Date: Fri 25 Nov 94 19:40
From: Pete Theer
To: All
Subject: Hopi Plea

Originally posted in the Odyssey Fringe Science BAMA echo by Danni Brewi in
May , 1994:

               GREAT HOPI NATION CRIES OUT FOR HELP
                 Keepers Of The Ancient Truths


    When a stranger comes to the village, feed him. Do not ignore one
    another, because all beings deserve to live together without injury
    being done to them. When people are old and cannot work any more,
    do not turn them out to shift for themselves, but take care of
    them. Defend yourselves when an enemy comes to your village, but do
    not go out seeking war. The Hopis shall take this counseling and
    make it the Hopi Way. (From the Palatkwapi story).

    In the year 1994, the Hopi are calling for help. The reason? Their
    sacred lands are threatened by bulldozers poised to lay the
    groundwork for the water and powerlines. Why are the Hopi so
    concerned about this? Because it will be the fulfillment of their
    ancient prophecies, and would being forth the last of the
    prophecies-namely, the Great Purification. The Hopi land is a dry
    and difficult land to survive on, yet they have done so for
    hundreds of years. What differs now from the past? Their very water
    table which is absolutely CRITICAL to the survival of the tribe
    itself is being severely sucked dry by the powerful Peabody Coal
    Company. It has been stated that Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit is
    looking into this entire matter and will soon be coming out with a
    decision. Based on the history of the United States of America thus
    far, who among you believe that any ruling or decision by the
    Secretary will be in any way favoring the Hopi tribe? This,
    particularly in light of recent actions to secure water rights
    across the country-it would appear, at least, that Babbit's
    directives and agenda are not in alignment with Native Americans or
    even soverign American Citizen interests. What can possibly be done
    about this situation? For one thing, prayer. Yes, I said prayer.
    Then there is the possibility of an honest attorney/advocate
    somewhere out there who might just take on thr Peabody Coal Company
    on behalf of the Hopi, or independently. Restraining order? A
    Congressional investigation? Would a Gerry Spence do it? Someone
    else? Who? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

    What we've elected to share with you is a compilation of material,
    including statements made by the Hopi Spiritual Leaders at a
    gathering held on April 21-23; a message to the United Nations
    presented by the Hopi Spiritual Leaders on November 22, 1993; an
    article concering water lines on the Hopi land; an article from the
    Denver Post concerning the water depletion on Hopi land; the
    creation story of THE FORTH WORLD; and finally, the Hopi Prophecies
    as told by Dan Katchongya of the Sun Clan.

    It was a requirement of Dan Katychongya, when originally giving the
    oral prophecies, that they NEVER BE SOLD. We honor that request
    and, therefore, make them available at no cost.

    Sit back now and tune in to a world seldom experienced by those not
    of Native decent. Open your hearts and minds and feel the urgent
    plea of these people. And again, pray on their behalf-for all our
    relations.


                                                    May 9, 1994

    My Dear Friends,

    Recently I met with Grandfather Martin Gashweseoma who is a keeper
    of the Prophecies for the Hopi Nation.

    The People are in desperate need. It is part of prophecy that
    Mother Earth, represented by the ceremmonial land in that area,
    will be mutilated and that if this occurs, it will precipitate a
    holocaust of unprecedented proportion, Mother Earth will shake us
    off her breast. It will be the end of the World as we know it.

    Right now bulldozers are poised over Hopi Ceremonial lands to dig
    water and power lines across the land, which would be a terrible
    fulfillment of this prophecy. The elders do not want water or
    electric power. Their struggle has not been heard in federal
    circles.

    I send you a copy of their plea for help, prayfully asking that you
    write, telelphone or wire your voice speaking their message. This
    affects all of us and the next seven generations. One alone is a
    single voice in the wilderness, but together we can fulfill the
    other part of the prophecy:

    '...that we may help one another, and to help bring about a better
    way of life.'

