Hopi Creation

How the Hopi Indians Reached Their World

When the world was new, the ancient people and the ancient creatures
did not live on the top of the earth. They lived under it. All was
darkness, all was blackness, above the earth as well as below it.

There were four worlds: this one on top of the earth, and below it
three cave worlds, one below the other. None of the cave worlds was
large enough for all the people and the creatures.

They increased so fast in the lowest cave world that they crowded it.
They were poor and did not know where to turn in the blackness. When
they moved, they jostled one another. The cave was filled with the
filth of the people who lived in it. No one could turn to spit
without spitting on another. No one could cast slime from his nose
without its falling on someone else. The people filled the place with
their complaints and with their expressions of disgust.

Some people said, "It is not good for us to live in this way."

"How can it be made better?" one man asked.

"Let it be tried and seen!" answered another.

Two Brothers, one older and one younger, spoke to the priest- chiefs
of the people in the cave world, "Yes, let it be tried and seen. Then
it shall be well. By our wills it shall be well."

The Two Brothers pierced the roofs of the caves and descended to the
lowest world, where people lived. The Two Brothers sowed one plant
after another, hoping that one of them would grow up to the opening
through which they themselves had descended and yet would have the
strength to bear the weight of men and creatures. These, the Two
Brothers hoped, might climb up the plant into the second cave world.
One of these plants was a cane.

At last, after many trials, the cane became so tall that it grew
through the opening in the roof, and it was so strong that men could
climb to its top. It was jointed so that it was like a ladder, easily
ascended. Ever since then, the cane has grown in joints as we see it
today along the Colorado River.

Up this cane many people and beings climbed to the second cave world.
When a part of them had climbed out, they feared that that cave also
would be too small. It was so dark that they could not see how large
it was. So they shook the ladder and caused those who were coming up
it to fall back. Then they pulled the ladder out. It is said that
those who were left came out of the lowest cave later. They are our
brothers west of us.

After a long time the second cave became filled with men and beings,
as the first had been. Complaining and wrangling were heard as in the
beginning. Again the cane was placed under the roof vent, and once
more men and beings entered the upper cave world. Again, those who
were slow to climb out were shaken back or left behind. Though
larger, the third cave was as dark as the first and second. The Two
Brothers found fire. Torches were set ablaze, and by their light men
built their huts and kivas, or traveled from place to place.

While people and the beings lived in this third cave world, times of
evil came to them. Women became so crazed that they neglected all
things for the dance. They even forgot their babies. Wives became
mixed with wives, so that husbands did not know their own from
others. At that time there was no day, only night, black night.
Throughout this night, women danced in the kivas
(men's "clubhouses"), ceasing only to sleep. So the fathers had to be
the mothers of the little ones. When these little ones cried from
hunger, the fathers carried them to the kivas, where the women were
dancing. Hearing their cries, the mothers came and nursed them, and
then went back to their dancing. Again the fathers took care of the
children.

These troubles caused people to long for the light and to seek again
an escape from darkness. They climbed to the fourth world, which was
this world. But it too was in darkness, for the earth was closed in
by the sky, just as the cave worlds had been closed in by their
roofs. Men went from their lodges and worked by the light of torches
and fires. They found the tracks of only one being, the single ruler
of the unpeopled world, the tracks of Corpse Demon or Death. The
people tried to follow these tracks, which led eastward. But the
world was damp and dark, and people did not know what to do in the
darkness. The waters seemed to surround them, and the tracks seemed
to lead out into the waters.

With the people were five beings that had come forth with them from
the cave worlds: Spider, Vulture, Swallow, Coyote, and Locust. The
people and these beings consulted together, trying to think of some
way of making light.

Many, many attempts were made, but without success. Spider was asked
to try first. She spun a mantle of pure white cotton. It gave some
light but not enough. Spider therefore became our grandmother.

Then the people obtained and prepared a very white deerskin that had
not been pierced in any spot. From this they made a shield case,
which they painted with turquoise paint. It shed forth such brilliant
light that it lighted the whole world. It made the light from the
cotton mantle look faded. So the people sent the shield-light to the
east, where it became the moon.

Down in the cave world Coyote had stolen a jar that was very heavy,
so very heavy that he grew weary of carrying it. He decided to leave
it behind, but he was curious to see what it contained. Now that
light had taken the place of darkness, he opened the jar. From it
many shining fragments and sparks flew out and upward, singeing his
face as they passed him. That is why the coyote has a black face to
this day. The shining fragments and sparks flew up to the sky and
became stars.

By these lights the people found that the world was indeed very small
and surrounded by waters, which made it damp. The people appealed to
Vulture for help. He spread his wings and fanned the waters, which
flowed away to the east and to the west until mountains began to
appear.

Across the mountains the Two Brothers cut channels. Water rushed
through the channels, and wore their courses deeper and deeper. Thus
the great canyons and valleys of the world were formed. The waters
have kept on flowing and flowing for ages. The world has grown drier,
and continues to grow drier and drier.

Now that there was light, the people easily followed the tracks of
Death eastward over the new land that was appearing. Hence Death is
our greatest father and master. We followed his tracks when we left
the cave worlds, and he was the only being that awaited us on the
great world of waters where this world is now.

