from the Navajo healing ceremony called Night Chant Tségihi,

House made of dawn.
House made of evening light.
House made of the dark cloud.
House made of male rain.
House made of dark mist.
House made of female rain.
House made of pollen.
House made of grasshoppers.
Dark cloud is at the door.
The trail out of it is dark cloud.
The zigzag lightning stands high upon it.
Male deity!
Your offering I make.
I have prepared a smoke for you.
Restore my feet for me.
Restore my legs for me.
Restore my body for me.
Restore my mind for me.
This very day take out your spell for me.
Your spell remove for me.
You have taken it away for me.
Far off it has gone.
Happily I recover.
Happily my interior becomes cool.
Happily I go forth.
My interior feeling cool, may I walk.
No longer sore, may I walk.
Impervious to pain, may I walk.
With lively feeling may I walk.
As it used to be long ago, may I walk.
Happily may I walk.
Happily, with abundant dark clouds, may I walk.
Happily, with abundant showers, may I walk.
Happily, with abundant plants, may I walk.
Happily, on a trail of pollen, may I walk.
Happily may I walk.
Being as it used to be long ago, may I walk.
May it be beautiful before me
May it be beautiful behind me.
May it be beautiful below me.
May it be beautiful above me.
With it be beautiful all around me.
In beauty it is finished.

Hasjelti was the son of the white corn, and Hostjoghon the son of the yellow corn. They were born on the mountains where the fogs meet. These two became the great song-makers of the world.

To the mountain where they were born (Henry Mountain, Utah), they gave two songs and two prayers. Then they went to Sierra Blanca (Colorado) and made two songs and prayers and dressed the mountain in clothing of white shell with two eagle plumes upon its head. They visited San Mateo Mountain (New Mexico) and gave to it two songs and prayers, and dressed it in turquoise, even to leggings and moccasins, and placed two eagle plumes upon its head. Then they went to San Francisco Mountain (Arizona) and made two songs and prayers and dressed that mountain in abalone shells with two eagle plumes upon its head. They then visited Ute Mountain and gave to it two songs and prayers and dressed it in black beads. Then they returned to their own mountain where the fogs meet and said, “We two have made all these songs.”

Other brothers were born of the white corn and yellow corn, and two brothers were placed on each mountain. They are the spirits of the mountains and to them the clouds come first. All the brothers together made game, the deer and elk and buffalo, and so game was created.

Navajos pray for rain and snow to Hasjelti and Hostjoghon. They stand upon the mountain tops and call the clouds to gather around them. Hasjelti prays to the sun, for the Navajos.

“Father, give me the light of your mind that my mind may be strong. Give me your strength, that my arm may be strong. Give me your rays, that corn and other vegetation may grow.”

The most important prayers are addressed to Hasjelti and the most valuable gifts made to him. He talks to the Navajos through the birds, and for this reason the choicest feathers and plumes are placed in the cigarettes and attached to the prayer sticks offered to him.

From Myths and Legends of California, by Katharine Berry Judson 1912

Before the Spaniards brought horses to the Dine (Navajo), they told about the Sun-God’s walking across the heavens, carrying the sun on his back. When he reached the west, he hung the sun on a peg, so that it could cool off. He spent the evening with his family, resting after his long journey.

After he was rested, he removed the sun from its peg, apparently hid it in some way as he retraced his steps, and returned in the darkness. In the morning, he started on his westward trip again. Of course, the ancient story continued to be told long after the following one was created.

The Sun-God, Johano-ai, starts each morning from his home in the east and rides across the skies to his home in the west. He carries with him his shining gold disk, the sun. He has five horses–a horse of turquoise, one of white shell, one of pearly shell, one of red shell, and one of coal.

The skies are blue and the weather is fair, the Sun-God rides his horse of turquoise, or the one of white shell, or the one of pearly shell. But when the heavens are dark with storm, he mounts the red horse or the horse of coal.

Beneath the hoofs of the horses are spread precious hides of all kinds and also beautiful blankets, carefully woven and richly decorated. In the days gone by, the Dine (Navajo) wove rich blankets, said to have been found first in the home of the Sun-God. He lets his horses graze on flower blossoms, and drink from mingled waters. These are holy waters of all kinds–spring water, snow water, hail water, water from the four corners of the world. The Dine

(Navajo) use such waters in their ceremonies.

