outlines of zuni Creation Myths 9

outlines of zuni Creation Myths 9

THE UNRIPENESS AND INSTABILITY OF THE WORLD WHEN STILL YOUNG.

 

As it was with men and the creatures, so with the world; it was young

and unripe (_k‘yaíyuna_). Unstable its surface was, like that of a

marsh; dank, even the high places, like the floor of a cavern, so that

seeds dropped on it sprang forth, and even the substance of offal

became growing things.

 

Earthquakes shook the world and rent it. Beings of sorcery, demons

and monsters of the under-world fled forth. Creatures turned fierce,

becoming beasts of prey, wherefore others turned timid, becoming

their quarry; wretchedness and hunger abounded, black magic, war,

and contention entered when fear did into the hearts of men and the

creatures. Yea, fear was everywhere among them, wherefore, everywhere

the people, hugging in dread their precious possessions, became

wanderers they, living on the seeds of grasses, eaters of dead and

slain things! Yet still, they were guided by the Two Beloved, ever in

the direction of the east, told and taught that they must seek, in the

light and under the pathway of the Sun, the middle of the world, over

which alone could they find the earth stable, or rest them and bide

them in peace.

 

 

THE HARDENING OF THE WORLD, AND THE FIRST SETTLEMENT OF MEN.

 

When the tremblings grew stilled for a time, the people were bidden

to gather and pause at the First of Sitting-places, which was named

K’éyatiwankwi (Place of upturning or elevation). Yet still poor and

defenseless and unskilled were the children of men, still moist and

ever-anon unstable the world they abode in. Still also, great demons

and monsters of prey fled violently forth in times of earthquake

(_ánukwaík‘yanak‘ya_) and menaced all wanderers and timid creatures.

Therefore the Beloved Twain took counsel one with the other and with

the Sun-father, and instructed by him, the elder said to the younger,

"Brother, behold!

 

That the earth be made safer for men, and more stable,

Let us shelter the land where our children be resting,

Yea! the depths and the valleys beyond shall be sheltered

By the shade of our cloud-shield! Let us lay to its circle

Our firebolts of thunder, aimed to all the four regions,

Then smite with our arrows of lightning from under.

Lo! the earth shall heave upward and downward with thunder!

Lo! fire shall belch outward and burn the world over,

And floods of hot water shall seethe swift before it!

Lo! smoke of earth-stenches shall blacken the daylight

And deaden the senses of them else escaping

And lessen the number of fierce preying monsters!

That the earth be made safer for men, and more stable."

 

"It were well," said the younger, ever eager, and forthwith they made

ready as they had between themselves devised. Then said the elder to

the younger,

 

"Wilt thou stand to the right, or shall I, younger brother?"

"I will stand to the right!" said the younger, and stood there.

To the left stood the elder and when all was ready,

‘Hluáa they let fly at the firebolts, their arrows!

Deep bellowed the earth, heaving upward and downward.

"It is done," said the elder. "It is well," said the younger.

 

Dread was the din and stir. The heights staggered and the mountains

reeled, the plains boomed and crackled under the floods and fires, and

the high hollow-places, hugged of men and the creatures, were black and

awful, so that these grew crazed with panic and strove alike to escape

or to hide more deeply. But ere-while they grew deafened and deadened,

forgetful and asleep! A tree lighted of lightning burns not long!

Presently thick rain fell, quenching the fires; and waters washed the

face of the world, cutting deep trails from the heights downward, and

scattering abroad the wrecks and corpses of stricken things and beings,

or burying them deeply. Lo! they are seen in the mountains to this day;

and in the trails of those fierce waters cool rivers now run, and where

monsters perished lime of their bones (_áluwe_--calcareous nodules in

malpais or volcanic tuff) we find, and use in food stuff! Gigantic were

they, for their forms little and great were often burned or shriveled

and contorted into stone. Seen are these, also, along the depths of

the world. Where they huddled together and were blasted thus, their

blood gushed forth and flowed deeply, here in rivers, there in floods;

but it was charred and blistered and blackened by the fires, into the

black rocks of the lower mesas (_ápkwina_, lava or malpais). There

were vast plains of dust, ashes and cinders, reddened as is the mud

of a hearth-place. There were great banks of clay and soil burned to

hardness--as clay is when baked in the kiln-mound,--blackened, bleached

or stained yellow, gray, red, or white, streaked and banded, bended or

twisted. Worn and broken by the heavings of the under-world and by

the waters and breaths of the ages, they are the mountain-terraces of

the Earth-mother, "dividing country from country!" Yet many were the

places behind and between these--dark canyons, deep valleys, sunken

plains--unharmed by the fires, where they swerved or rolled higher--as,

close to the track of a forest-fire, green grow trees and grasses, and

even flowers continue to bloom. Therein, and in the land sheltered

by the shield, tarried the people, awakened, as from fearful dreams.

