Native Americans: 22 Books on History, Mythology, Culture & Linguistic Studies. James Mooney

weight of himself and of Elk's body flattened the top of the hill on which he sat. Where Elk's blood soaked into the ground the soil is still red.

      Nature's Mirror - Navaho

      From his father, Chunnaái, Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ had knowledge of another evil thing and how to destroy it. Cutting off a piece of Elk's intestine, he filled it with blood and fastened it about his waist. Then he told his mother to strip off the hide and while it was still soft sew it into a suit that would cover him completely. When the suit was finished he put it on, hid Elk's antlers under it, and departed westward in search of Itsá, the Eagle, who every day killed a man. When Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ approached the home of Eagle the latter swooped down from his high rock and four times tried to seize him, but could not fasten his talons in the hardened hide. At the fourth attempt Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ allowed Eagle to take hold of his suit in the front, whereupon the bird carried him up and up, and from a tremendous height dropped him upon the sharp rocks. Though unhurt, to deceive Eagle he tore open the piece of intestine, allowing the blood to gush out upon the rock. Itsá told his two children to go and eat, but when they drew near Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ made a sound, "Sh!" and they stopped in fright. Again they came near and again heard the sound "Sh!" So the Eaglets went to their father, perched high on the point of the rock, and said:

      "That body is not dead, it makes a noise 'Sh!'"

      "Never mind that; go and eat!" commanded the parent Eagle, who then flew away for his day's hunting.

      When Itsá was gone, Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ arose, took off the elk-skin suit, and addressed the frightened Eagle children:

      "In what weather does your father come home?"

      "In a great storm of thunder and lightning," they answered.

      "And in what weather does your mother come home?"

      "When all the sky is clouded and a slow rain falls."

      Presently a great storm arose, and the Eaglets exclaimed, "Our father is coming!" Soon the Eagle came rushing through the air, and from afar Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ heard wailing, for Eagle had a man in his talons. From far aloft, as was his wont, he dropped the man upon the rocks. Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ took up one of Elk's antlers and just as the great bird was alighting on his perch hurled it at him, striking him on the head. Listening, he heard the body drop upon the rocks far below. Then a slow rain began to fall, and the Eaglets cried, "Our mother is coming!" Soon the mother Eagle came. She too had a man in her talons, and with the other horn Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ killed her. Then he warned the Eagle children that they must not grow any larger, or ever attempt to carry away people; and they promised to be content with hunting animals.

      But Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ found that there was no way to get down from the rock, for it was steep and very high, so high that it made him dizzy to look over the edge. Chunnaái told him to wait there, for he would send someone to bring him down safely. At last Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ saw somebody below, who proved to be Bat.

      "Come, help me down!" he called.

      Canon Hogan - Navaho

      Bat came up, flying round and round the rock. On his back was a basket, supported from his shoulders by two cords that looked like Spider's thread.

      "That will not hold me!" exclaimed Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ.

      "But it will," answered Bat; "it will hold the biggest of mountain sheep!" And to prove the truth of his assertion he filled the basket with stones and jumped up and down, and the threads held. Then Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ was satisfied and got in, and Bat began the descent. "Don't open your eyes!" he commanded. After a long time, feeling that they must be near the bottom, Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ opened his eyes, but the sight made him dizzy, and he almost fell out of the basket. Bat became angry at this, for the lurch almost threw him from the rock. At last, however, they reached the ground in safety.

      There they dragged the bodies of the two great Eagles together, plucked them, and filled Bat's basket with the feathers, which Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ wished to take home. "Don't go in the low places," he advised Bat, as the latter started on ahead. But Bat forgot, and because the walking was easier went across the low places, where the birds stole all the feathers for their nests; so he had to return and fill the basket again. These he carried safely to Yólkai Ĕstsán, who gave many of them to the people of the village.

      From Chunnaái, Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ learned of one more monster on the earth, a huge Rolling Stone, which lived in the south near the pueblo of Picuris; so he and his mother went southward. They stopped in a cañon through which Rolling Stone often passed on its way to and from the village, and by and by it came crashing along, destroying everything in its path. Just as it passed, Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ shot with one of his great flint-pointed arrows and shattered it, as he had shattered the tree when Chunnaái first gave him his weapons; and the ground in that spot is still red from the blood that flowed from Rolling Stone's heart.

      Origin of Fire

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      Black Man, Haschí̆n Dí̆lhĭli, was created by Nayé̆nayĕzganĭ to be his helper in the task of making the earth a good dwelling-place for the people. Haschí̆n made the animals, mountains, trees, and rivers, gave the people weapons and implements, and showed how they were to be used. When all were supplied with houses to live in and weapons with which to protect themselves and to kill game, he called Coyote, Tsilité̆n, the Mimic.

      "Go to the Land of the Fireflies," he commanded, "and bring back their fire, for the people have no fire with which to cook their food."

      Coyote started, and found the Land of the Fireflies. These beings lived at the bottom of a deep, deep hole—an enormous cave in the solid rock. Its sides were smooth and straight, and how to get down Coyote did not know. He went to the edge of the pit, and there found growing Little Tree.

      "Help me down to the Land of the Fireflies," he said. So Little Tree sent its roots down, down, down, until they extended quite to the bottom, and Coyote descended. There he played with the little Firefly boys, romping about, running back and forth, pretending to be thinking of nothing but their amusement, for the Fireflies guarded their fire carefully and would let no one touch it.

      On the tip of his tail Coyote had tied a tuft of cedar bark. Suddenly he dashed through the great fire which always burned in the centre of the village, and was off before the Firefly people knew what he had done. When they discovered that he had stolen some of their fire, they set out in pursuit; but Coyote was very swift of foot, and reached the wall of the pit far ahead of them.

      "Little Tree, help me out!" he called.

      Little Tree drew its roots up, up, up, while Coyote held on and was drawn safely out of the hole. Then he ran quickly about among the people, lighting the piles of wood they had prepared, until every family was supplied with fire.

      The Navaho

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      A Drink in the Desert - Navaho

      From Copyright Photograph 1904 by E.S. Curtis

      Home Life, Arts, and Beliefs

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