the young women and supposed them lost forever. On the morning of the
fourth day the call of the gods was heard,--four times as usual,--and
after the fourth call White Body made his appearance, holding up two
fingers and pointing to the river. The people supposed that these
signs had reference to the lost girls. Some of the men crossed the
stream on the raft and looked for the tracks of the lost ones; they
traced the tracks to the edge of the water, but no farther. White
Body went away, but soon returned, accompanied by Blue Body. White
Body carried a large bowl of white shell, and Blue Body a large bowl
of blue shell. They asked for a man and a woman to accompany them, and
they went down to the river. They put both the bowls on the surface of
the water and caused them to spin around. Beneath the spinning bowls
the water opened, for it was hollow, and gave entrance to a large
house of four rooms. The room in the east was made of the dark waters,
the room in the south of the blue waters, the room in the west of the
yellow waters, and the room in the north of waters of all colors.[36]
179. The man and the woman descended and Coyote followed them. They
went first into the east room, but there they found nothing;
then they went into the south room, but there they found nothing;
next they went into the west room, where again they found nothing;
at last they went into the north room, and there they beheld the
water monster Tiéholtsodi, with the two girls he had stolen and two
children of his own. The man and the woman demanded the children,
and as he said nothing in reply they took them and walked away. But
as they went out Coyote, unperceived by all, took the two children
of Tiéholtsodi and carried them off under his robe. Coyote always
wore his robe folded close around him and always slept with it thus
folded, so no one was surprised to see that he still wore his robe
in this way when he came up from the waters, and no one suspected
that he had stolen the children of Tiéholtsodi.
180. Next day the people were surprised to see deer, turkey, and
antelope running past from east to west, and to see animals of six
different kinds (two kinds of Hawks, two kinds of Squirrels, the
Hummingbird, and the Bat) come into their camp as if for refuge. The
game animals ran past in increasing numbers during the three days
following. On the morning of the fourth day, when the white light
rose, the people observed in the east a strange white gleam along
the horizon, and they sent out the Locust couriers to see what caused
this unusual appearance. The Locusts returned before sunset, and told
the people that a vast flood of waters was fast approaching from the
east. On hearing this the people all assembled together, the Kisáni
with the others, in a great multitude, and they wailed and wept over
the approaching catastrophe. They wept and moaned all night and could
not sleep.
181. When the white light arose in the east, next morning, the
waters were seen high as mountains encircling the whole horizon,
except in the west, and rolling on rapidly. The people packed up all
their goods as fast as they could, and ran up on a high hill near by,
for temporary safety. Here they held a council. Some one suggested
that perhaps the two Squirrels (Hazáitso and Hazáistozi) might help
them. "We will try what we can do," said the Squirrels. One planted
a piñon seed, the other a juniper seed, and they grew so very fast
that the people hoped that they would soon grow so tall that the
flood could not reach their tops, and that all might find shelter
there. But after the trees grew a little way they began to branch
out and grew no higher. Then the frightened people called on the
Weasels (Glo`dsilkái and Glo`dsilzi'ni). One of these planted a spruce
seed and one a pine seed. The trees sprouted at once and grew fast,
and again the people began to hope; but soon the trees commenced to
branch, and they dwindled to slender points at the top and ceased to
grow higher. Now they were in the depths of despair, for the waters
were coming nearer every moment, when they saw two men approaching
the hill on which they were gathered.
