On the morning after the fourth night, the girl told First Man, “I saw no one, but someone touched me, and I was moved.”Four days later, Asdzą́ą́ Nádleehé said, “Mother, something moves within me.” First Woman answered, “Daughter, that must be your baby moving.”
Much like the telling of the Virgin Mary, Asdzaa Nadleehe has miraculously conceived a child.
On the fourth day, she heard a sound behind her and turned and saw a young man on a great white horse with black eyes. It had a long white mane, and pranced above the ground and not on the earth itself. The bridle and the saddle were white. The young man’s moccasins and leggings were also white.
White is mentioned once again, representing the masculine nature of this person.
By the thirteenth day, Asdzą́ą́ Nádleehé had become a young woman, and on that day she said to First Woman, “Something unusual has passed through me.” First woman said, “That is your first race, kinaashdaah.” They covered the floor of the hogan with blankets, and Changing Woman lay on them face down. First Man pulled her hair down, and shaped her face, and dressed her in beautiful goods, beads, bracelets, and earrings, and tied her hair with a strip of perfect buckskin. Then First Man and First Woman stepped outside the hogan and told Asdzą́ą́ Nádleehé to run her first race around a cedar tree and return, from east to west, as the sun does. When she returned, they invited all the people to a sing over her in the hogan called Hooghan Hotłʼeztsoos, Changeable House, on the mountain called Dził Náʼodiłii four days later. A great crowd gathered in the evening of the fourth day. A sweet corn cake was made from different colored corn meal sweetened with yeast. The Night Chant was sung, and in the morning the men received some of the maiden’s cake as a gift for their chants, and Asdzą́ą́ Nádleehé, Changing Woman sat in the back of the hogan as gifts were piled in front of her. In this way the First Race of every young woman should be celebrated.
Once again, the importance of femininity is celebrated and emphasized. This is a beautiful ceremony.
Haashchʼééłtiʼí lay a perfect buckskin on the ground with its head facing the west. On the buckskin First Man lay the turquoise figure of a girl with her head to the west.
The perfect buckskin is mentioned throughout these tellings and is a representation for the natural world of nonhuman beings and their relationship to the people.
The monsters hid along paths, and killed and devoured travelers. They killed many people, and the people began to live in fear.
Fear is a powerful tool used to persuade, it is an essential aspect of a balanced world. Did the council never think that sentencing children to die, regardless of their amenities or beginnings, could also be seen as devilish behavior?
In the Third World, there was a time when men and women had lived apart for a long time. During that time, some women had used animal horns or long stones or bird feathers for sex. Now, in the Fourth World, some of those women were pregnant. One woman who had used an antelope horn gave birth to a child with no head. The people held a council and decided that this baby would be abandoned. It was left to die in a gully. But it lived and grew to become Déélgééd, the Horned Monster.
It is interesting that in this telling there is so much emphasis on gender and sex, especially for this bit. When men and women were apart, women strayed toward more taboo and heathenish behaviors. As uncovered earlier, men might have been associated more with the justice of logic where women were more emotional. These women subsequently gave birth to demons as we would recognize them today. This shows a great necessity for man and woman to stay together to remain on a path of balance and success.
Finally, a smoke was prepared for the mountains and the chants were sung.
Using dried herbs and plants for ceremonies is commonly seen throughout religious sects, like myrrh or sage.
They were created to reside there forever.
This is one of the few mentions of immortal beings in this world.
Then Coyote said, “This is too long. I have a better way.” He then snapped the blanket and the rest of the rock-star mica was scattered across the sky.
Again, Coyote shows his true nature, one based in chaos. He seemingly closes out a lot of the stories.
“I threw the rock in the water knowing that it would sink.” The people darkly muttered about this to one another, the whole of them deciding that Coyote really did deserve a good beating. But quick thinking Coyote finished his explanation. “Without death the world would soon be overpopulated. The elders would never die and would stay stuck in their infirm bodies. There would be no room for new children. We would run out of food and shelter with so many people to feed and care for.”
It is very unique that Coyote is always described with such an omnipotence. He appears to know everything and was already in the Fourth World when the First People arrived. He used the stone as a lesson, a visual representation that could be remembered easily, because we know that the Navajo relied on images and art rather than words to pass on stories.
