A Navaho Creation Myth

IN THE BEGINNING-1

IN THE BEGINNING

In the beginning there was only the mists. There was no world then, only the white, yellow, blue, black, silver, and red mists floating in the air. The mists came together and laid on top of each other, like intercourse, and Supreme Sacred Wind was created. These mists lived in the air, but were not gods. Supreme Sacred Wind lived in light and black clouds or mists in space. During the day there was the light mist, which gave Him light, and during the night the dark mist.

Supreme Sacred Wind has a form like the Earth People and knows all that happens. He became lonely and from the mists created First Man, ’ácé xastˣı́n, or irst one made, and First Woman, ’ácé’eszą́·, or second one made, Dawn, xayotká·t, is the mother and Yellow Twilight, naxo·coi, is the father of First Man, Dawn is the mother and Yellow Twilight is the father of First Woman. Thus, First Man and First Woman were brother and sister, but still their parents allowed them to marry. That is why few people will tell about such things. They had intercourse and had a boy, First Boy, ’ácé ’aški, ’ácé xazĺ·’ or third one made, and a girl, First Girl, ’ácé ’at’é·d, ’aké·d’ę·’ xazĺ·’, or last one made. Supreme Sacred Wind told First Man and First Woman how to have children.

Supreme Sacred Wind also created at this time Coyote, ’ácé xašké, First Mad or Hollerer or Screamer in the Dawn, Coyote had many names for he was often not thought as worthy of any of them, Coyote was made from an egg, which, like the other four, was formed from the mists, Dawn and Yellow Twilight hatched the egg. All of these were created by Supreme Sacred Wind in the beginning. Everyone that had been created spoke one language. The First Man was made with one language. He said the first word and the First Woman the second. The First Boy said the third and First Girl said the fourth word. Black Begochiddy said the fifth word, his wife the sixth and Coyote or First Mad gave the seventh word.

Nowadays there are seven words used in a prayer called a Seven Word Prayer. It is used to make everything on earth move smoothly, There are also seven words on the evil or witchcraft side, to make people die. When a medicine man says, “I know a seven word prayer,” he is boasting and is a witch. If he is a witch, the things he prays for will happen before sundown. The Good Way prayer is to make the world run smoothly and to make you live longer, (“If they are witches they are stingy with this,” F. G., informant.) The witchcraft way Seven Word Prayer is even or parallel in number with the Good Way Seven Word Prayer.

To help in His work, Supreme Sacred Wind created many other gods. From the Dawn was created Talking God who was to lead the Dawn. Talking God is also known by other names. He was to be to the east and was to be called Leading the Dawn. He was also called the Stammerer, for he could not always think of the right words when speaking and would stammer. Within the Talking God are found the four colors, like clothes. From the Twilight was created Calling God who was to lead the Twilight. He was to be called Leading the Twilight. Within the Calling God are found the four colors also. These two gods were twin brothers. There was also a female Talking and Calling God created at this time.

Dawn Man, Dawn Woman, Dawn Boy and Dawn Girl were created from the beginning. When they lived in the mist there was light. The mist was like a fog or haze and everything could be seen. The Twilight Man, Twilight Woman, Twilight Boy and Twilight Girl were from the beginning. They lived in dark mist and became the darkness like the night does now. There is also a Blue Twilight Man, Woman, Boy and Girl, who live to the south. To the north live a Black Twilight Man, Woman, Boy and Girl.

In the beginning there were songs that went along with this story. No one knows them all now. First Man, First Woman, First Boy, First Girl and Coyote knew these songs. The Five Night Sings that are used now were made on this earth. First Man and First Woman knew the Good Way Story. Nowadays the Dawn People themselves go up into the sky and become the colors of Dawn. The Twilight and Dawn People help each other. That is the reason there are the same colors in the east when the sun rises and in the west when the sun goes down. In the morning, if there is a red or gold color in the east, it foretells fevers, coughs or epidemics to come.

The Wind People were created and sent to the four directions to take charge of the minor Wind People, all of whom look like us. Clouds were then made of white mist by the Supreme Sacred Wind. Xaśč̨’éšžin·´, the Fire, Flint or Black God was created at this time also. Ray of Sunlight, šábiƛ’ ó·l was the mother and Daylight, šáńdí·n was the father of Bego Black; Bego Yellow (the blue eyed, yellow haired god Begochiddy), Bego Blue and Bego White. Bego Yellow went around holding women’s breasts. Speaking of him one of the women said. “The-Man-Holding-up my Tity.” They named him Begochiddy because of this.

Supreme Sacred Wind now created an earth. He took a little of the five mists, molded them together and made the earth. That is why the earth has various colored streaks running through it. Here is a song the gods sang when they were thinking of making the world and all of its parts:

Good Way Song2Long time ago, thinking about how it will be created.

Earth, oh the earth is to be created.

Plants made with the earth, Immortal, Happiness.3

Long time ago thinking about how it will be created.3

Made with the earth, heaven, thinking about heaven, how it is created.

Everything in heaven will be created with.

Male rain created with, Immortal, Happiness.

Female Mountain, game animals, Immortal, Happiness.

Female (or Mother) Water, all kinds of water, Immortal, Happiness.

Darkness, moon, Immortal, Happiness.

Dawn, xa·šč’éłt˟i’í (Talking God), Immortal, Happiness.

Xašč’é’o·ya·n (Calling God), Yellow Twilight, Immortal, Happiness.

White Bead Woman, white bead, Immortal, Happiness.

Sun, turquoise, Immortal, Happiness.

White Corn, flexible goods, Immortal, Happiness.

Pollen, blue bird, Immortal, Happiness.