182. One of the approaching men was old and grayhaired; the other,
who was young, walked in advance. They ascended the hill and passed
through the crowd, speaking to no one. The young man sat down on the
summit, the old man sat down behind him, and the Locust sat down behind
the old man,--all facing the east. The elder took out seven bags from
under his robe and opened them. Each contained a small quantity of
earth. He told the people that in these bags he had earth from the
seven sacred mountains. There were in the fourth world seven sacred
mountains, named and placed like the sacred mountains of the present
Navaho land. "Ah! Perhaps our father can do something for us," said
the people. "I cannot, but my son may be able to help you," said the
old man. Then they bade the son to help them, and he said he would
if they all moved away from where he stood, faced to the west, and
looked not around until he called them; for no one should see him
at his work. They did as he desired, and in a few moments he called
them to come to him. When they came, they saw that he had spread
the sacred earth on the ground and planted in it thirty-two reeds,
each of which had thirty-two joints. As they gazed they beheld the
roots of the reeds striking out into the soil and growing rapidly
downward. A moment later all the reeds joined together and became one
reed of great size, with a hole in its eastern side. He bade them
enter the hollow of the reed through this hole. When they were all
safely inside, the opening closed, and none too soon, for scarcely
had it closed when they heard the loud noise of the surging waters
outside, saying, "Yin, yin, yin."[37]
183. The waters rose fast, but the reed grew faster, and soon it grew
so high that it began to sway, and the people inside were in great
fear lest, with their weight, it might break and topple over into
the water. White Body, Blue Body, and Black Body were along. Black
Body blew a great breath out through a hole in the top of the reed;
a heavy dark cloud formed around the reed and kept it steady. But the
reed grew higher and higher; again it began to sway, and again the
people within were in great fear, whereat he blew and made another
cloud to steady the reed. By sunset it had grown up close to the sky,
but it swayed and waved so much that they could not secure it to the
sky until Black Body, who was uppermost, took the plume out of his
head-band and stuck it out through the top of the cane against the
sky, and this is why the reed (Phragmites communis) always carries
a plume on its head now.[38]
184. Seeing no hole in the sky, they sent up the Great Hawk, Gini'tso,
to see what he could do. He flew up and began to scratch in the sky
with his claws, and he scratched and scratched till he was lost to
sight. After a while he came back, and said that he scratched to where
he could see light, but that he did not get through the sky. Next they
sent up a Locust.[39] He was gone a long time, and when he came back
he had this story to tell: He had gotten through to the upper world,
and came out on a little island in the centre of a lake. When he got
out he saw approaching him from the east a black Grebe, and from the
west a yellow Grebe.[40] One of them said to him: "Who are you and
whence come you?" But he made no reply. The other then said: "We own
half of this world,--I in the east, my brother in the west. We give
you a challenge. If you can do as we do, we shall give you one half of
the world; if you cannot, you must die." Each had an arrow made of the
black wind. He passed the arrow from side to side through his heart
and flung it down to Wonistsídi, the Locust.[41] The latter picked up
one of the arrows, ran it from side to side through his heart, as he
had seen the Grebes do, and threw it down.[42] The Grebes swam away,
one to the east and one to the west, and troubled him no more. When
they had gone, two more Grebes appeared, a blue one from the south
and a shining one from the north. They spoke to him as the other
Grebes had spoken, and gave him the same challenge. Again he passed
the arrow through his heart and the Grebes departed, leaving the land
to the locust. To this day we see in every locust's sides the holes
made by the arrows. But the hole the Locust made in ascending was
too small for many of the people, so they sent Badger up to make it
larger. When Badger came back his legs were stained black with the mud,
and the legs of all badgers have been black ever since. Then First Man
and First Woman led the way and all the others followed them, and they
climbed up through the hole to the surface of this--the fifth--world.
II. EARLY EVENTS IN THE FIFTH WORLD.
185. The lake[43] was bounded by high cliffs, from the top of which
stretched a great plain. There are mountains around it now, but these
have been created since the time of the emergence. Finding no way to
get out of the lake, they called on Blue Body to help them. He had
brought with him from the lower world four stones; he threw one of
these towards each of the four cardinal points against the cliffs,
breaking holes, through which the waters flowed away in four different
directions.[44] The lake did not altogether drain out by this means;
but the bottom became bare in one place, connecting the island with
the mainland. But the mud was so deep in this place that they still
hesitated to cross, and they prayed to Ni'ltsi Dilkóhi, Smooth Wind,
to come to their aid.[45] Ni'ltsi Dilkóhi blew a strong wind, and
in one day dried up the mud so that the people could easily walk
over. While they were waiting for the ground to dry, the Kisáni camped
on the east side of the island and built a stone wall (which stands
to this day), to lean against and to shelter them from the wind.[46]
The other people set up a shelter of brushwood. The women erected four
poles, on which they stretched a deerskin, and under the shelter of
this they played the game of three-sticks,[47] tsindi', one of the
four games which they brought with them from the lower world.
