USA > Arizona > History of Arizona, Vol. VII > Part 4
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were laid to the east and near by them white corn and white shell; the blue feathers were laid to the south with blue corn and turquoise; the hawk feathers were laid to the west with yellow corn and abalone shell; and to the north were laid the whippoorwill feathers with black beads and corn of all the several colors. The old man and woman sang and prayed as they had done
at the spring in the lower world. They prayed to the east and the white wolf was created; to the south, and the otter appeared; to the west, and the mountain lion came; and to the north, the beaver. Etseastin made these animals rulers over the several points from which they came.
"When the white of daylight met the yellow of sunset in midheavens, they embraced, and white gave birth to the coyote ; yellow to the yel- low fox. Blue of the south and black of the north similarly met, giving birth, blue to blue fox, and black to badger.
"Blue and yellow foxes were given to the Pueblos; coyote and badgers remain with the Navajo; but Great Wolf is ruler over them all. Great Wolf was the chief who counselled sepa- ration of the sexes."
THE CREATION OF THE SUN. (By Stevenson.)
"The first three worlds were neither good nor healthful. They moved all the time and made the people dizzy. Upon ascending into this world the Navajos found only darkness and they said, 'We must have light.'
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"In the Ure mountains lived two women, Ahsonnutli, the turquoise hermaphrodite, and Yolaikaiason, the white shell woman. These two women were sent for by the Navajo, who told them they wished light. The Navajo had already partially separated light into its several colors. Next to the floor was white, indicating dawn, upon the white, blue was spread for morn- ing, and on the blue, yellow for sunset, and next was black, representing night. They had prayed long and continuously over these, but their prayers had availed nothing. The two women on arriving told the people to have patience and their prayers would eventually be answered.
"Night had a familiar, who was always at his ear. This person said, 'send for the youth at the great falls.' Night sent as his messenger a shooting star. The youth soon appeared and said : 'Ahsonnutli, the hermaphrodite, had white beads in her right breast, and turquoise in her left. We will tell her to lay them on darkness and see what she can do with her prayers.' This she did. The youth from the great falls said to Ahsonnutli, 'You have carried the white shell beads and turquoise a long time; you should know what to say.' Then with a crystal dipped in pollen she marked eyes and mouth on the turquoise and on the white-shell beads, and forming a circle around these with the crystal, she produced a slight light from the white shell bead, and a greater light from the turquoise, but the light was insufficient.
"Twelve men lived at each of the cardinal points. The forty-eight men were sent for.
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After their arrival Ahsonnutli sang a song, the men sitting opposite to her, yet even with their presence the song failed to secure the needed light. Two eagle plumes were placed upon each cheek of the turquoise and two upon the cheeks of the white-shell beads and one at each of the car- dinal points. The twelve men of the east placed twelve white-shell beads at that point. Then with the crystal dipped in corn pollen they made a circle embracing the whole. The wish still remained unrealized. Then Ahsonnutli held the crystal over the turquoise face, where- upon it lighted into a blaze. The people re- treated far back on account of the great heat, which continued increasing. The men from the four points found the heat so intense that they arose, but they could hardly stand, as the heavens were so close to them. They looked up and saw two rainbows, one across the other, from east to west, and from north to south. The heads and feet of the rainbows almost touched the men's heads. The men tried to raise the great light but each time they failed. Finally a man and woman appeared, whence they knew not. The man's name was Atseatsine and the woman's name was Atseatsan. They were asked, 'How can this sun be got up ?' They re- plied, 'We know ; we heard the people down here trying to raise it, and this is why we came.' 'Chanteen' (sun's rays), exclaimed the man, 'T have the chanteen; I have a crystal from which I can light the chanteen, and I have the rainbow; with these three I can raise the sun.' The people said, 'Go ahead and raise it.' When VII-4
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he had elevated the sun a short distance it tipped a little and burned vegetation and scorched the people, for it was still too near. Then the people said to Atseatsine and Atseatsan, 'Raise the sun higher,' and they continued to elevate it, and yet it continued to burn everything. They were then called upon to 'lift it higher still, as high as possible,' but after a certain height was reached their power failed; it would go no farther.