    Your support is essential. Please share this information with your
    friends and neighbors. Tell your local and national media.
    Thank you in advance for all your support.

                             FOR ALL OUR RELATIONS

                             /s/ Kathleen Koerner

                          ***********************


        AN URGENT CALL
        From The Very Earlist Americans

    Please search your hearts, your talents and your resources to find
    what you can do. Find ways you can contribute to this urgent call.
    Organizational actions, liaison work, media awareness and
    communication strategies are critically needed. Network this
    communication to your networks

    Write to  your leaders, your legislators, Congressmen, and Senators
    now. Write to your President; the Department of Interior, Secretary
    Bruce Babbit; Attorney General Janet Reno, the Department of
    Justice. Tell them that you demand an immediate cessation of the
    disruption of Hopi sacred land and ancient spiritual practices.

    Write your Ambassadors and Human Rights Representatives to the
    United Nations. Tell them that you support the preservation of the
    Hopi traditional sacred practices, lands, and ceremonies, and that
    you hold them accountable for following up on this action.

    It is  time to also contact your press and media contacts and tell
    them that this is the last opportunity to get this message out. If
    the sacred lands are allowed to be disrupted, there will be no more
    chance to put things right.

    The United States Government must know that the world is watching,
    that we care about the spiritual practices of the Hopi Traditional
    Leaders.

    Please send copies of your correspondence to:

    Thomas Banyacya
    P.O. Box 112
    Kykotsmovi, Az 86039

    Manual Hoyungowa
    P.O. Box 268
    Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039

    Wittenberg Center
    for Alternative Resorces
    188 Wittenberg Rd.
    Bearsville, New York, 12409

    We hope you will join us-with Commitment, Support and Action-in
    this Vision in Response to the Message from Our Hopi Brothers and
    Sisters, The Cry of the Mother Earth, the Cries of our
    Grandchildren, for all Our Relations.

    (Page of signatures)


    HOPI JOURNEY
    In Response to the Message Presented by the Hopi Spiritual Leaders
    at the House of Mica, the United Nations November 22, 1993.

                          MESSAGE SUMMARY

    " Hopi's Ancient Knowledge and Prophecies are warning, through many
    signs, that we have entered a dangerous period in our lives.
    Mankind must return to Peaceful ways, and halt the Destruction of
    the Mother Earth, or we are going to destroy ourselves. All the
    Stages of Hopi prophecy have come to pass, except for the last, the
    purification. The intensity of this purification will depend on how
    humanity collaborates with Creation.

    " We must Correct and Change our ways, go back to the Spiritual
    ways, and take care of Mother Earth. If we don't, we are going to
    face terrible destruction by Nature, wars will come like powerful
    winds, bringing Purification or Destruction. The more we turn away
    from the Instruction of the Great Spirit, the more signs we see in
    the form of earthquakes, floods, drought, fires, tornados; along
    with wars and corruption.

    " If we do not Correct and Change these things, we are all going to
    suffer; there is no way we will be able to help each other after
    this. The world problems, and the destruction on Mother Earth will
    be so terrible, there may be nothing left on this Earth. We do not
    want to see this happen.

    " We hope that by bringing these Warnings to the attention of the
    people of this land, and around the World, that we will understand
    the Seriousness of this moment, that we may be able to help one
    another, and to help bring about a better way of Life.

    " That is why we have come here, to this House of Mica, to tell you
    to do something, as soon as possible, to correct these things. This
    is the last World. If we destroy this World, which is like Heaven,
    we will be given no other chance....

    "Let us consider this matter seriously, so that this world is not
    destroyed, so that we can continue to like and save this land and
    life for the Generations to come.

    " Our Elders have the firm belief that as Human beings, as
    Brothers and Sisters coming together from the Four Directions,
    instead of fighting, using weapons, machinery and destroying one
    another, we should put this aside and talk to each other as we are
    today. We should share this Spiritual Knowledge we have from the
    Four Directions. Perhaps out of this we may bring back a good
    balanced Life.