186. When they reached the mainland they sought to divine their
fate. To do this some one threw a hide-scraper into the water, saying:
"If it sinks we perish, if it floats we live." It floated, and all
rejoiced. But Coyote said: "Let me divine your fate." He picked up a
stone, and saying, "If it sinks we perish; if it floats we live," he
threw it into the water. It sank, of course, and all were angry with
him and reviled him; but he answered them saying: "If we all live,
and continue to increase as we have done, the earth will soon be too
small to hold us, and there will be no room for the cornfields. It
is better that each of us should live but a time on this earth and
then leave and make room for our children." They saw the wisdom of
his words and were silent. The day they arrived at the shore they
had two visitors,--Puma and Wolf. "We have heard," said these, "that
some new people had come up out of the ground, and we have come over
to see them." Puma took a bride from among the new people.
187. On the fourth day of the emergence some one went to look at the
hole through which they had come out, and he noticed water welling
up there; already it was nearly on a level with the top of the hole,
and every moment it rose higher. In haste he ran back to his people
and told them what he had seen. A council was called at once to
consider the new danger that threatened them. First Man, who rose
to speak, said, pointing to Coyote: "Yonder is a rascal, and there
is something wrong about him. He never takes off his robe, even when
he lies down. I have watched him for a long time, and have suspected
that he carries some stolen property under his robe. Let us search
him."[48] They tore the robe from Coyote's shoulders, and two strange
little objects dropped out that looked something like buffalo calves,
but were spotted all over in various colors; they were the young of
Tiéholtsodi. At once the people threw them into the hole through
which the waters were pouring; in an instant the waters subsided,
and rushed away with a deafening noise to the lower world.[49]
188. On the fifth night one of the twin hermaphrodites ceased to
breathe. They left her alone all that night, and, when morning came,
Coyote proposed to lay her at rest among the rocks. This they did; but
they all wondered what had become of her breath. They went in various
directions to seek for its trail, but could find it nowhere. While
they were hunting, two men went near the hole through which they had
come from the lower world. It occurred to one of them to look down
into the hole. He did so, and he saw the dead one seated by the side
of the river, in the fourth world, combing her hair. He called to his
companion and the latter came and looked down, too. They returned to
their people and related what they had seen; but in four days both
these men died, and ever since the Navahoes have feared to look upon
the dead, or to behold a ghost, lest they die themselves.[60]
189. After this it was told around that the Kisáni, who were in camp
at a little distance from the others, had brought with them from the
lower world an ear of corn for seed. Some of the unruly ones proposed
to go to the camp of the Kisáni and take the corn away from them;
but others, of better counsel, said that this would be wrong, that
the Kisáni had had as much trouble as the rest, and if they had more
foresight they had a right to profit by it. In spite of these words,
some of the young men went and demanded the corn of the Kisáni. The
latter said, after some angry talk on both sides, "We will break
the ear in two and give you whichever half you choose." The young
men agreed to this bargain, and the woman who owned the ear broke it
in the middle and laid the pieces down for the others to choose. The
young men looked at the pieces, and were considering which they would
take, when Coyote, getting impatient, picked up the tip end of the
ear and made off with it. The Kisáni kept the butt, and this is the
reason the Pueblo Indians have to-day better crops of corn than the
Navahoes. But the Pueblos had become alarmed at the threats and angry
language of their neighbors and moved away from them, and this is
why the Navahoes and Pueblos now live apart from one another.
190. After the Kisáni moved away, First Man and First Woman, Black
Body and Blue Body, set out to build the seven sacred mountains of
the present Navaho land. They made them all of earth which they had
brought from similar mountains in the fourth world. The mountains they
made were Tsisnadzi'ni in the east, Tsótsil (Taylor, San Mateo) in
the south, Dokoslíd (San Francisco) in the west, Depe'ntsa (San Juan)
in the north, with Dsilnáotil, Tsolíhi, and Akidanastáni (Hosta Butte)
in the middle of the land.[61]
191. Through Tsisnadzi'ni,[62] in the east, they ran a bolt of
lightning to fasten it to the earth. They decorated it with white
shells, white lightning, white corn, dark clouds, and he-rain. They
set a big dish or bowl of shell on its summit, and in it they put two
eggs of the Pigeon to make feathers for the mountain. The eggs they
covered with a sacred buckskin to make them hatch (there are many
wild pigeons in this mountain now). All these things they covered
with a sheet of daylight, and they put the Rock Crystal Boy and the
Rock Crystal Girl[53] into the mountain to dwell.