When any horse of the Sun-God trots or runs, he raises not dust, but pitistchi. It is glittering grains of mineral, such as are used in religious ceremonies. When a horse rolls and shakes himself, shining grains of sand fly from him. When he runs, not dust, but the sacred pollen offered to the Sun-God is all about him. Then he looks like a mist. The Dine (Navajo) say that the mist on the horizon is the pollen that has been offered to the gods.

A Navaho man sings about the horses of the Sun-God in order that he, too, may have beautiful horses. Standing among his herd, he scatters holy pollen and sings this song for the blessing and the protection of his animals:

How joyous his neigh!
Lo, the Turquoise Horse of Johano-ai,
How joyous his neigh,

There on precious hides outspread, standeth he; How joyous his neigh,
There of mingled waters holy, drinketh he; How joyous his neigh,
There in mist of sacred pollen hidden, all hidden he; How joyous his neigh,
These his offspring may grow and thrive forevermore; How joyous his neigh!

{source unknown}

There was a man who, while playing the hoop game and the game of seven wooden dice, lost all his property, including a very good house. He also lost the beads that belonged to his niece. Because of this his brothers resolved to kill him. A necklace of mixed beads was hanging in the center of the house. The niece told her uncle he might wager that also. “All right, niece,” he replied, and took the white shell, the turquoise, the abalone, the coral, the jet; he took five of them off one by one. He also provided himself with specular iron ore, pollen of larkspur and of cat-tails. With these he walked away to the corn pits which were full. From these he took one ear each of the five colors. He patted these together until they were small. “Well, little mother,” he said to his niece, “they speak of killing me. It may be you and I will see each other again. Goodbye.”

Then he put a tree into the water with himself (inside of it). He floated in the tree down where the stream enters the Colorado River. He got out of the tree there and walked along the shore. He felt lonesome there. He planted the corn he had brought with him in the form of a cross, putting the seed in, one by one. Each stalk had two ears projecting opposite each other. There were twelve stalks with two ears each.

He stayed there four years and then started to return to his home. After many days he got back, arriving early in the morning at his home which was called te’ineisk’it. He went to the corn storage pits, but they were entirely empty. He put four ears in them and blew on them four times. After that he went where his niece was sitting. They were having a famine. “Prepare food for me, my little mother,” he said to her. “There is none,” she replied. “Four days after you left, the corn was all gone. I do not know how it happened.”

She sat there crying. “I cannot cook food for you, my uncle.” “Go and get something,” he said again. “Do not say that, uncle, there is none, none.” When they had spoken to each other four times she went to the pits. When she got there the pits were full. “Thanks, uncle,” she called as she ran back with the corn. The girl then ran to the men and told them her uncle had come and that the corn pits were full again.

“Welcome,” they said, when they came in and they then embraced him. “You are the only one, younger brother. In the future we will not speak evil of you. Something has happened to the game animals. We hunt in vain.”

Wondering what had happened, the returned brother hunted for days in vain. One day when he was hunting he went to the top of a mountain. Below a cliff he saw a deer standing. He ran around and crept up where the deer had been, but it had vanished. He examined the ground, but the soil had not been disturbed. The next day he climbed the mountain again and there the deer stood again. This time he walked directly toward it trying to keep it in sight; but where it had been standing there was nothing but some deer dung. A little distance from where he stood there had been a spruce tree, but when he turned his head away and then looked in that direction again a god stood there. “What is it, grandchild?” he asked. “A deer which was standing right there has vanished,” he replied. “Have you white shell, grandson?” “I have them all, grandfather.” “My grandson has everything. We will do it,” the god said. [They went up to the god’s house.}

He found the door fronts were darkness, daylight, the moon, and the sun. Inside, shadow gods were sitting on either side, facing each other. “Well, go on, my grandson,” the first god said. He took steps on the right side of the house four times, blowing as he did so, and four footprints appeared. He discovered that the first god had pets which he kept far in the interior. He heard from inside someone say, “Ho, I smell earth people. The polite master has brought in a human being.” “Do not say that; he has everything,” the god said. Back of the fire a male deer was lying. On him lay a feathered arrow with a red shaft. It had just been pulled out.

The man took a seat in the center. He put down one each of white shell, turquoise, coral, abalone, jet, specular iron ore, blue pollen, cat-tail pollen, and then covered them with a blanket. He stepped over these four times and they became a great heap. The god was sorrowful and said, “I do not think we can give you a fair equivalent.”

