1. *THE EARTH IS SET UP 1
Four people started to work on the earth. When they set it up, the wind blew it off again. It was weak like an old woman. They talked together about the earth among themselves. "What shall we do about this earth, my friends? We don't know what to do about it." Then one person said, "Pull it from four different sides." They did this, and the piece they pulled out on each side they made like a foot. After they did this the earth stood all right. Then on the east side of the earth they put big black cane, covered with black metal thorns. On the south side of the earth they put big blue cane covered with blue metal thorns. Then on the west side of the earth they put big yellow cane covered with yellow metal thorns. Then on the north side of the earth they put big white cane covered with white metal thorns. 2
After they did this the earth was almost steady, but it was still soft and mixed with water. It moved back and forth. After they had worked on the earth this way Black Wind Old Man 3 came to this place. He threw himself against the earth. The earth was strong now and it did not move. Then Black Water Old Man threw himself against the earth. When he threw himself against the earth, thunder started in the four directions. Now the earth was steady, and it was as if born already.
But the earth was shivering. They talked about it: "My friends, what's the matter with this earth? It is cold and freezing. We better give it some hair." Then they started to make hair on the earth. They made all these grasses and bushes and trees to grow on the earth. This is its hair.
But the earth was still too weak. They started to talk about it: "My friends, let's make bones for the earth." This way they made rocky mountains and rocks sticking out of the earth. These are the earth's bones.
Then they talked about the earth again: "How will it breathe, this earth!" Then came Black Thunder to that place, and he gave the earth veins. He whipped the earth with lightning and made water start to come out. For this reason all the water runs to the west. This way the earth's head lies to the east, and its water goes to the west.
They made the sun so it traveled close over the earth from east to west. They made the sun too close to the earth and it got too hot. The people living on it were crawling around, because it was too hot. Then they talked about it: "My friends, we might as well set the sun a little further off. It is too close." So they moved the sun a little higher. But it was still too close to the earth and too hot. They talked about it again. "The sun is too close to the earth, so we better move it back." Then they moved it a little higher up. Now it was all right. This last place they set the sun is just where it is now.
Then they set the moon so it traveled close over the earth from east to west. The moon was too close to the earth and it was like daytime at night. Then they talked about it: "My friends, we better move the moon back, it is like day." So they moved it back a way, but it was still like daylight. They talked about it again: "It is no good this way, we better move the moon higher up." So they moved it higher up, but it was still a little light. They talked about it again and moved it a little further away. Now it was just right, and that is the way the moon is today. It was night time.
This is the way they made the earth for us. This is the way all these wild fruits and foods were raised for us, and this is why we have to use them because they grow here.
[p. 2]
[p. 2]
VARIANT 4
Nałk’ideelaajindii [nałk’ide‧la‧djindi‧] (long ago they say). 5 There was only God 6 living above at that time and there was no earth at all. God had twelve people working for him then, so he talked to them. "I am thinking about making a sky and earth," he said. So they all said, "Good" and talked about it. Now God thought how he would make earth and sky. Then black water, blue water, yellow water, white water, they created to make the earth of. There were four whirlwinds, little ones, going around it. This way he (God) put it up. Then Black Wind, Blue Wind, Yellow Wind and White Wind ran against it from four directions and blew against it. 7 This way God tried the earth to see if it was strong, but it shook. Then Black Gopher got four kinds of rope, and with this he tied the earth up in thirty-two places. 8 But still the earth shook. It was no good this way, they said. Then from the east side Black Metal shot into the earth, from the south side Blue Metal shot into the earth, from the west side Yellow Metal shot into the earth, and from the north side White Metal shot into the earth. 9 Then the earth was good and stopped moving about. It only shook a little bit. It was still not quite strong enough. So over in the east Black Metal made his moccasins, put them on his feet and stepped on the earth; from the south side Blue Metal did the same way and stepped on the earth; from the west side Yellow Metal did the same way and stepped on the earth; and from the north side White Metal did the same and also stepped on the earth. Now all four had stepped on the earth. After this big black cane 10 on the east side covered over the tracks of Black Metal where he had stepped. Then on the south side was big blue cane with blue metal leaves growing up inside. Then on the west side was big yellow cane with yellow metal leaves growing up inside. Then on the north side was big white cane with white metal leaves growing up inside. Now he made dew all over the earth to make it wet. Then Black Wind from the east ran against the earth (blew a great wind); then on the south side Blue Wind ran against the earth; then from the west side Yellow Wind ran against the earth, and then from the north side White Wind ran against the earth. Now when they did this the earth did not move anymore.
Then on the west side was made big yellow cane with yellow metal leaves, growing up on the earth's back. One the east side he made black cane with black metal leaves, growing up between the earth's horns. The leaves from the plant grew down from the earth's head like whiskers. The earth's horns they made of black metal and they were round (like knobs). Then around the horns they put big black crystals. Then they made black metal, blue metal, yellow metal, and white metal, and these four kinds of metals they put in the earth. This way they made the earth with all kinds of metals and many plants. There were thirty-two kinds of ripe fruits. Then he made clouds over the earth and made it rain a little, and the plants grew from this rain. This way he made these foods just for our people, but the different kinds of metals he made for the white people. Then all kinds of animals and birds he made to live among our people, and these, like bear and horse, he made for our people.
Shi hushk’an dasjaa [ci xuck’an̥ dasdja‧] (My yucca fruits lie piled up). 11
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Endnotes (The Earth Is Set Up):
1 Told by Palmer Valor. Also called "When The Earth Was Made". Compare Goddard, Myths and Tales From the White Mountain Apache, Anthropological Papers American Museum of Natural History, Vol. 24, part 2, p. 119. (back to text)
2 This is the usual color-direction circuit. (back to text)
3 Personification of the wind of the east. (back to text)
Endnotes (Variant):
4 Told by Bane Tithla. Compare Goddard, ibid pp. 119-120. (back to text)
5 The conventional opening. The listener should reply "yah" [ya‘] (meaning assent or confirmation). (back to text)
6 White Mountain people recognized a non-Christian supreme being. His twelve workers are talked of collectively, but seldom if ever mentioned by name. (back to text)
7 The winds of the four directions. (back to text)
8 Four, twelve and thirty-two are the holy numbers. (back to text)
9 The word "metal" originally applied to obsidian and sometimes to churt and ritually still does. "Metal" (obsidian) is personified by the four colored metals. (back to text)
10 A species of wild cane. (back to text)
11 The conventional closing. (back to text)