192. Tsótsil,[54] the mountain of the south, they fastened to
the earth with a great stone knife, thrust through from top to
bottom. They adorned it with turquoise, with dark mist, she-rain,
and all different kinds of wild animals. On its summit they placed a
dish of turquoise; in this they put two eggs of the Bluebird, which
they covered with sacred buckskin (there are many bluebirds in Tsótsil
now), and over all they spread a covering of blue sky. The Boy who
Carries One Turquoise and the Girl who Carries One Grain of Corn[55]
were put into the mountain to dwell.
193. Dokoslíd,[56] the mountain of the west, they fastened to the earth
with a sunbeam. They adorned it with haliotis shell, with black clouds,
he-rain, yellow corn, and all sorts of wild animals. They placed a
dish of haliotis shell on the top, and laid in this two eggs of the
Yellow Warbler, covering them with sacred buckskins. There are many
yellow warblers now in Dokoslíd. Over all they spread a yellow cloud,
and they sent White Corn Boy and Yellow Corn Girl[57] to dwell there.
194. Depe'ntsa, the mountain in the north, they fastened with
a rainbow. They adorned it with black beads (pászini), with the
dark mist, with different kinds of plants, and many kinds of wild
animals. On its top they put a dish of pászini; in this they placed two
eggs of the Blackbird, over which they laid a sacred buckskin. Over
all they spread a covering of darkness. Lastly they put the Pollen
Boy and Grasshopper Girl[59] in the mountain, to dwell there.
195. Dsilnáotil,[60] was fastened with a sunbeam. They decorated it
with goods of all kinds, with the dark cloud, and the male rain. They
put nothing on top of it; they left its summit free, in order that
warriors might fight there; but they put Boy Who Produces Goods and
Girl Who Produces Goods[61] there to live.
196. The mountain of Tsolíhi[62] they fastened to the earth with
ni'ltsatlol (the streak or cord of rain). They decorated it with
pollen, the dark mist, and the female rain. They placed on top of it
a live bird named Tsozgáli,[68]--such birds abound there now,--and
they put in the mountain to dwell Boy Who Produces Jewels and Girl
Who Produces Jewels.[64]
197. The mountain of Akidanastáni[66] they fastened to the earth with a
sacred stone called tse`hadáhonige, or mirage-stone. They decorated it
with black clouds, the he-rain, and all sorts of plants. They placed
a live Grasshopper on its summit, and they put the Mirage-stone Boy
and the Carnelian Girl there to dwell.[66]
198. They still had the three lights and the darkness, as in the lower
worlds. But First Man and First Woman thought they might form some
lights which would make the world brighter. After much study and debate
they planned to make the sun and moon. For the sun they made a round
flat object, like a dish, out of a clear stone called tsé`tsagi. They
set turquoises around the edge, and outside of these they put rays of
red rain, lightning, and snakes of many kinds. At first they thought
of putting four points on it, as they afterwards did on the stars,
but they changed their minds and made it round. They made the moon
of tsé`tson (star-rock, a kind of crystal); they bordered it with
white shells and they put on its face hadilki's (sheet lightning),
and tó`lanastsi (all kinds of water).[67]
199. Then they counseled as to what they should do with the sun; where
they should make it rise first. The Wind of the East begged that it
might be brought to his land, so they dragged it off to the edge of
the world where he dwelt; there they gave it to the man who planted
the great cane in the lower world, and appointed him to carry it. To
an old gray-haired man, who had joined them in the lower world, the
moon was given to carry. These men had no names before, but now the
former received the name of Tsóhanoai, or Tsínhanoai, and the latter
the name of Kléhanoai. When they were about to depart, in order to
begin their labors, the people were sorry, for they were beloved by
all. But First Man said to the sorrowing people: "Mourn not for them,
for you will see them in the heavens, and all that die will be theirs
in return for their labors."[68] (See notes 69 and 70 for additions
to the legend.)
