Navajo (Diné)

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The first world, where Navajos originated, was inhabited by Insect People of twelve types. For their sins of adultery and constant quarreling, the gods expelled them by sending a wall of water from all directions. The Insect People flew up into the second world, guided through a hole in the sky by a cliff swallow. The second world was a barren world inhabited by Swallow People. They decided to stay anyway, but after 24 days, one of the Insect People made love to the wife of the Swallow People's chief. They were expelled to the third world; the white face of the wind told them of an opening. The third world was a barren world of Grasshopper People. Again, the Insect People were expelled for philandering after 24 days. The red face of the wind guided them to the hole to the fourth world. This world was inhabited by animals and Pueblos, with whom the Insect People coexisted peacefully. The gods made people in human form from ears of corn, different colors of corn becoming different tribes. The Insect People intermarried with them, and their descendants eventually looked fully human. In time, the men and women argued and decided to live apart. But both groups engaged in unnatural sex acts, and eventually the women were starving, so they got back together. The gods were displeased by their sins, though, and sent a wall of water upon them. The people noticed animals running and sent cicadas to investigate. They escaped the floodwaters by climbing into a fast-growing reed. Cicada dug an entrance into the fifth world, which was inhabited by grebes. The grebes said that people could have that world if they could survive plunging arrows into their heart. The cicadas met this challenge (they bear the scars on their sides still), and people live in the fifth world today.

Capinera, J. L., "Insects in Art and Religion: The American Southwest", American Entomologist 39(4) (Winter 1993), 226-228.

An elaborate and unusual account of a flood occurs in the First World in this version of the Navajo emergence myth, told at Keam's Canyon in 1885 by a Navajo priest named Guisheen Bige. The flood which results from stealing the water monster's children is common but differs in details between versions. The original of this account does not identify all the named characters. Hostjaishjini is a fire god. Nastjeasun, presumably, is another god; the name suggests "Owl woman." Tulthklahale is apparently the same as the crane Teklaliale.

The first world was barren ground. Etséhostin and Etséasun, Old Man and Old Woman, existed there, and on the fourth day they began to think of eating. Hostjaishjiné rubbed some skin from his belly and laid it on the ground. The woman [Nastjeasun?] did the same. Etséhostin formed two rolls of skin from his back and laid them on the ground. From this arose a man with a mask, the first human. Etséasun created a woman called Josdelhashi from her skin. Etséhostin similarly created Teholtsody, a water monster, and Usheenasun, Salt Spirit.

Hostin (Old Man) created a wing from a bit of his tongue. When he placed this on his ear, the wind would shake it and tell him everything. He also created a large frog, Tlalc, and a crane, Teklaliale. Etséasun created Thunder from her scalp skin and a feather. This makes twelve personages up to this time.

Etséhostin asked Hostjaishjiné how to get food. Hostjaishjiné, who always looks angry, said, "I do not know," but he created Wunustcinde, Cicada, from some skin on his neck. Etséasun asked Nastjeasun how to get food, and she created Nazozi, Ant, from which many little yellow ants came after four days. Hostjaishjiné created a horned toad, Nashongbitcijy. Etséhostin built a house there, but the ants annoyed people so that they could find no rest. Teholtsody traveled east, and as the world was very small then, he soon came to its limit and built his house there. In like manner, the frog traveled south, Salt Woman went west, and Tulthklahale went north, and each built a house.

Etséhostin said, "I wish we could get some clouds for rain," and he looked east and saw many clouds, for Teholtsody's house is of clouds. Etséasun said, "I wish we had rain" and saw in the south a heavy fog which was frog's house. Etséhostin prayed for rain and saw a mirage in the west. Etséasun prayed for rain and saw in the north a green water scum from which a house was made.

Etséhostin sent Thunder naked to stand in the doorway of Teholtsody's house in the east. Teholtsody gave him a mantle and headdress of feathers which were lightning. Etséhostin and Etséasun sent other beings to stand in the doorways of the others' houses. Teholtsody had made a water vessel of white clay. Frog made one of blue clay. Usheenasun made one of yellow clay. Tulthklahale made one of spotted clay.

Etséhostin went to Teholtsody's house and found that the pot he had made was full of water. He returned home and told his wife. Traveling south, she found that Frog's pot was full of water. Josdelhashi, going west, found Salt Woman's pot full of water. Hostjaishjiné went north and found a pot of water in the house of Tulthklahale. He returned very angry. "They are getting wiser than us," he said. "They are growing rich and we are still poor." Etséhostin said, "We will grow wise and have many things some day." He went east and west and borrowed a little water in each house, and his wife went north and south and did likewise. They planted it together in the ground, and in a few days there was a spring there with several kinds of plants growing around it. One of these was a reed with twelve joints. From it came the wind, which raised a heavy rain.

When the rain stopped, everything looked beautiful. There was corn around the spring, pumpkin and squash to the east, watermelon and tobacco to the south, beans and cotton to the west, and muskmelon and gourds to the north. Hostin prayed and sang for more. They found a big shell and Turquoise in the spring, which Spider Woman brought out. Going to the other houses, they found a black bow and arrow in the east, stone knives in the south, cotton cloth in the west, and black cloth in the north. Hostin prayed for more and went to the spring. There, the corn was ripening, and they gathered it. Those living at the four corners had no corn and begged Hostin for some. But he would give them only pollen, which did not produce ear corn; he would give them no seed corn. Tehostsody said, "When Hostin came to borrow water, we gave him some." Hostin said, "I gave you some corn." Teholtsody and the others grew very angry and tried to destroy Hostin. But when Teholtsody sent Thunder against him, Horned Toad blocked the lightning, and Spider Woman, Hostjaishjiné, and Cicada protected Hostin against other attacks.

