village of the north; therefore, the lynx was selected
as her representative at this village. And no such opening as shown in
_d_ existed in the duplicated village, as the doorway of the north wind
was ever in the north village. And the ti´ämoni, with all his people,
entered the large chita and held services of thanksgiving. Great was
the rejoicing upon the completion of the village, and the people
planted corn and soon had fine fields.
The Sia occupied this village at the time of their visit from
Po´shaiyänne, the quasi messiah, after he had attained his greatness,
and when he made a tour of the pueblos before going into Mexico.
Po´shaiyänne was born of a virgin at the pueblo of Pecos, New Mexico,
who became pregnant from eating two piñon nuts. The writer learned
through Dr. Shields, of Archuleta, New Mexico, that the Jemez Indians
have a similar legend. When want and starvation drove the Pecos Indians
from their pueblo they sought refuge with the Jemez. Philologists claim
that the languages of the Pecos and Jemez belong to the same stock.
The woman was very much chagrined at the birth of her child, and when
he was very young she cast him off and closed her doors upon him. He
obtained food and shelter as best he could; of clothing he had none but
the rags cast off by others. While still a little boy he would follow
the ti´ämoni and theurgists into the chita and sit apart by the ladder,
and listen to their wise talk, and when they wished a light for their
cigarettes Po´shaiyänne would pass a brand from one to another. But no
one ever spoke to him or thanked him, but he continued to follow the
wise men into the chita and to light their cigarettes. Even when he
reached years when other youths were invited to sit with the ti´ämoni
and theurgists and learn of them, he was never spoken to or invited to
leave his seat by the entrance.
Upon arriving at the state of manhood he, as usual, sat in the chita
and passed the light to those present. Great was the surprise when it
was discovered that a string of the rarest turkis encircled his right
wrist. After he had lighted each cigarette and had returned to his seat
by the entrance, the ti´ämoni called one of his men to him and said,
“What is it I see upon the wrist of the boy Po´shaiyänne; it looks
like the richest turkis, but surely it can not be. Go and examine it.”
The man did as he was bid, and, returning, told the ti´ämoni that it
was indeed as he had supposed. The ti´ämoni requested the man to say
to the youth that he wished to know where he obtained the turkis and
that he desired to buy the bracelet of him. When the man repeated the
message, Po´shaiyänne said, “I can not tell him how it came upon my
wrist, and I do not wish to sell it.” The reply being delivered to the
ti´ämoni, he said to his messenger, “Return to the youth and tell him
I have a fine house in the north. It and all its contents shall be his
in exchange for the bracelet.” The people present, hearing the words
of the ti´ämoni, regretted that he offered his house and all therein
for the bracelet, but they did not say anything as they thought he
knew best. The message being delivered to Po´shaiyänne, he said, “Very
well, I will give the bracelet for the house and all it contains.” The
ti´ämoni then called Po´shaiyänne to him and examined the bracelet, and
his heart was glad because he was to have the jewels. He then begged
Po´shaiyänne to be seated, saying, “We will play the game Wash´kasi.”[7]
In playing the favorite game of Wash´kasi (Fig. 16), forty pebbles form
a square, ten pebbles on a side, with a flat stone in the center of the
square. Four flat sticks, painted black on one side and unpainted on
the other, are held vertically and dropped upon the stone. The ti´ämoni
threw first. Two black and two unpainted sides faced up. Two of the
painted sides being up entitled the player to move two stones to the
right. Po´shaiyänne then threw, turning up the four painted sides. This
entitled him to move ten to the left. The ti´ämoni threw and three
painted sides faced up. This entitled him to move three stones to the
right. Again Po´shaiyänne threw and all the colored sides faced up,
entitling him to move ten more. The next throw of the ti´ämoni showed
two colored sides and he moved two more. Po´shaiyänne threw again, all
the colored sides being up; then he moved ten. The ti´ämoni then threw
and all four unpainted sides turned up; this entitled him to move six.
Po´shaiyänne threw and again all the painted sides were up, entitling
him to move ten, which brought him to the starting point, and won him
the game.
[Illustration: FIG. 16. The game of Wash´kasi.]
The following morning, after the ti´ämoni had eaten, they went into
the chita as usual; Po´shaiyänne, following, took his seat near the
entrance, with a blanket wrapped around him. When he approached the
ti´ämoni to hold the lighted stick to his cigarette, the ti´ämoni’s
astonishment was great to find a second bracelet, of ko-ha-qua,[8]
upon the wrist of Po´shaiyänne. Each bead was large and beautiful. The
ti´ämoni urged Po´shaiyänne not to return to his seat by the ladder,
but to sit with them; but he declined, and then a messenger was sent
to examine the bracelet, and the man’s report excited a great desire
in the ti´ämoni to secure to himself this second bracelet, and his
house in the west, with all that it contained, was offered in exchange
for the bracelet. This house was even finer than the one in the north.
