THE NAVAHO ORIGIN LEGEND.
I. THE STORY OF THE EMERGENCE.
136. At To‘bĭlhaskĭ´di (in the middle of the first world), white arose in the east, and they18 regarded it as day there, they say; blue rose in the south, and still it was day to them, and they moved around; yellow rose in the west and showed that evening had come; then dark arose in the north, and they lay down and slept.
137. At To‘bĭlhaskĭ´di water flowed out (from a central source) in different directions; one stream flowed to the east, another to the south, and another to the west. There were dwelling-places on the border of the stream that flowed to the east, on that which flowed to the south, and on that which flowed to the west also.
138. To the east there was a place called Tan (Corn), to the south a place called Nahodoóla, and to the west a place called Lókatsosakád (Standing Reed). Again, to the east there was a place called Essalái (One Pot), to the south a place called To‘hádzĭtĭl (They Come Often for Water), and to the west a place called Dsĭllĭtsíbehogan (House Made of the Red Mountain). Then, again, to the east there was a place called Léyahogán (Under-ground House), to the south a place called Tsĭltsĭ'ntha (Among Aromatic Sumac), and to the west a place called Tse‘lĭtsíbehogán (House Made of Red Rock).
139. Holatsí Dĭlyĭ´le (dark ants) lived there. Holatsí Lĭtsí (red ants) lived there. Tanĭlaí (dragon flies) lived there. Tsaltsá (yellow beetles) lived there. Woĭntlĭ'zi (hard beetles) lived there. Tse'yoáli (stone-carrier beetles) lived there. Kĭnlĭ´zĭn (black beetles) lived there. Maitsán (coyote-dung beetles) lived there. Tsápani (bats) lived there. Totsó‘ (white-faced beetles) lived there. Wonĭstsídi (locusts) lived there. Wonistsídikai (white locusts) lived there. These twelve people started in life there.19
140. To the east extended an ocean, to the south an ocean, to the west an ocean, and to the north an ocean. In the ocean to the east lay Tiéholtsodi; he was chief of the people there. In the ocean to the south lived Thaltláhale (Blue Heron), who was