He found out afterward that he stayed there in the house of the game animals four days. The shadow gods distributed the precious objects. They gave each of those present fifteen pieces, then thirteen, then nine, then seven, then five, then three, and all had been given out.

“This is the way deer should be skinned. Break the legs here at the wrist joint, but let them hang by the tendons. Leave the skin on the nose and lips. Draw the skin carefully from under the eyes. Do not cut through the bladder. Turn the hide back to the hips. If you do this way you will always kill game. Put the head toward the center, but do not let the eyes bum or the teeth. You must not cook it by burying it in the ashes. Game animals must not be thrown away. Sickness will result if you do not observe these things. If the teeth are burned the hunter’s teeth will hurt. You earth people will have a cure for it, grandson,” the god told him.

He had everything prepared. “What did you come for, grandson?” Small Whirlwind told him that on that side were images of the game animals standing side by side. On the east side was the paunch of an animal in which were deer songs. The man pointed to these. The god looked down and said, “All right, grandson. It was for these you came.”

Being xactc’eyahi I came up.
To the abode of the deer I came up.
To the door post of darkness I came up.
To the door post of daylight I came up.
To the door post of moon I came up.
To the door post of sun I came up.
To the place where xactc’eyahi with xactc’ejin sat facing each other, I came up.
To where the black bow and the feathered arrows with red shaft lie across each other, I came up.
Over there they lie across each other, red with the mouth blood of a male deer.
Over there the deer I killed likes me.
He sang only one deer song.

They were here when I was hunting them in vain he thought to himself. “Shoot them in the brush,” he told him. This is where they are.

I being xactc’eyalti.
On the trail to the top of Black Mountain,
On the trail among the flowers,
Male deer are there,
The pollen of herbs I will put in its mouth,
The male deer steps along in the dew of the vegetation.
I kill him but he likes me.

He returned home. He shot into the brush and a deer rolled over with the arrow in him. He shot into another kind of brush and a fawn rolled over with the arrow in him. He shot into another kind of brush and a yearling rolled over with the arrow.

“I have done something important,” he thought to himself as he ran back. They found he had killed them all. That is why when they get away we track them.

There are very many game songs. If one does not know them he does not hunt. We are afraid about these things because they are pets of the gods.

Taken from American Museum of Natural History, Anthropological Papers, Volume
IV, Part I, page 161-164.

Before this world existed, there was a first world far below the world where we are now.

In that world everything was black. There was darkness everywhere, and in the darkness there were six beings. Those beings were first man, the son of night and the blue sky over the sunset; first woman, the daughter of day break and the yellow sky of sunset; salt woman; fire god; coyote and Begochiddy. Begochiddy, who was the child of the sun, was both man and woman, and had blue eyes and golden hair.

There were no mountains or plants in that first world, so Begochiddy began to make them. Begochiddy made four mountains. To the east Begochiddy made a white mountain. To the south Begochiddy made a blue mountain. To the west Begochiddy made a yellow mountain. To the north Begochiddy made a black mountain.

To the north Begochiddy created the ants and other insects and made the first plants. But things were not right in the first world. One story is the fire god became jealous and started to burn everything up. According to another story, the first begins were not happy in that dark world. Whatever the reason was, they decided to leave the first world.

“Gather together the plants and other things I have made,” said Begochiddy to first man.

First man did as Begochiddy said. Then he and the other beings came to the red mountain which Begochiddy created in the center of the first world. The Begochiddy planted the big reed. As the hollow Big Reed began to grow, the first beings climbed into it. Up and up it grew, leaving the first world behind. It grew up and up until it came to the second world.

In the second world Begochiddy created even more things. Begochiddy created the clouds. Begochiddy created more plants and mountains. The color of the second world was blue, and there was other beings in it- Sallow People and Cat People. The Cat People tried to fight Begochiddy and the others, but First Man used his magic and overcame them. For a time, everyone was happy. Then things began to go wrong. Once more Begochiddy planted Big Reed. Once more Begochiddy told First Man and others to put all the tings created into big reed. Big reed began to grow. Up and up it went and carried them all to the third world.