"The couple then made four poles, two of tur- quoise and two of white-shell beads, and each was put under the sun, and with these poles the twelve men at each of the cardinal points raised it. They could not get it high enough to pre- vent the people and grass from burning. The people then said, 'Let us stretch the world'; so the twelve men at each point expanded the world. The sun continued to rise as the world expanded, and began to shine with less heat, but when it reached the meridian the heat became great and the people suffered much. They crawled everywhere to find shade. Then the voice of Darkness went four times around the world telling the men at the cardinal points to go on expanding the world. 'I want all this suffering stopped,' said Darkness; 'the people are suffering and all is burning; you must con- tinue stretching.' And the men blew and stretched, and after a time they saw the sun rise beautifully, and when the sun again reached the meridian it was only tropical. It was then just right, and as far as the eve could reach, the earth was encircled, first with the white dawn of day, then with the blue of early morning, and
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all things were perfect. And Ahsonnutli com- manded the twelve men to go to the east, south, west and north, to hold up the heavens, which office they are supposed to perform to this day."
In "An Ethnologie Dictionary of the Navaho Language," published by The Franciscan Fathers in 1910, appears the following in re- gard to the religion, legends, etc., of the Navahos :
"The elaborate system of religious worship among the Navaho lets them appear as a very religious people. Their anthropomorphous dei- ties are numerous and strikingly democratic, each excelling in his peculiar sphere of inde- pendent activity and power. They are de- scribed as kind, hospitable, and industrious; on the other hand as fraudulent, treacherous, un- merciful, and, in general, subject to passion and human weaknesses. Their lives, to a great ex- tent, are reflected in the social condition of the Navaho as, for instance, in the subordination to local headmen, in the manner of farming, hunt- ing, ceremony, etc., all of which find an explana- tion in previous occurrences in the lives of the holy ones. This is especially true of the cere- monies or chants, most of which have been estab- lished by the diyíni, or Holy ones, for removing evil.
"The existence of evil is attributed to the wrath of the dinăéé, or Peoples, such as the Animals, Winds, Lightnings, etc. Much evil, disease, and bodily injury is due also to secret agents of evil, in consequence of which the belief in witchcraft, spells, dreams and shooting of evil is widely spread. Accordingly, too, of the
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two forms of worship, one against evil, the other for blessing, the former is presumably in greater demand, but is subordinate to, and always ac- companied by, the latter.
"The idea of a creator of all things is unknown to the Navaho, as also that of heaven or hell. The belief in a life hereafter, exists, however, and is a life of happiness with the peoples of the lower worlds among whom the deceased are numbered. The deceased, in turn, may injure the living.
"The average Navaho is loath to study the intricate fabric of his religion and knows little of it beyond ceremonial performance. The singer or shaman, usually a man of excellent memory, is entrusted with whatever pertains to subjects of worship, though probably no single one is versed in all of its branches. Moreover, the knowledge of the legend which attaches to every chant is not a material requisite for prop- erly conducting a ceremony, though the legend furnishes the clue for corrections.
"The following synopsis, taken from unpub- lished legends in our possession, presents the most salient features of Navaho worship, to- gether with other subjects of a religious char- acter :
"THE LOWER WORLDS.
"The legends speak of twelve lower worlds, the homes of various Peoples. These worlds were small in size and are referred to as cham- bers, which are numbered as the people pass through and stand on the several vaults. Their speech in the several worlds is recorded also
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from one to twelve, the roofs or vaults of the twelve worlds being the speeches, and the twelfth speech being the one we now occupy.
"Furthermore, these twelve worlds are sub- divided into three divisions of four, the first four being referred to as the dark world, the subsequent four as the red world, and the upper four as the blue world. Some of the chant legends begin with events in one of these three groups of worlds. In this manner some speak of five, others of eight worlds, etc.
THE PEOPLES OF THE DARK WORLD.