Each time she completed her cycle she would blow on the whistle, and a new month would begin.
The first calendars were kept by women in neolithic times via counting their menstrual cycles, according to one researcher.
They asked Turquoise Boy if he would become the sun, and they asked White Shell Girl if she would become the moon.
In astrology, it is belief that the sun is masculine where the moon is feminine. This also makes me think of the story above where the woman is the Black Cloud while the man is the White Cloud; night and day; light and dark. Very interesting how this idea transcends so many different beliefs.
At that moment the Coyote Áłtsé Hashké, First Angry, came and asked them what they were doing. “Nothing,” they said. “So I see,” he said. And he went away.
It is strange that First Angry would come and then just disappear so suddenly. I wonder what this means.
Spider Man then said, “Now you know all that I have named for you. It is yours to work with and to use following your own wishes. But from now on when a baby girl is born to your tribe you shall go and find a spider web woven at the mouth of some hole; you must take it and rub it on the baby’s hand and arm. Thus, when she grows up she will weave, and her fingers and arms will not tire from the weaving.”
This practice of using the body of another to gain power from is seen throughout time and cultures across the world. Chiefly, taking communion is the most common, as it is believed that this crisp and wine/liquid give some part of the lord to the worshiper.
Then Spider Man said that the ball of thread should be called “yódí yił nasmas aghaaʼ,” meaning “rolling with the beautiful goods.” Spider Woman said, “No, it shall be called ntsilí yił nasmas aghaaʼ, rolling with the mixed chips.”
This is the beginning of man and woman and they're seemingly equal in opinion. Both speak freely, which is unique.
Spider Man taught the people to shape a little wheel, 3 or 4 inches in diameter, and put a slender stick through it to spin the cotton
This statement emphasizes the straight stick and the round wheel, the idea of balance and harmony in the face of opposites.
Near Tó Ałnáosdlį́į́, Crossing of the Waters, lived Spider Man and Spider Woman. They knew how to weave the fibers of cotton and hemp and other plants.
Here, we are introduced to the beginning of the art of weaving and crafts of a similar nature, which is an integral part of the Navajo's art style with the woven blankets.
the twins found mates with the Mirage People
This is interesting because the offspring of the First Man and Woman went off to live and breed with these Mirage People and this is where man came from. How does the lineage of the Mirage People affect us spiritually, I wonder?
“live here as husband and wife.”
This idea of husband and wife is strange in this context when so much more happened that was spiritual. I wonder if they knew before that the First Man and Woman would be married. What was the purpose?
First Man and First Woman bathed carefully and dried themselves with corn meal. They listened and waited. On the twelfth day the four Holy People returned. Water Sprinkler and Black God carried a sacred buckskin. Talking God carried two perfect ears of corn, with their points completely covered with kernels. One ear of corn was white, the male corn belonging to First Man. The other ear was yellow, the female corn belonging to First Woman. The gods placed one buckskin on the ground facing west, and on it they placed the two ears of corn with their tips pointing east. Under the white ear they put the feather of a white eagle. Under the yellow ear of corn they put the feather of a yellow eagle. They told the people to stand at a distance so that the wind could enter.
Just like Adam and Eve, even Lilith, the First Man and First Woman were also given trials as seen throughout this version of the story.
“You must cleanse yourselves and we will return in twelve days.”
In a lot of religious sects, cleansing of the body is required of purification, similar to baptism.
Holy People lived on the mountains. They were immortal, and could travel by following the path of the rainbow and the rays of the sun. One was Haashchʼééłtiʼí, Talking God. His body was white. One was Tó Neinilí, Water Sprinkler. He was blue. One was Haashchʼééʼooghaan, House God. His body was yellow. One was Haashchʼééshzhiní, Black God, the god of fire. Beyond them to the east lived Turquoise Boy, who was a Nádleehi, neither male nor female, who guarded the great male reed. And far to the West, on Abalone Shell Mountain, lived Yoołgaii Asdzą́ą́ White Shell Girl, also a Nádleeh. With her was the big female reed, which grew at the water’s edge with no tassel.