Dry and more stable was the world now, less fearsome its lone places;

since, changed to rock were so many monsters of prey (some shriveled

to the size of insects; made precious as amulets for the hunter and

warrior, as told in other talks of our ancient speech).

 

 

THE BEGINNING OF THE SEARCH FOR THE MIDDLE OF THE WORLD, AND THE SECOND

TARRYING OF MEN.

 

But ever and anon the earth trembled anew in that time, and the people

troubled.

 

"Thus, being, it is not well," said the Two. "Let us again seek the

Middle." So, they led their myriads far eastward and tarried them at

Tésak‘ya Yäla (Place of nude mountains).

 

 

THE LEARNING OF WAR, AND THE THIRD TARRYING.

 

Yet soon again the world rumbled, and again they led the way into a

country and place called Támëlan K‘yaíyawan (Where tree boles stand

in the midst of the waters). There the people abode for long, saying

(poor people!) "This is the Middle!" Therefore they built homes. At

times they met people who had gone before, thus learning much of ways

in war, for in the fierceness that had entered their hearts with fear,

they deemed it not well, neither liked they to look upon strangers

peacefully. And many strange things also were learned and happened

there, that are told in other speeches of the ancient talk.

 

Having fought and grown strong, lo! when at last the earth groaned and

the conches sounded warning, and the Twain bade them forth, forsooth!

they murmured much, and many (foredoomed!), turned headstrong and were

left to perish miserably in their own houses as do rats in falling

trees, or flies in forbidden food!

 

 

THE MEETING OF THE PEOPLE OF DEW, AND THE FOURTH TARRYING.

 

But the greater company went obediently forward, until at last they

neared Shípololon K‘yaía (Steam mist in the midst of the waters).

Behold! they saw as they journeyed, the smoke of men's hearth-fires and

a great assemblage of houses scattered over the hills before them! And

when they came closer they met dwellers in those places, nor looked

peacefully upon them--having erstwhile in their last standing-place,

had touch of war--but challenged them rudely, to know, forsooth, who

they were and why there.

 

 

THE GENERATION OF THE SEED OF SEEDS, OR THE ORIGIN OF CORN.

 

"We are the People of Seed," said these strangers, replying to our

fathers of old, "born elder brothers of ye, and led of the gods!"

 

"Nay," contended our fathers, "verily, we are led of the gods and of us

are the Seed people and the substance of seed whereof our wise elders

carry the potencies." Whereupon they grew yet more angry, so dark were

they of understanding!

 

The people who called themselves "Of the Seed"--who were none others

than the "Drinkers of the Dew of Grasses"--bade them pause. "Behold!"

said they, "we have powers above yours, yet without your aid we can not

exert them; even as the mothers of men may not be fertile save of the

fathers. Ye are our younger brothers, for verily so are _your_ People

of Seed, and more precious than they know, are they and their sacred

keepings, ye--unwittingly, alack!--so boast of; even as we are more

wise than ye are and in ourselves quickening withal, for ye are, like

virgins, unthinking, yet fertile. Now go to! Let us look peacefully

upon one another. Do ye, therefore, try first your powers with the

sacred things ye carry according as ye have been instructed or may best

devise; then will we according to our knowledge of these things and our

own practices try our powers with them also, showing forth our customs

unto you."

 

At last, after much wrangling and council, the people agreed to this.

And they set apart the time, eight days (as now days are numbered)

wherein to make their preparations, which was well; for therefrom

resulted to them great gain, yea, and the winning of these stranger

villagers, and by wise and peaceful acts rather than by war and the

impetuosity of right hands. In the borders of the plain in the midst

of cedars (fuel furnishers of the food-maturing fire, these!) and

under the shade of Hemlocks (Tree-goddesses of the food-growing water,

these!) they encamped. And at the foot of the Hemlocks, facing the

sunlight, they builded them of cedar boughs a great bower: like to it,

only lesser, are those whence we watch and foster the ripening of our

corn; for from their bower thus fashioned, our fathers and mothers, the

priests and priest-matrons of old, watched and labored for the first

birth of corn, and in this wondrous wise, as young parents watch for

the birth of their children, though not knowing of what kind or favor

they will be, nevertheless expectantly of heart; and as we now watch

the fulfilment of our harvests.

 

So, the seed-priests and master-keepers of the possessions, and their

fathers (those of the house of houses) fasted and intently contemplated

their sacred substances to divine the means thereof. And it seemed good

to them to cut wands of the spaces, painting them significantly and

pluming them in various ways with the feathers of the cloud and summer

sun-loving birds (Ólowik‘ya Wówe Pékwi Áshiwani), thinking thereby

to waft the breath of their prayers and incantations (taught of the

Surpassing Ones all in the new time of the world) and to show forth

their meanings even so far as unto the ancient sitting spaces of those

who first taught them.