    " Representatives of the House of Mica, Members of various
    Organizations,  our Brothers and Sisters from the Four Directions
    who understand this: it is up to you to consider these matters
    seriously, and to follow this up with a serious investigation. We
    invite you to come to Hopi land on behalf of the highest religious
    leaders. If we work together, we can try to save as many lives as
    possible. That is why we are here today to give you our strong
    message. We give you four days, four weeks, four months to come to
    Hopi land and investigate these matters.

                  Compliation of Statements by Martin Gashweseoma,
                  David Monongye, Manyel Hoyangowa intrepreted and
                  translated by Thomas Banyacya
                   ******************************

    AYAQ YAYHNIWHPUNGAQW SOHSOY HIMU YUKILTI

      --Hopi for: "In the beginning, all things were made."

    THE FOUR WORLDS

    IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS ONLY TOKPELLA, Endless Space. Nothing
    stirred because there were no winds, no shadows fell because there
    was no light, and all was still. Only Tawa, the Sun Spirit,
    existed, along with some lessor gods. Tawa contemplated on the
    universe of space without objects or life, and he regretted that it
    was so barren. He gathered the elements of Endless Space and put
    some of his own substance into them, and in this way he created the
    First World. There were no people then, merely insect-like
    creatures who lived in a dark cave deep in the earth. For a long
    while Tawa watched them.  He was deeply disappointed. He thought,
    'What I created is imperfect. These creatures do not understand the
    meaning of life.'

    So Tawa called his messenger, Gogyeng Sowuhti, 'Spider Grandmother,
    and told her to go down and prepare the living creatures for a
    change. Spider Grandmother went down. She spoke to the insect
    creatures, saying , 'Tawa, the Sun Spirit who made you, is unhappy
    because you do not understand the meaning of life. He says: The
    creatures are fighting among  themselves. They see but they do not
    comprehend. Therefore I will change things. I will make a new
    world, and I will perfect all things that have life in them.' This
    is the message Tawa askedd me to bring. Therefore, prepare to leave
    this place to enter the Second World. The creatures said, 'If that
    is the way it moust be, very welll, let us depart from here.'

    Spider Grandmother led them on their journey, taking them to
    another great cave that lay far above the first one. The journey
    was long, and between the time they began and the time they
    finished, Tawa changed them into other forms of living things. When
    at last they emerged into the Second World they looked quite
    different. They were animals that somewhat resembled dogs, coyotes
    and bears. There was fur on their bodies, their fingers were webbed
    and they had tails. They lived on in the Second World and were
    happy at first. But because they did not have any understanding
    they grew bitter and warred upon one another, even eating one
    another. Tawa saw how the creatures of his Second World were
    living. He saw that they did not grasp the meaning of life. And so
    again he send Spider Grandmother to lead them on another journey.

    While they traveled, Tawa created the Third World. He made the
    atmosphere a little lighter and gave them water to moisten their
    fields. When the creatures followed Spider Grandmother into the
    Third World they discovered that their bodies had changed again.
    Their fur, their webbed fingers and their tails had disappeared.
    Spider Grandmother said to them: 'Now you are no longer merely
    creatures. You are people. Tawa has given you this place so that
    you may live in harmony and forget all evil. Do not injure one
    another. Remember that Tawa created you out of Endless Space, and
    try to understand the meaning of things.' Then Spider Grandmother
    left them.

    The people made their villages. They planted corn. They lived on.
    They were in harmony, and they were greatful to the Sun Spirit who
    had created then and given them a new world to live in. Yet things
    were not perfect. There was a chill in the air, and the light was
    only a grayness. Spider Grandmother came and taught people how to
    weave blankets and cloth to keep their bodies warm. She taught the
    women how to make pots out of clay so that they could store water
    and food. But the pots could not be baked and they broke easily.
    And the corn did not grow very well because warmth was lacking.
    The hummingbird said, 'I have been sent to teach you the secret of
    warmth.' And he gave them the secret, showing them how to create
    fire with a fire drill. After that he departed.