Although all the water had flowed away, the people found the earth
soft and damp. That is why we can see today the tracks of men and of
many strange creatures between the place toward the west and the
place where we came from the cave world.

Since the days of the first people, the earth has been changed to
stone, and all the tracks have been preserved as they were when they
were first made.

When people had followed in the tracks of Corpse Demon but a short
distance, they overtook him. Among them were two little girls. One
was the beautiful daughter of a great priest. The other was the child
of somebody-or-other. She was not beautiful, and she was jealous of
the little beauty. With the aid of Corpse Demon the jealous girl
caused the death of the other child. This was the first death.

When people saw that the girl slept and could not be awakened, that
she grew cold and that her heart had stopped beating, her father, the
great priest, grew angry.

"Who has caused my daughter to die?" he cried loudly.

But the people only looked at each other.

"I will make a ball of sacred meal," said the priest. "I will throw
it into the air, and when it falls it will strike someone on the
head. The one it will strike I shall know as the one whose magic and
evil art have brought my tragedy upon me."

The priest made a ball of sacred flour and pollen and threw it into
the air. When it fell, it struck the head of the jealous little girl,
the daughter of somebody-or-other. Then the priest exclaimed, "So you
have caused this thing! You have caused the death of my daughter."

He called a council of the people, and they tried the girl. They
would have killed her if she had not cried for mercy and a little
time. Then she begged the priest and his people to return to the hole
they had all come out of and look down it.

"If you still wish to destroy me, after you have looked into the
hole," she said, "I will die willingly."

So the people were persuaded to return to the hole leading from the
cave world. When they looked down, they saw plains of beautiful
flowers in a land of everlasting summer and fruitfulness. And they
saw the beautiful little girl, the priest's daughter, wandering among
the flowers. She was so happy that she paid no attention to the
people. She seemed to have no desire to return to this world.

"Look!" said the girl who had caused her death. "Thus it shall be
with all the children of men."

"When we die," the people said to each other, "we will return to the
world we have come from. There we shall be happy. Why should we fear
to die? Why should we resent death?"

So they did not kill the little girl. Her children became the
powerful wizards and witches of the world, who increased in numbers
as people increased. Her children still live and still have wonderful
and dreadful powers.

Then the people journeyed still farther eastward. As they went, they
discovered Locust in their midst.

"Where did you come from?" they asked.

"I came out with you and the other beings," he replied.

"Why did you come with us on our journey?" they asked.

"So that I might be useful," replied Locust.

But the people, thinking that he could not be useful, said to
him, "You must return to the place you came from."

But Locust would not obey them. Then the people became so angry at
him that they ran arrows through him, even through his heart. All the
blood oozed out of his body and he died. After a long time he came to
life again and ran about, looking as he had looked before, except
that he was black.

The people said to one another, "Locust lives again, although we have
pierced him through and through. Now he shall indeed be useful and
shall journey with us. Who besides Locust has this wonderful power of
renewing his life? He must possess the medicine for the renewal of
the lives of others.

He shall become the medicine of mortal wounds and of war." So today
the locust is at first white, as was the first locust that came forth
with the ancients. Like him, the locust dies, and after he has been
dead a long time, he comes to life again-- black. He is our father,
too. Having his medicine, we are the greatest of men. The locust
medicine still heals mortal wounds.

After the ancient people had journeyed a long distance, they became
very hungry. In their hurry to get away from the lower cave world,
they had forgotten to bring seed. After they had done much lamenting,
the Spirit of Dew sent the Swallow back to bring the seed of corn and
of other foods. When Swallow returned, the Spirit of Dew planted the
seed in the ground and chanted prayers to it. Through the power of
these prayers, the corn grew and ripened in a single day.

So for a long time, as the people continued their journey, they
carried only enough seed for a day's planting. They depended upon the
Spirit of Dew to raise for them in a single day an abundance of corn
and other foods. To the Corn Clan, he gave this seed, and for a long
time they were able to raise enough corn for their needs in a very
short time.

But the powers of the witches and wizards made the time for raising
foods grow longer and longer. Now, sometimes, our corn does not have
time to grow old and ripen in the ear, and our other foods do not
ripen. If it had not been for the children of the little girl whom
the ancient people let live, even now we would not need to watch our
cornfields whole summers through, and we would not have to carry
heavy packs of food on our journeys.

As the ancient people traveled on, the children of the little girl
tried their powers and caused other troubles. These mischief-makers
stirred up people who had come out of the cave worlds before our
ancients had come.

They made war upon our ancients. The wars made it necessary for the
people to build houses whenever they stopped traveling. They built
their houses on high mountains reached by only one trail, or in caves
with but one path leading to them, or in the sides of deep canyons.
Only in such places could they sleep in peace.

Only a small number of people were able to climb up from their secret
hiding places and emerge into the Fourth World. Legends reveal the
Grand Canyon is where these people emerged. From there they began
their search for the homes the Two Brothers intended for them.

These few were the Hopi Indians that now live on the Three Mesas of
northeastern Arizona.