Po´shaiyänne replied that if the ti´ämoni wished the bracelet, he would
exchange it for the house in the west. Then he was invited to be seated
near the ti´ämoni, who placed between them a large bowl containing six
2-inch cubes, which were highly polished and painted on one side. The
ti´ämoni said to Po´shaiyänne, “Hold the bowl with each hand, and toss
up the six cubes. When three painted sides are up the game is won; with
only two painted sides up the game is lost. Six painted sides up is
equivalent to a march in euchre.” Po´shaiyänne replied, “You first, not
I. You are the ti´ämoni; I am no one.” “No,” said the ti´ämoni, “you
play first;” but Po´shaiyänne refused, and the ti´ämoni tossed up the
blocks. Only two painted sides were up; Po´shaiyänne, then taking the
bowl, tossed the blocks, and all the painted sides turned up. Again
the ti´ämoni tried his hand, and three painted sides faced up; then
Po´shaiyänne threw and the six painted sides were up. The ti´ämoni
again threw, turning up two painted sides only; then Po´shaiyänne
threw, with his previous success. The ti´ämoni threw, and again two
painted sides were up. Po´shaiyänne threw, and six painted sides faced
up as before, and so a second house went to him. The ti´ämoni said, “We
will go to our homes and sleep, and return to the chita in the morning,
after we have eaten.”
The following morning Po´shaiyänne took his seat at the usual place,
but the ti´ämoni said to him: “Come and sit among us; you are now more
than an ordinary man, for you have two houses that belonged to the
ti´ämoni,” but Po´shaiyänne refused and proceeded to light the stick
to pass around for the lighting of the cigarettes. When he extended
his hand to touch the stick to the cigarettes it was discovered that
he wore a most beautiful bracelet, which was red, but not coral. The
ti´ämoni again sent an emissary to negotiate for the bracelet, offering
Po´shaiyänne his house in the south in exchange for the red bracelet.
Po´shaiyänne consented and again a game was played. Four circular
sticks some 8 inches long, with hollow ends, were stood in line and a
blanket thrown over them; the ti´ämoni then put a round pebble into the
end of one, and removing the blanket asked Po´shaiyänne to choose the
stick containing the pebble. “No, my father,” said Po´shaiyänne, “you
first. What am I that I should choose before you?” but the ti´ämoni
replied, “I placed the stone; I know where it is.” Then Po´shaiyänne
selected a stick and raising it the pebble was visible. Po´shaiyänne
then threw the blanket over the sticks and placed the stone in one of
them, after which the ti´ämoni selected a stick and raised it, but
no stone was visible. This was repeated four times. Each time the
ti´ämoni failed and Po´shaiyänne succeeded, and again the house in the
south went to Po´shaiyänne.
The next day when all had assembled in the chita and Po´shaiyänne
advanced to light the cigarettes a bracelet of rare black stone beads
was noticed on his wrist. This made the ti´ämoni’s heart beat with envy
and he determined to have the bracelet though he must part with his
house in the east; and he offered it in exchange for the bracelet, and
Po´shaiyänne accepted the offer. The ti´ämoni then made four little
mounds of sand and throwing a blanket over them placed in one a small
round stone. Then raising the blanket he requested Po´shaiyänne to
select the mound in which he had placed the stone. Po´shaiyänne said:
“My father, what am I that I should choose before you?” The ti´ämoni
replied, “I placed the stone and know where it is.” Then Po´shaiyänne
selected a mound, and the one of his selection contained the stone.
The placing of the stone was repeated four times, and each time the
ti´ämoni failed, and Po´shaiyänne was successful; and the hearts of all
the people were sad when they knew that this house was gone, but they
said nothing, for they believed their ti´ämoni knew best. The ti´ämoni
said: “We will now go to our homes and sleep, and on the morrow, when
we have eaten, we will assemble here.”
In the morning Po´shaiyänne took his accustomed place, entering after
the others. Upon his offering the lighted stick for the cigarettes the
people were struck with amazement, for on the wrist of Po´shaiyänne was
another bracelet of turkis of marvelous beauty, and when the ti´ämoni
discovered it his heart grew hungry for it and he sent one of his men
to offer his house of the zenith. Po´shaiyänne replied that he would
give the bracelet for the house. This house contained many precious
things. The ti´ämoni requested Po´shaiyänne to come and sit by him;
and they played the game Wash´kasi and, as before, Po´shaiyänne was
successful and the house of the zenith fell to him.
The following morning, when the people had assembled in the chita
and as Po´shaiyänne passed the stick to light the cigarettes, the
ti´ämoni and all the people saw upon his wrist another bracelet of
large white beads. They were not like the heart of a shell, but white
and translucent. The ti´ämoni could not resist the wish to have this
rare string of beads, and he sent one of his men to offer his house of
the nadir for it. When Po´shaiyänne agreed to the exchange, all the
people were sad, that the ti´ämoni should part with his house, but they
said nothing and the ti´ämoni was too much pleased with the beautiful
treasure to be regretful. He had Po´shaiyänne come and sit by him and
again play the game with the six blocks in the large bowl. The game was
played with success on the part of Po´shaiyänne and he became the owner
of the sixth house.