200. Then the people (Diné`, Navahoes) began to travel. They journeyed
towards the east, and after one day's march they reached Nihahokaí
(White Spot on the Earth) and camped for the night. Here a woman
brought forth, but her offspring was not like a child; it was round,
misshapen, and had no head. The people counselled, and determined
that it should be thrown into a gully. So they threw it away; but it
lived and grew up and became the monster Téelget,[131] who afterwards
destroyed so many of the people.
201. Next day they wandered farther to the east, and camped at night
at Tse`taiská (Rock Bending Back). Here was born another misshapen
creature, which had something like feathers on both its shoulders. It
looked like nothing that was ever seen before, so the people concluded
to throw this away also. They took it to an alkali bed close by and
cast it away there. But it lived and grew and became the terrible
Tse`na'hale,[135] of whom I shall have much to tell later.
202. The next night, travelling still to the east, they camped at
Tse`bináhotyel, a broad high cliff like a wall, and here a woman bore
another strange creature. It had no head, but had a long pointed end
where the head ought to be. This object was deposited in the cliff, in
a hole which was afterwards sealed up with a stone. They left it there
to die, but it grew up and became the destroyer Tse`tahotsiltá`li,[142]
of whom we shall tell hereafter. Because he was closed into the rock,
his hair grew into it and he could not fall.
203. The next night, when they stopped at Tse`ahalzi'ni (Rock with
Black Hole), twins were born. They were both roundish with one end
tapering to a point. There were no signs of limbs or head, but there
were depressions which had somewhat the appearance of eyes. The
people laid them on the ground, and next day, when they moved camp,
abandoned them. Tse`ahalzi'ni is shaped like a Navaho hut, with a
door in the east. It is supposed that, when they were abandoned to
die, the twin monsters went into this natural hut to dwell. They grew
up, however, and became the Bináye Aháni, who slew with their eyes,
and of whom we shall have more to tell.
204. All these monsters were the fruit of the transgressions of the
women in the fourth world, when they were separated from the men. Other
monsters were born on the march, and others, again, sprang from the
blood which had been shed during the birth of the first monsters,[71]
and all these grew up to become enemies and destroyers of the people.
205. When they left Tse`ahalzi'ni they turned toward the west, and
journeyed until they came to a place called To`intsósoko (Water in
a Narrow Gully), and here they remained for thirteen years, making
farms and planting corn, beans, and pumpkins every spring.
206. In those days the four-footed beasts, the birds, and the
snakes were people also, like ourselves, and built houses and lived
near our people close to Depe'ntsa. They increased and became the
cliff-dwellers. It must have been the flying creatures who built the
dwellings high on the cliffs, for if they had not wings how could
they reach their houses?
207. From To`intsósoko they moved to Tse`lakaíia (Standing White Rock),
and here they sojourned again for thirteen years. From the latter
place they moved to Tse`pahalkaí (White on Face of Cliff), and here,
once more, they remained for a period of thirteen years. During this
time the monsters began to devour the people.
208. From Tse`pahalkaí they moved to the neighborhood of Kintyél[72]
(Broad House), in the Chaco Canyon, where the ruins of the great
pueblo still stand. When the wanderers arrived the pueblo was in
process of building, but was not finished. The way it came to be
built you shall now hear:--
209. Some time before, there had descended among the Pueblos, from the
heavens, a divine gambler, or gambling-god, named Nohoílpi, or He Who
Wins Men (at play); his talisman was a great piece of turquoise. When
he came he challenged the people to all sorts of games and contests,
and in all of these he was successful. He won from them, first, their
property, then their women and children, and finally some of the
men themselves. Then he told them he would give them part of their
property back in payment if they would build a great house; so when
the Navahoes came, the Pueblos were busy building in order that they
might release their enthralled relatives and their property. They
were also busy making a race-track, and preparing for all kinds of
games of chance and skill.