It is really interesting how much these four colors are included in this ideology, no matter how much these beings have traveled, these have really just come back into the story multiple times.
In the Yellow World were six mountains. In the East was Sisnaajiní, Dawn, or White Shell Mountain. In the South was Tsoodził, Blue Bead, or Turquoise Mountain. To the West was Dookʼoʼoosłííd, Abalone Shell Mountain. In the North was Dibé Nitsaa, Big Sheep Mountain. Near the Center of the Yellow World was Dził Náʼoodiłii, Soft Goods or Banded Rock Mountain. And near it, East of center, there was Chʼóolʼį́ʼí, Precious Stones, or Great Spruce Mountain.
This reiterates the deeper connection between human and nonhuman beings that is essential to the lifestyle of the Natives. Each of the mountains is named for something that these people connected with on the earth like animals or important natural objects, like the Spruce.
“We welcomed you here among us. We treated you as kin. Yet this is how you return our kindness. Now you must leave this world.”
This is an important lesson to the hozho ideology; how you treat others, your actions and ideas, will effect others.
The Black Cloud contained the Female spirit of Life. The White Cloud contained the Male spirit of Dawn.
This reminded me the yin-yang symbol because of the contrasting black and white elements. Looking into color schemes more deeply, I found that white is the color reverence, of justice, while black illustrates power and sophistication. I think this illustrates the difference in positions within the hozho lifestyle regarding men and women.
When the people arrived in the Fourth or White World, Niʼ Hodisxǫs, it was covered in water and there were monsters (naayééʼ) living here. The Sacred Mountains were re-formed from soil taken from the original mountains in the Second World. First Man, First Woman, and the Holy People created the sun, moon, seasons, and stars. It was here that true death came into existence via Coyote tossing a stone into a lake and declaring that if it sank then the dead would go back to the previous world.
The color scheme cannot go unnoticed. White is known for purity and innocence, however it also is a color made from all the other colors. This idea of harmony and a collective nature identifies with the hozho way of life. Again, this world is covered in water, however it is not in such an imbalance that it affects this world negatively, instead it is in harmony with the land. The Sacred Mountains coming back into play reveal that the White World is a reincarnation of the previous worlds, giving the idea that these worlds are the same just on separate planes. The notion that the First Woman, First Man, and the Holy People created the sun and such gives the impression that their power did not come from a higher power but from within and with the support of those around them. The idea that the Coyote would throw a stone into a lake and then go on to state if it sinks that the dead will return to the previous world tells a lot about the mindset of the people as well as incredible insight into their beliefs. First, of course the stone would sink. This realization says two things: 1) death is the consequence of finding balance, it is something to be achieved, not feared; 2) this world had enough balance that even the Coyote believed it to be the end and the only other choice was to send people back.
In the Third or Yellow World, Niʼ Hałtsooí, there were two rivers that formed a cross and the Sacred Mountains but there was still no sun. More animal people lived here too. This time it was not discord among the people that drove them away but a great flood caused by Tééhoołtsódii when Coyote stole her two children.
Again, the color scheme must be mentioned. Yellow is often attributed to happiness, optimism, and warmth. However, the passage alerts us to the fact that a flood has thrown the world into chaos. This flood would likely be blue, symbolism that illustrates this world is not the final place for the First People. Despite not having sun, these people still founded two rivers that formed a cross as well as what they called the "Sacred Mountains". This cross reference is interesting, it reflects the idea of unnatural ideas emerging, of man and structure gaining strength over the organic curvature that has frequently been represented in the tale, like with the unexpected flow of the water. The idea that coyote caused chaos in this world shows that this ancient darkness is still present and is in fact one step ahead of the First People.
They journeyed to the Second or Blue World, Niʼ Hodootłʼizh, which was inhabited by various blue-gray furred mammals and various birds, including blue swallows.
Blue is an interesting color choice because it is said to represent harmony, stability, cold, and also water. It is a natural ascending gradient from the dark world in color and in essence. These creatures in the Blue World are covered in ash-colored furs, which we can refer back to the color scheme. There is a coldness in this world, it encourages the First Woman and First Man to proceed to another world, which is emphasized by the Swallow Chief confronting them and saying such.