The third world was yellow. Though there was no sun and moon, the mountains gave light. It was the most beautiful of the world they had seen. In this world Begochiddy created rivers and springs. Begochiddy created all kinds of human beings. In this beautiful third world everything spoke one language. All of the things and beings in creation understood each other. But everything was not perfect in the third world. Yellow and red streaks appeared across the eastern sky. They were placed there by first man and represented the diseases about to come to the people through evil magic. Before long, the men and women began to quarrel with each other. The men said that the women were causing trouble. The women said that it was the men. Coyote came to Begochiddy and told him that men and women were always quarreling. Begochiddy decided to put a stop to it.

“All of the men must stay on the right side of the bank of the river. All women must stay on the left side of the river. Neither may cross the river to be with the other.”

So it was done. The men and women lived apart for some time, but they were not happy without each other. Finally they went to Begochiddy. Some say it was the women who came first, but others say it was the men.

“We are not happy by ourselves,” they said. “We wish to be reunited.”

So Begochiddy brought men and women back together.

“If there is more trouble,” he warned them,” this third World will be destroyed by a flood.”

All of this time, Coyote was roaming around. Wherever he went he was curious about everything, including things he should have left well enough alone. One day, Salt Women went walking by the two bog rivers Begochiddy had made in this Third World. When she came to the place in the water. It looked like a baby with long black hair. Coyote lifted it out of the water and hid it under his blanket. He told no one what he had done.

Four days passed and then a great noise was heard all around the Third World. Begochiddy knew what it was, knew what had happened. Someone had done wrong. Now this Third World was about to be destroyed by flood. From the East a black storm came. From the south a blue storm approached. From the west came the yellow storm. From the north a white storm swept. Once again Begochiddy gathered all the beings and things created. Once again Big Reed grew up and up. It lifted up all the beings and things as storm waters rose beneath them.

This time, though, was not as easy as before. Big Reed stopped growing before it entered the next world. The Spider People wove a web to bring them closer, but they could break through into the new world. The ant People tried to dig through, but they could not do it. Finally Begochiddy told the Locust to try. Using their hard head the locust broke through into the Fourth World. Now Brgochiddy climbed up through the hole the locust had made. He found himself on an island with only water to be seen in all directions. Begochiddy saw right away that there were others in this Fourth World who had great power. To the east was talking god. To the south was forest bringer of seeds. To the west was house god. To the north was a second bringer of seeds. Begochiddy waved to each of them. Then the four powerful beings made the waters recede, leaving a world covered with mud. Begochiddy went back down Big Reed to the others.

“Grandparent,” said the others, “how is it in the new world?”

“The new world is good,” Begochiddy said, “but it is not yet dried. Someone must try to walk up there. Who will try?”

“I will go,” said Badger. Then he went up through the hole and tried to walk on the new Fourth World. His feet broke through the surface, through, and became covered with mud. To this day all badgers have black feet.

“This will not do,” Begochiddy said. “How can we dry this new world?”

“We shall dry it,” said the winds. Then the winds went up to the Forth World. The cyclones and the whirlwinds and small dust devils went up to the Fourth World. They swirled about and dried the surface well so the people went up and walked on the dried Fourth World, and all the other people and created things followed.

Begochiddy, though, looked back down through the hole to the Third World. The water was still rising.

“Who is the one who angered the water monster?” Begochiddy said.

No one answered, but coyote pulled his blanket tighter around himself.

“Open your blanket,” Begochiddy said.

Then Coyote opened his blanket and Begochiddy saw the water baby.

“You must give the water monster back its child,” Said Begochiddy.

Coyote did as Begochiddy said. He dropped the water baby back to the Third World, and the waters receded.

Now Begochiddy went around the Forth World and placed things in order. The mountains were put in their places. The sun and moon and stars were put into the sky. Fire god tried to keep all the fire to himself, even though the people needed it to keep warm and cook their food. One night, through, a fire god slept, coyote stole fire from him and gave it to all the people. Then Begochiddy told the humans beings the right way to live, how to give thanks, how to care for the plants such as corn and squash and beans. Begochiddy gave them ,may different languages, then, and sent them to live throughout the world. It was now, in the Forth World, that changing Women came to be. She became the greatest friend of the human beings, helping them in ways. It was changing women who gave birth to the hero twins, who traveled throughout the world doing great deeds, destroying the monsters that threatened the people.

So the Fourth World came to be. However, just as the worlds before it were destroyed when wrong was done, so too this Fourth World was destined to be destroyed when the people do not live the right way. That is what the Dine say to this day.

( Dine [Navajo] Southwest)
Taken from the book Keepers of the Earth