Harvest Fly (He-or She-Who Raises), earth dew, Immortal, Happiness. Long time ago thinking about how it is going to be created.

A second, but very similar, version of this song runs thus:

Starting of the earth’s evolution, the earth plants, Immortal, Happiness.

3 The final important explanation of two seemingly contradictory and conflicting definitions of są’ah na·γái and bik’exózó·n took place at four a.m. on the western part of the reservation in May of 1952. Four Navaho and I were crowded into a small room while F. G. attempted to explain what these terms meant. Finally understanding what they did mean, I made use of the kerosene lamp in the room to restate the explanation to F. G.

The lamp itself represented the Sun or the origin of life which is referred to as the god są’ah na·γái. The light rays or Sun Rays radiating from the lamp represented the happiness or goodness which is the result of the Sun. The god representing the Sun Rays is bik’exózó·n. The oil to make the lamps go, the power of the Sun or the life of the Sun is the god He-Who-Raises. The regulator upon the lamp controls the oil and wick, which in turn controls the power of the Sun and the Sun Rays. The regulator who controls the amount of life giving substance is Pollen Boy.

Są’ah na·γái then means to the Navaho, life itself, the essence of life, the power to live forever

(immortality), the spirit lives forever, living longer, invulnerable or untouched by profane things and that which is deathless. Bik’exózó·n means simply happiness, unending, living good forever and that all goodness comes from it. The Sun, Sun Rays, He-Who-Raises, and Pollen Boy all stand together for they could not exist individually without the others.

Heaven, everything in heaven created with black clouds, male rain, mixed water, Immortal, Happiness.

Female Mountain, game animals, Immortal, Happiness.

Female Water, mixed water, water silt, Immortal, Happiness.

Darkness, moon, Immortal, Happiness.

Dawn, Talking God, Immortal, Happiness.

Changing Woman, white bead, Immortal, Happiness.

Sun, turquoise, Immortal, Happiness.

White Corn, flexible goods, Immortal, Happiness.

Yellow Corn, different kinds of chips, Immortal, Happiness.

Pollen, bluebird, Immortal, Happiness.

Harvest Fly, earth dew, Immortal, Happiness. Thinking of creation.

As Supreme Sacred Wind prayed and sang, He created the earth. The earth was soft and spongy and floated around in space. The world was very small, flat on top and flat on the bottom. Even yet the world has not set, but is still floating around. At this time, He put everything in the earth that is found now, all the metals, coal, and other things which are used. Many things are still to be found. When all things are taken out, it will be the end. Supreme Sacred Wind created the earth for the same reason He created the gods of the Earth Surface People—He was lonesome. As He created the earth, heaven was also created from the dark mist or darkness. With the black mist He made darkness; with the blue mist, blue twilight; the sun rays were made of yellow, red and silver mists and the white mist became dawn. Mirage Quartz Rock was made from the black and brown stripes of the earth.

Supreme Sacred Wind sang and prayed to create the earth. At first in the creation of all things He created things in any way. He merely said He wanted this object to become this and that object to become that. He said a prayer over these things and it was as He said. People nowadays say Twilight and Dawn hold up the earth, but there are many things that do this. There are the rocks, trees and plants that all stand up and hold up the earth. The water holds itself up. The gods went into the various plants and trees to help hold up the earth.

Mirage Quartz Rock holds up the earth, for in all things that are upright it is found. Mirage Quartz Rock Men hold up the earth and keep it from falling into space. When these Mirage Quartz Men move their necks, arms or body, it causes the earthquakes to take place. These men are alive and are rocks, yet they are gods. All of the gods hold up the earth, twilight and dawn. Some gods hold up the moon and the sun, but the earth was told she was to hold up herself and that heaven was to hold up himself. Other gods were to live in the top of the mountains, others in the bottom of the seas, in the heaven and some in the earth itself. All of the gods have to eat and drink, to have fire and even to work. The Wind People are working now in the windmills for the whites and Navahos. The Lightning God works by his electricity.

After many of the gods and the earth had been made, the creation of the mountains took place. Begochiddy (Bego Yellow) created all the mountains and in the beginning they were very small. First, he created Black Mountain, ził diłkił, the second he created was Blue Mountain, ził do·ƛ’iž, the third was Yellow Mountain, ził tico, the fourth was White

Mountain, ził łagai, the fifth was Wide Belt Mountain, sisna·tˣe·l the sixth was Sounding

Mountain, ził yildilí, the seventh was Trample Down Mountain, the eighth was Ragged Mountain, where there is salt and various animals eat. In the center of the world was set the ninth mountain, Red Mountain, ził łičı́·’mą’i·ził. The tenth mountain created was Reversible Mountain, ził nēγō dı̌́l tḗ, and the eleventh was Crown Pomt Mountain. In all, eleven mountains were created at this time. The fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth mountains are all different colors.

The first mountain was laid out with the moon. (Although the two were not created at the same time, yet they are thought of synonomously, for one represents the other.) The second mountain was laid out with the sun ray, the third mountain was laid out with the sunlight and the fourth mountain was laid out with darkness. Reversible (or Spinning) Mountain was laid out with the Mirage Quartz Rock and Crown Point Mountain was laid out with all kinds of stones and shells, turquoise, white bead, abalone, jet, all mixed together. The first mountain was put to the east, the second to the south, the third to the west and the fourth to the north. The four main mountains are the homes of Talking God and Calling God and these two are the mountain men within these mountains. The other mountains were placed near the other four. At this time there was no moon or sun to give light, but the mountains glowed and the people could see. Before the mountains were created the mists gave light to everyone. Begochiddy was put in charge of all the mountains.