"The above mentioned worlds are not spoken of as having been created, but as already exist- ing. The first world is inhabited by the Ant People, who are subordinate to chiefs or spokes- men in the east, south, west and north. In the second world they find the Locust Man and Woman. The third world, being uninhabited, all of these peoples travel to the fourth world, where the following persons are found: First Man; First Woman; the First Made; Second Made; First Boy; First Girl, and the First Angry, or Coyote. First Man and his eight companions are the first witches, and the cause of sickness and fatal diseases. He who origi- nated with the earth, is applied to First Man. The name corresponds with the sacred name of the kit-fox.
THE PEOPLES OF THE RED WORLD.
"The Peoples of the four preceding worlds ascend to the fifth world, where they are joined by the Grub Man and Woman. The sixth world
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is uninhabited. The seventh world they found inhabited by the Cat People. They also met the Spider Man and Woman. The Cat People were evil shooters, (witches), who filled the bodies of their neighbors with evil shooting. First Man removes this power from them, and makes it his own property.
"The eighth world is the home of the Salt Man and Salt Woman, and also of the Firegod. (In the legend of witchcraft the latter is intro- duced with First Man and his companions in the fourth world.) The Ant People, of whom mention was made first, also find another colony of Ant People with whom they immediately associate. The Snake People are also intro- duced here, together with the Yucca People, and Cactus People, the Big Fly, a beautiful bird (Owl), and the Kit-fox. First Man erects the first hogan here, the type for the present hogan. He then displays all the material for the future sacred mountains, for the dawn, the sky-blue, the twilight and darkness, the future winds,
rains, lightnings, and so on. To each and every one he presents some of his evil power, so that all are possessed of witchcraft. But he also designates various herbs as a remedy for all evils, poisons and diseases, which he has dis- tributed, and designates the prayersticks and sacrifices necessary to remove them. All of the above mentioned peoples, therefore, require a sacrifice.
THE PEOPLE OF THE BLUE WORLD.
"When First Man and his now numerous companions entered the ninth world, they found
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it in possession of the very small Yellow Ants, who were in communication with the small Black Ants of the tenth world. By fraudulent means First Man and the Salt Man deprive them of their various juices or grease, their only possession and sustenance.
THE ELEVENTH WORLD.
"The place of emergence in the eleventh world is called Whitish Earth. The peoples of this world are very numerous, counting among their numbers a group of Cat People, the Bear and Deer Families, Foxes, Badgers, Skunks, Birds, Fishes, and finally Water Monsters. The people of the land are subordinate to the Big Wolf chiefs in the east and west, while the Wildcat chiefs are spokesmen in the northern and southern villages. These direct their sub- ordinates in farming and the chase. The domestic labors and functions are assigned to the female portion, and all spare time is de- voted to various sports, as the bouncing stick game, dice, hoop and pole, football, etc.
"This happy and innocent life undergoes a change when First Man introduces generation, which until then had been unknown to these peoples. An altercation between the chief of the east, Big Wolf and his wife, over the neg- lect of her duties, is the cause of the separation of all men from the women. Accordingly, at the place where the waters flow in various direc- tions, the men cross to the opposite shore in boats.
"The men now set about their duties of farm- ing and hunting. The domestic duties of cook-
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ing and grinding corn are supervised by one of their number, an hermaphrodite. The cere- monial method of planting is observed here for the first time. Thus they had the circle, the square, the border, and additional forms. Hunting, too, is accompanied by various cere- monial observances. Venereal excess is pun- ished instantly in mysterious ways, though it is always removed by the power of some ceremony. Respect for these is also drastically inculcated by making an example of a stray coyote.
"The women neglect their duties, while the men are thrifty. Their passions wax strong, and they become guilty of many immoralities. In seeking suicide, many drown themselves without having the hope of resuscitation by ceremony. From want and starvation they are finally driven to plead for mercy, after a period of about nine seasons of separation.
"The reunion is the occasion for a ceremony of purification, including sweat baths. The routine of labor is again harmoniously followed out as before the separation, the women assist- ing their husbands in planting and harvesting. Incest is pointed out as the cause of mental de- rangement. Witchcraft is deftly punished by First Man, and checked in this manner. Diseases of various kinds, such as blood-spit- ting, etc .. are cured by the rites. Dreams are invariably considered as portending evil. Pres- ently, too, it occurred that the Holy Girl, a virgin, who has been impregnated by some un- known stranger, gave birth to a shapeless mass, a gourd, from which sprang two male children.