Hostin then asked Hostjaishjiné to act against these people. He went to each of their houses and broke the water pots. All the waters met in the west, and there was a great flood. Hostin had everything he wanted, including large hollow reeds to float on, but the flood troubled the other people, since they had no means of floating on the water.

As the world was gradually overflowed, the people at the four corners brought gifts to Hostin, begging for peace. Hostin did not take them but directed them to others. Teholtsody brought a bow and two arrows, which Cicada accepted; he passed the arrows through his body, making holes which you can see in the insect today. Frog brought tobacco, which Hostin referred to Hostjaishjiné. Salt Woman offered a cotton blanket, which Spider Woman took. Tulthklahale sent a flint shirt and cap, which went to Horned Toad. All were now on peaceable terms.

Hostin went east and picked up a little earth from White mountain, which still showed above the water. Spider Woman wove a web so that the spring could not overflow yet. Old Man and Woman planted every living thing there and gathered the seeds. They all put their possessions into the reeds and got in themselves. Two young men came out of the spring and went to the reeds also. Cicada made a noise through the holes in his thorax, Black Wind shook the reed, and the reed grew higher and higher. The water covered the earth and kept rising. The reed kept growing until it reach the roof of the world. They could find no opening. As they wondered what to do, Spider Woman wove a web on the water which people sat upon as a raft. Hostjaishjiné started a hole in the roof with his knife, and Cicada bored the rest of the way through and came into the new world.

Making noise with his thorax, he attracted the attention of swans, which came to him from the south, east, north, and west. He told them he came from the world below, but they would not believe him, and they told him that the place belonged to the swans. Finally, the swans agreed to accept payment. Cicada went back to his people and got the red substance that causes red sunsets. When the swans put it on their wings, they were much pleased. As they left, they carried off some of the water to leave dry land.

The others came up to the new world. From earth gathered from four mountains in the lower world they again formed mountains, white at east, blue at south, yellow at west, and black at north. The boys from the spring were left at the Ute Mountains in the east. Old Man arranged for day and night.

Old Man and Woman laid out corn and shells. After singing and praying over them, Wolf, Mountain Lion, Otter, and Beaver were raised. Old Man made these rulers over several regions. With Josdelhashi's help, they made six men and six women from skin. Coyote and yellow fox were born when the white of the east met the yellow of sunset. When the blue and black met, the blue fox and badger were born.

Great Wolf was the chief of all the people. After a time, his wife made herself three sticks for gambling and would go off all day. Her husband had a great argument with her, and this led to him leading the men to the other side of the river to live apart from the women. Over the years, the women did not work their fields well, and they suffered greatly from hunger. The men prospered, but they still missed their wives. Eventually, the men and women reconciled and lived together again.

Teholtsody had built his home under the river, and one night the cries of a baby were heard from his water house. Coyote tried to get the baby but failed. At Old Man's suggestion, he went to Spider Woman, who spread a web over the river, got the baby, and hid it away under her left arm. When Teholtsody could not find the baby, he grew crazy and said he would kill everyone until he found his child. He opened the earth at four corners and let the waters loose.

At first, the people could not understand what they saw in the distance. The winds went and reported back that great bodies of water were coming together. The two youths from the spring came from the mountain Tcolii carrying with them a hollow reed and a sunflower stem, each with four flute holes. The people began to climb the mountains; the water came so quickly that they had time to gather only a few seeds. The youths planted the reed, and it began to grow. People got in it. At the bottom, Turkey's tail dragged in the water, making his feathers white. The four winds guarded the holes in the reed. Badger began to dig upward but came back again. Cicada dug then and shortly penetrated to another world, but he found nothing but water there. Soon a man with an axe came from the east; he struck at Cicada twelve times but could not hit him. A man came from each of the other three directions but likewise failed to hurt Cicada. Another man, Tcithkahilka, came from the east with two arrows. "This is my land," he said.

"We shall see. We would like to live here at any rate."

The man pushed one arrow up his anus and another down his throat and pushed both through. Then he threw them to Cicada, saying the land would be his if he could do that. Cicada said he could do better than that and pushed the arrows through his sides. The man picked up his arrows and left. In the same way, Cicada met the same challenge from men from the other three points.

He returned to tell the people of the new world, and four of them came up. These gouged small canyons in each direction to drain the water. They went down again, and the winds came up and blew for four days to dry the land. When Badger came up, the ground was still muddy in places, and his short legs got stuck in the mud, which is why he has a black muzzle and black legs. The winds blew more. Big Gray Fly came up and found everything beautiful. After another twelve days, it was dry enough for everyone to come up.

Spider Woman still carried Teholtsody's child under her arm. Some water came up through the hole and formed a lake. Hosjelti, a man whom Old Man had created in the previous world, laid the foundations of the houses of the Pueblo Indians, and his own people built hogans. Teholtsody was still searching for his child and wanted to follow the people into the upper world. The people did not know what to do. Finally, Spider Woman gave back the child, and Teholtsody returned to the lower world.

A. M. Stephen, "Navajo Origin Legend," Journal of American Folk-Lore 43 (1930): 88-104. [via sacred-texts.com]