 

When all else was prepared, they made a shrine around their _múetone_

(or medicine seed of hail and soil) their _k‘yáetone_ (or medicine

seed of the water and rain) and their _chúetone_ (or medicine seed

of grains). And around these, and reaching out toward the Sun before

them, they set their plumed wands of message. For the plain was dry

and barren, and they wanted fresh soil by the hail torrents, moisture

by the rain, and growth of seed-substance, that they might the better

exhibit their powers to these strangers; if perchance, in response to

their labors and beseechings, these things would be vouchsafed them.

Therefore, that the meaning of their beseechings might be the more

plain and sure of favor, certain ones of the sage priests, sought out

and placed the largest and most beautifully colored grass seeds they

could find among the stores of their way-farings, in the gourd with the

_chúetone_, and then cut from branches of the easy growing cottonwood

and willow, gleaned from the ways of water, goodly wands which they

plumed and painted, like in color to each kind of seed they had

selected; yellow, green, red, white, black, speckled, and mottled; one

for each side of the sacred gourd, one to be laid upon it, one to be

laid under it, and one to be placed within it; and as soon as finished,

thus they disposed the wands.

 

Now when night came, these master-priests took the _chúetone_--all

secretly, whilst the others were drowsy--and carried it, with the

plumed wands they had made, out into the plain, in front of the bower.

There they breathed into these things the prayers and over them softly

intoned the incantations which had been taught them in the new time of

the world. Then they placed the _chúetone_ on the ground of the plain

and on each side of it, by the light of the seven great stars which

were at that time rising bright above them, they planted one of the

plumed wands with the seeds of its color; first, the brightest, yellow

with the yellow grass seeds, on the north; then the blue with the green

grass seeds, on the west; then the red with the red seeds, to the

south, and the white with the white seeds to the east; but the other

three plumed wands they could not plant, one above, the other below,

and the last within the gourd; so looking at the stars they saw how

that they were set, four of them as though around a gourd like their

own, and three others as though along its handle! "_Há! Chukwé!_" said

they. "'Tis a sign, mayhap, of the Sky-father!" whereupon they set each

of the others in a line, the black one with its seeds of black, nearest

to the sacred gourd below the handle; the speckled one with its spotted

seeds next, on the other side of the handle, and the mottled one with

its dappled seeds far out at the end of the handle, that it might

(being of the colors of all the others) point out each of them, as it

were, and lead them all!

 

And when, on the morrow, the watchers saw the plumes standing there

all beautiful in the plain, and asked who planted them, and for what,

the priests replied, "Verily they were planted in the night, while

ye heedlessly drowsed, by the seven stars." Thereat the people,

mistaking their meaning, exclaimed, "Behold! the seed wands of the

stars themselves!" and they joyed in the omen that their prayers had

been heard so far. And lo! during the eight days and nights there

arose thick mists, hail and rain descended until torrents poured down

from the mountains bringing new soil and spreading it evenly over the

plain. And when on the morning of the ninth day the clouds rolled away,

"_Eluu!_" shouted our fathers of the Seed kin to the stranger people;

"Water and new soil bring we, where erst was barren hardness; yea, even

grasses, tall and plumed as were our wands, and spiked with seed, for

the grass seed had sprouted and the new wands taken root and grown, and

now had long feathery blades and tall, tasseled stems, waving in the

wind."

 

"Yea, verily!" cried the People of the First-growing-grass kin

(Aik‘yaho-kwe), chief of the clans of Seed, "we _are_ the People of the

Seed!"

 

But the strangers, heeding not their boastings, replied, "Yea, verily,

enough! It is well! Truly water and new soil ye have brought, and

grasses growing great therefrom, yet ye have not brought forth new life

therefor of the flesh of men or the seed of seeds! Come now, let us

labor together, in order that what ye have begun may be perfected. New

soil and the seed of its production, the seed of water, yea even the

substance of seed itself we had not, yet of the seed of seed we are

verily the people, and our maidens are the mothers thereof, as ye shall

see."

 

Then they, too, set apart eight days, during which to prepare for

their custom, and they further said, "That we may be perfect in the

plenishing and generation of the seed of seeds, send us forth, O, ye

comers, a youth of the kin of Water and of those who hold possession of

the precious _k‘yáetone_, which give unto us likewise, that we join it

to the _chúetone_ ye have placed in the midst of the growing plants,

according to our understanding of its meaning and relation. And let the

youth be goodly and perfect and whole of seed."

