Yanauluha was the first priest. He brought a vessel of ocean water, some seeds and a colorful magic staff from which he produced two white eggs and two blue. Upon being told these eggs were seeds of living things which would make their lives more fruitful, the First People were given a choice. Many were anxious and greedy and picked the pretty blue eggs thinking good things would come from them. Instead black birds hatched. They became ravens and laughed at the people and flew away. This group became the winter people and they were active and strong. Those who were content with the white eggs, however saw beautiful colored birds hatch and they rejoiced as they watched them fly home to the far south. These people became the summer people and though they were fewer in number they were gentler, wiser and the more prudent members of the race. From these two groups a great council of the people were selected and some were give sanctions of hereditary priest with powers to control the supernatural forces. 

Before the world came to be, there lived in the Sky-World an ancient chief. In the center of his land grew a beautiful tree that had four white roots stretching to each of the four directions: North, South, East, and West. From that beautiful tree, all good things grew. Then it came to be that the beautiful tree was uprooted and through the hole it made in the Sky-World fell the youthful wife of the ancient chief, a handful of seeds which she grabbed from the tree as she fell, clutched in her hand. Far below there were only water and water creatures who looked up as they swam. "Someone comes," said the duck. "We must make room for her." The great turtle swam up from his place in the depths."There is room on my back," the great turtle said."But there must be earth where she can stand," said the duck and so he dove beneath the waters, but he could not reach the bottom. "I shall bring up the earth," the loon then said and he dove too, but he could not reach the bottom. Finally the muskrat tried. He dove as deeply as he could, swimming until his lungs almost burst. With one paw he touched the bottom, and came up with a tiny speck of earth clutched in his paw. "Place the earth on my back," the great turtle said, as they spread the tiny speck of earth it grew larger and larger and larger until it became the whole world. Then two swans flew up and between their wings they caught the woman who fell from the sky. They brought her gently down to the earth where she dropped her handful of seeds from the Sky-World. Then it was that the first plants grew and life on this new earth began. 

This is a legend about the first people and how corn was introduced to them. There was a young man who had been searching for food. He was very lonely and became discouraged when he could not find anything to eat, he went to sleep. When he awoke, he saw a beautiful woman with the hair of golden silk watching him. As he spoke to her she floated away from him. Finally the lonely young man begged her not to leave and she spoke. She promised to stay with him forever if he would do as she said. First she took him to a field of dry grass and taught him how to make fire by rubbing two sticks together and then he was to burn the grasses. That night he was instructed to take her silken hair and pull her over the charred earth, an act which she insisted would help his people. He did so and the next morning the two were gone, but where she had been dragged where new green plants emerging from the black earth. The golden silk in the ears of the corn are reminders that the pale haired woman did not forget them.

Together an elderly Navajo woman and man grow old. They watch hopelessly as their ways and customs are swallowed up by the changing times. She holds a fetish in her hand in a hopeless prayer for a small part of yesterday to be seen tomorrow. He dreams of days long past, with a yearning in his heart for their return. 

~Chief Plenty-Coups, Crow~

Painting by Terri Sodd

When the Hopi leaves his present world, 
his spirit is received by the god of the  underworld.
Here he will make a long journey into his next 
and fifth world with two other lives remaining in 
this; one of seven universes.