This could also be a legitimate example of fact-telling through Native stories depicting the movement of peoples from present-day Russia across the land bridge and depositing of their people into the new lands of the Americas.
The supernatural beings First Woman and First Man came into existence here and met for the first time after seeing each other’s fire.
Again, this telling is similar to the telling of Adam and Eve in Christian texts. However, it is upon seeing each other's light that they were introduced. They had the choice to join forces rather than being subject to another, higher power's commands. However, things began to get more dangerous, which represents the conflict that is eternal.
The First or Dark World, Niʼ Hodiłhił, was small and centered on an island floating in the middle of four seas.
In retrospect, this is a very intelligent idea considering Pangaea was the "original" formation of the landmass on earth. The dark world could also mean lacking in spirituality, lacking in balance, which the Navajo so closely aligned with.
The inhabitants of the first world were the four Diyin Dineʼé, the two Coyotes
In other native sects, there is a tale of the two wolves, which reside in every person. They are both sides of our being, the divided nature that we harbor within, and it is our life's purpose to seek balance between the two. It is interesting that even in the beginning of the world, the Navajo included these beings.
The basic outline of Diné Bahaneʼ begins with the Niłchʼi Diyin (Holy Wind) being created as the mists of lights which arose through the darkness to animate and bring purpose to the four Diyin Dineʼé (Holy People), supernatural and sacred in the different three lower worlds. All these things were spiritually created in the time before the Earth existed and the physical aspect of humans did not exist yet, but the spiritual did.
This is a very interesting passage. First, we understand that the Navajo people believed in light defeating darkness. This is such a recurrent theme throughout history and it really reflects our ancestral fear of being in the dark, of being without actual light. Second, we learn that the intent of the light is bring purpose to the lives of those residing in the three levels of the world. It is interesting to hear this because without light, our days could not be as productive as they are, especially in modern times. Third, the three worlds sound a lot like earth, heaven, and hell, all of which are emphasized in religions across the world today. Lastly, I think it is a startling revelation that the Navajo believed in a spiritual world before the birth of the earth. This gives such incredible insight into the intelligence of these people, because for so long, people didn't understand the formation of the earth, let alone to believe something came before all of what we know today. This is very uncommon in most popularized religions.
She quotes a refrain from the song that Navajo weavers sing when weaving: “‘With me there is beauty (shil hózhó); ‘in me there is beauty’ (shii’ hózhó); ‘from me beauty radiates’ (shits’ aa d oo hózhó).”[3] Haraway considers Navajo weaving a form of activism precisely because hózhó is not just about craft; it’s about “right relations of the world, including human and nonhuman beings, who are of the world as its storied and dynamic substance, not in the world as a container.”
This is an important revelation because for a long time in more developed countries like those found in Europe, art was only manufactured by the wealthy or it was strictly for use in religious settings. The fact that these Natives not only used art as a means of communication, but also recognized its power, shows the depth of knowledge and reflection that many Spaniards at the time denied could have existed from these people.
At pivotal moments in the story, agents of chaos disrupt the normal state of affairs, and key Navajo figures must respond.
This sentence resonates deeply with a lot of indigenous people, but this common theme is also why the idea resonates within tales of creation, which is mentioned in the next few paragraphs. This reflects the idea that these Natives were familiar with others attempting to steal land or goods from them, that when the Spanish arrived, it was not the first time they were met with war. However, it is clear that the sequence of events that would soon transpire over the coming centuries, was worse than anything they had come across.
Kahn-John and Koithan emphasize the ethical component of hózhó, but it’s important to keep in mind that the term has an aesthetic component to it as well. “Beauty” and “harmony” refer to how one lives in relation to the environment, but these forms of hózhó also apply to the crafts and products that the Navajo make.
Circles and lines are essential to understanding these ancient cultures as they are the essence of balance and beauty. The curves of a circle emphasize the natural beauty of life, a never ending circle; lines illustrate the discipline of achieving success in this world, of following the straight and narrow. These notions are presented in their daily lives, as stated it is also shown in their art, which can still be appreciated today, especially in Mexico and the Southern American border.
White Shell Woman
White is traditionally a color of purity and despite the time, the Natives also identified with this color scheme, they understood how art could persuade the people.