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These gourd children rapidly attain maturity and develop a love for retirement and roaming.
THE EMERGENCE FROM THE LOWER WORLDS.
"The coyote of the west, who joined the people below, was an inquisitive fellow. It happened that one of the children of the Water Ox was discovered one day floating on the waters near their camp. The Coyote unobservedly took possession of it, hiding it in his garments. Presently the waters from all directions threat- ened the People with destruction, which is averted by First Man, who hurriedly created four mountains for them, which he bids them ascend. The Turkey is charged with checking the rise of the waters, which he does by placing his tail in them. But when the waters had risen to the summit of these mountains, the
Gourd children were asked to assist. (They had entered the camp shortly before the flood, each carrying a reed in his hand, one taken from the west, the other from the east.) The
elder of the two boys then placed his reed on the summit of the mountains, and when the People entered, the twelve joints of the reed in- creased in size as they ascended, allowing them to gain a considerable height. The waters, however, still continued to pursue them, so that the reed of the younger brother was placed just over the other. But when, after travelling through the twelve joints of this reed also, the waters continued to rise, their suspicions are finally turned toward the indifferent Coyote. He is searched by the Locust, and the discovered
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child is replaced on the turbulent waters, which immediately become stationary. The hard roof or vault which they had reached is successfully pierced by the Wolf, the Bear, the Badger, and finally by the Locust, who is then sent to inves- tigate this upper world.
"Here the Locust encounters a monster from the east who challenges him to pierce his mouth and rear with arrows. The Locust, however, pierces his sides, afterwards removing his vitals, and obtains possession of the land. He is forced, in turn, to meet a similar challenge from mon- sters in the south, west and north, whom he de- frauds in a like manner.
"Upon his return to his companions they dis- patch Hunch-Eye, and the Bighorn, to remove the waters and make the earth inhabitable. The former discharges zigzag lightnings east and west, the latter straight lightnings north and south. The ensuing rush and uproar of waters force them to a hasty retreat into the opening, which is covered by the webs of the Spider Man and Woman. And when the tumult has finally subsided, the Wind People are dispatched to dry up the surface of the earth. Thereupon, the exit is made by means of ladders which had been made by First Man for the occasion. The emergence is called mov- ing upward.
THE TWELFTH OR PRESENT WORLD.
"The earth was small in size, and here and there small bodies of water were observed. Some of the people camped at the shores or banks of these lakes, and were known as 'the
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people at the edge of the water'; others made huts of mud, and were known as mud people; others camped below a ledge of rock, and so on, each being designated by a peculiarity of this kind. And when it developed that one of their number was missing, a search was made for him. He was finally located in the place of emergence, but refused to leave, saying that the future people of the earth would return there. Therefore, the people of this earth return to the place of emergence after death. The person re- maining there sallies forth at times to collect food and pieces of broken pottery which have been left at the habitat of the deceased, for he promised his companion to do this.
THE CREATION OF THE VISIBLE
WORLD.
"The events after the emergence, as embodied in the legends, are supposed to have happened in the holy way, or to be holy events. The Holy People then decided to make the earth a suit- able dwelling for its future inhabitants. Ac- cordingly, after First Man had built the hogan, he created the sky, earth, sun and moon. As a material he used various precious stones, giving to each the shape of man, and breathed the spirit of life into them. He also created sum- mer and winter, which he assigned to the earth and sky respectively.
CREATION OF THE STARS.
"The Firegod placed the various constella- tions in their respective positions. He is also accredited with blowing the stars of the milky
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way across the sky. Such other stars as he wished to keep in reserve were scattered by the Coyote over the heavens. The Navaho, there- fore, have no names for many constellations. The Coyote planted but one star permanently in the heavens, which is, therefore, called a 'coyote's star.'
VEGETABLE LIFE.
"The sacred mountains had been given their positions by First Man when he invited the various Peoples to contribute to the completion and beauty of the earth. Accordingly, the vari- ous animals planted the seeds of trees, shrubs, plants and grasses, which they had brought with them from the lower worlds. Thereupon, First Man breathed upon them so that they, too, might see and live. The clouds, winds and thunder were placed in the sky so that moisture might be supplied and vegetation secured.
