Part 6

In the lower world four gods were created by Etseastin and Etseasun. These gods were so annoyed by ants that they said, "Let us go to the four points of the world." A spring was found at each of the cardinal points, and each god took possession of a spring, which he jealously guarded.

Etseastin and Etseasun were jealous because they had no water and they needed some to produce nourishment. The old man finally obtained a little water from each of the gods and planted it, and from it he raised a spring such as the gods had. From this spring came corn and other vegetation. Etseastin and Etseasun sat on opposite sides of the spring facing each other, and sang and prayed and talked to somebody about themselves, and thus they originated worship. One day the old man saw some kind of fruit in the middle of the spring. He tried to reach it but he could not, and asked the spider woman (a member of his family) to get it for him. She spun a web across the water and by its use procured the fruit, which proved to be a large white shell, quite as large as a Tusayan basket. The following day Etseastin discovered another kind of fruit in the spring which the spider woman also brought him; this fruit was the turquoise. The third day still another kind of fruit was discovered by him and obtained by the spider woman; this was the abalone shell. The fourth day produced the black stone bead, which was also procured.

After ascending into the upper world Etseastin visited the four corners to see what he could find. (They had brought a bit of everything from the lower world with them). From the east he brought eagle feathers; from the south feathers from the bluejay; in the west he found hawk feathers, and in the north speckled night bird (whippoorwill) feathers. Etseastin and Etseasun carried these to a spring, placing them toward the cardinal points. The eagle plumes 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 mid-heavens they embraced, and white gave birth to the coyote; yellow to the yellow fox. Blue of the south and black of the north similarly met, giving birth, blue to blue fox and north to badger.

Blue and yellow foxes were given to the Pueblos; coyote and badger remain with the Navajo; but Great Wolf is ruler over them all. Great Wolf was the chief who counseled separation of the sexes.

FOOTNOTES

1 In the decoration of the bodies several men assisted, but the personators of the gods did much of the work on their own persons, and they seemed quite fastidious. The fingers were dipped into the paint and rubbed on the body.

2 Continency must be observed by the personators of the gods until all paint is removed from their bodies.

3 The suds were crossed and encircled with the pollen to give them additional power to restore the invalid to health.

4 I noticed that the priest of the sweat house on no occasion sat with the song-priest and his attendants.

5 This food is dried and made into a powder, and used as a medicine by the theurgist.

6 The old priest relating this myth now produced a pouch containing corn pollen and a crystal, which he dipped in the pollen and said, "Now we must all eat of this pollen and place some on our heads, for we are to talk about it."

7 The Naaskiddi are hunchbacks; they have clouds upon their backs, in which seeds of all vegetation are held.

8 The Navajo will not use real blue coloring in their sand painting, but adhere strictly to the instructions of the gods. They do, however, use a bit of vermilion, when it can be obtained, to heighten the red coloring in the pouches.

9 The Bigelovia Douglasii is made into rings and used in the ceremonial Hasjelti Dailjis with direct reference to this occurrence.

10 Ceremonial rings are also made of the Spanish bayonet (yucca).