 

Therefore the fathers of the people chose forth, it is said,

Yápotuluha, of the clans of Water, foster child of the great

Sun-priest Yanáuluha, and named of him. And into his hand they gave

the _k‘yáetone_ and certain of their wands of worship, and sent him

to the strangers glorious to look upon. Now there were in the village

of the stranger Seed people seven maidens, sisters of one another,

virgins of one house, and foster children of Paíyatuma (the God of

Dew) himself. And they were surpassingly beautiful, insomuch so that

they were likened to the seven bright stars and are sung of in the

songs of the Seed people and told of in their stories. They, too, were

chosen and breathed upon by all the fathers and matrons of the Seed,

and with the youth Yápotuluha, instructed in the precious rites and

incantations of their custom. And during all the time of preparation

rain fell as before, only gently and warm, and on the eighth day the

matrons and fathers led the maidens and youth, all beautifully arrayed,

down into the plain before the bower where watched the people and grew

the grasses. And there they danced and were breathed of the sacred

medicine seeds. All through the night backward and forward danced they

to the song line of the elders, and in accordance therewith by the side

of the growing plants, motioning them upward with their magic wands

and plumes, as we, with implements of husbandry, encourage the growth

upward of the corn plants today. As time went on, the matron of the

dance led the youth and the first maiden apart, and they grasped, one

on either side, the first plants, dancing around them, gently drawing

them upward as they went, even as the Two Beloved had caused to grow

the canes of the under-world. So also did the youth and each maiden in

turn grasp the other plants in their turn, until all had grown to the

tallness of themselves and were jointed where they had grasped them;

yea, and leaved as with waving plumes of the macaw himself. And now, in

the night, the keepers of the great shells (of the Badger kin), brought

forth fire with their hands from roots, and kindled it in front of the

bower toward the east, that its heat might take the place of the Sun

and its light shine brightly on the dancers, making their acts verily

alive; and as the dawn approached, the youth and first maiden were led

apart as before by the Mother-making matron, and together embraced the

first of the full grown plants, and so, in turn, the youth and each of

the other maidens embraced the other plants.

 

And as they embraced the first plant, the fire flamed brightly, with

the first catching and flush of the wood, and yellow was its light;

and as they embraced the second plant, the flames were burning smokily

with the fuller grasping of the wood, and blue was the light; and as

they were embracing the third plant, the fire reached its fullness

of mastery over the wood, and red was its light; and as they were

embracing the fourth plant, the fire was fumeless and triumphant over

the wood, and white was its light; and as they were embracing the fifth

plant, the fire gave up its breath in clouds of sparks, and streaked,

of many colors, was its light; and as they were embracing the sixth

plant, the fire swooned and slept, giving more heat, as 'twere, than

light, thus somber was the light, yet, as they were embracing the

seventh plant, it wakened afresh, did the fire, in the wind of the

morning, and glowed as does the late fire of the wanderer, with a light

of _all_ the colors.

 

Now, when the day dawned, lo! where the mid-persons of the youth and

the maidens had touched most unitedly and warmly the plants, new parts

appeared to the beholders, showing, through their coverings, many

colors, soft hair shrouding them, as if to make precious their beauty.

 

Whilst the people still gazed at these, wondering, out from the

Eastland came Paíyatuma and Ténatsali of the All-colored flowers (God

of the Seasons), followed by Kwélele with his flame-potent fire-wand.

Paíyatuma touched the plants with the refreshing breath of his flute;

Ténatsali with the flesh-renewing breath of his flowers; Kwélele, with

the ripening breath of his torch, whereby the new parts were hardened,

some to fruitfulness; others, being too closely touched, burned to the

very heat of generative warmth, unfruitful in itself, but fruitful

making! Then, as Paíyatuma waved his flute, lo! following Ténatsali,

the maidens and the attendant Kwélele went forth and disappeared in the

mist of the morning. As they vanished, Paíyatuma turned to where, full

in the light of the rising sun, stood the seven plants. Lithe and tall

stood he there beside them like a far journeyer, and said to the awed

watchers:

 

Lo! ye children of men and the Mother,

Ye Brothers of Seed,

Elder, younger,

Behold the _seed plants of all seeds_!

The grass-seeds ye planted, in secret,

Were seen of the stars and the regions,

Are shown in the forms of these tassels!

The plumes that ye planted beside them

Were felt in the far away spaces,

Are shown in the forms of their leaf-blades!

But the seed that ye see growing from them,

Is the gift of my seven bright maidens,

The stars of the house of my children!

Look well, that ye cherish their persons,

Nor change ye the gift of their being,--

As fertile of flesh for all men

To the bearing of children for men,--

Lest ye lose them, to seek them in vain!

Be ye brothers ye people, and people;

Be ye happy ye Priests of the Corn!

Lo! the seed of all seed-plants is born!

 

As the people eagerly looked, the mists of the morning were seen to be

clearing away, and gone within them, even as his voice, was Paíyatuma!

 

"Thanks this day," together said the fathers and their people, as they

looked upon the plants before them, then at the stranger people.

"Verily, ye are our elder brothers, and as children and sisters, yea

as our very mothers, will we cherish thy maidens and the substance of their flesh!"