THE BEARERS OF THE SUN AND MOON.
"When First Man had made all things for the earth and sky, and given them stability, he selected the Gourd children, of whom mention was made above, to carry the sun and the moon. These he placed on their left shoulders, leaving their right hand free to enable them to eat when travelling. Thirty-two trails were assigned to the sun for his daily travels. To compensate themselves, both the sun and the moon carriers stipulated one human life for every journey as their pay.
"First Man also placed pillars in the east, south, west, north and center of the earth, rest-
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ing the sky upon them, and they are known as the pillars of the earth and sky.
"He then blew the sun and the moon beyond- the horizon; and breathing over the earth and sky, he caused them to expand; and breathing the dawn toward the east, the sun rose there; wherefore, the dawn is always seen in the east. Since the earth was small, however, the heat of the sun at its zenith became unbearable. After four unsuccessful trials the present dimensions of the earth and the distance of the sun were retained.
THE SEX OF THE PEOPLES.
"The various Peoples of the lower worlds are considered male and female. The sun and moon are both male, as also the sky, (the Sky Man). The earth is feminine, (the Earth Woman). The earth may also be considered as mother of all, insomuch as all peoples proceeded from it, and planted the various seeds there. The Earth Woman, however, as wife of the Sky Man, is located in the blue world.
"Sex is also assigned to the dawn, the Dawn Man and Woman, (east) also to the Southern Blue, the Azure Man and Woman, (south) ; and to the twilight, Twilight Man and Woman, (west); and to darkness, Darkness Man and Woman (north).
THE CHANGING WOMAN.
"The Changing Woman, a goddess, is held in universal esteem by the Navaho. She is not tainted with crime, though by mistake this is done in some legends.
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"The Dawn Man, and the Darkness Woman, gave birth to a daughter, which was found and carried home by First Man. When the girl was of fair growth she was found to be very beauti- ful and of good sense, and when her foster parents called to her in jest, calling her by the equivalent for 'changed into a woman,' she readily answered the call, and she was, there- after, called the Changing Woman.
"At the age of nubility a ceremony was per- formed for her, and her nuptials with the sun were then celebrated. (This ceremony of nubility is, today, celebrated with such altera- tions as were decided upon on that occasion.) Benediction songs alone were used, and the songs of other chants barred. (The vigil which must accompany every ceremony in use by the Navaho, consists of prayers and songs of bene- dictions.)
"The society of the First Man was ever a burden to her, so that soon after this ceremony she left him and traveled to the west. Here, the holy people of the cardinal points, (Dawn Man and Woman, etc.), had prepared a house for her, which in every respect was like to that of the sun in the east. And when she visited the various compartments in the east, south, west and north, she reappeared dressed in the colors of these directions. And returning again from the eastern compartment she reappeared dressed in white-shell, wherefore she is also called the white-shell woman. As the wife of the sun, then, the white-shell woman is also called Sun Woman, and the sun, her husband,
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the Sun Man, by whom she has two children, a boy and a girl.
THE CREATION OF MAN.
"The creation of the various people on the earth is attributed to the Sun Woman, and took place at her dwelling in the west. The Navaho clans were created from parts of her body. With the skin which she removed from her breast she formed one clan; from the skin of her back she formed another clan, and remov- ing a particle of skin from below her right arm, she made still another clan, and from a particle of skin below her left arm, still another clan. To each of these particles of skin she added some of the skin taken from her hands, making of each the image of a man, and quickening it by chanting, and when they spoke, they spoke the language of the Sun. The animals, such as horses, burros, sheep and cows, which she made for them, were given to the Navaho.
"She also created the Pueblos, the Mexicans and the Americans, as also their domestic ani- mals, but dispatched them all across the oceans -for when they spoke they had a different language.
"She was extremely kind to her children, promised them variegated corn, seeds and plants of all kinds, medicines in case of sick- ness, precious stones, and her protection in gen- eral. Therefore, all good things, the mild rains, the growth of the corn, etc., all are due to her beneficient influence, and come from the west. Finally she presented each with a pet, a bear,
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