    Now that the people had the knowledge of fire, they gathered grass
    and wood and made fires around their fields, and the warmth made
    their corn grow. But once they became careless and the fire spread
    to a nearby house and consumed it, including everything that was
    inside. When the ashes were cool the people found that their clay
    pots had become hard and did not break so easily. Thus they learned
    the secret of baking pottery. From this time on, the people began
    to cook their meat instead of eating it raw. Those who had received
    the secret of fire  from Masauwu's messenger became known as the
    Firewood or Fire People. They said,'Masauwu is our relative.' No
    things were better in the Third World.

    It was the powakas, or sorcerers, who brought disruption and
    conflict among the people. They made medicine to injure those whom
    they envied or disliked. Worse yet, they turned the people's minds
    away from virtuous things. The younger people grew disrespectful of
    the older. Husbands sought other women, and wives sought other men.
    Instead of caring got their fields, men spent their time in the
    kivas gambling. And instead of grinding corn, women went into the
    kivas to join the men. Children waundered about unclean and uncared
    for, and babies cried for milk. What a man wanted he would take
    from another instead of fashioning it for himself. Dissension
    spread everywhere. Instead of seeking to understand the meaning of
    life, many began to believe that they had created themselves.

    In the beginning, life in the Third World had been good. But
    because people succumbed to the evil unleashed by the powakas,
    things began to change. The cornstalks in the fields withered
    before the ears were formed. The flowing rivers moved more
    sluggishly and the spirngs dried up. Clouds drifted over the fields
    but did not release their rain. Squash and melon vines stopped
    growing, and sickness came into many houses.

    Now, those who had not forgotten that Tawa was their father worried
    greatly about the way things were going. Night after night they met
    in the kivas to discuss the corruption that was spreading in the
    Third World. They encouraged the lazy to work, admonished women for
    their promiscuous ways, threatened the powakas with punishment and
    sought to create order, yet nothing changed. There was evil and
    chaos all around them.

    Tawa saw what was happening to the world he had made. He called
    Gogyeng Sowuhti, Spider Grandmother, and sent her to the people
    with a memssage. Spider Grandmother went down. She entered a kiva
    where the people were gathered, She said: "Tawa, the Sun Spirit, is
    displeased with what he has created. The powakas have made you
    forget what you should have remembered. Therefore all people of
    good heart should go away from this place and leave the evil ones
    behind."

    The people said to one another, "Where can we go? Is there another
    place?" But they did not know of another place anywhere, and they
    were troubled.

    Then an old man said, "Have we not heard footsteps in the sky, as
    thought someone is walking there?"

    And other old men replied, "Yes, there has been someone walking
    above us up there. We have heard it many times when the air is
    still."

    Other people said, "Let us discover what is there. Let us send a
    messenger to investigate things."

    So the chiefs called for the medicine men to sit with them and
    consider things. They filled a pipe with tobacco and smoked the
    pipe passing it to one another until their minds were tranquil.
    Then one of the chiefs said, "We must send someone to the place
    above the skky to see with it is like. If it is good, our messenger
    will request permission for us to come up there. But who can make
    such a difficult journey?"

    The medicine men pondered, and after a while one of them said, "We
    shall create a messenger who can perform this task." The medicine
    men gathered some clay and shaped a bird out of it. Then placed a
    kwatskiavu cloth, (which is the robe made for brides) on the ground
    and placed the clay bird on it. They covered the clay bird with an
    ova cloth. They sat in a circle holding the edges of the upper
    cloth, singing and moving it gently up and down. They placed their
    hands underneath, doing what no one could see. When at last they
    removed the cloth there was a living swallow sitting there.

    The swallow asked, "Why have you called me?"

    The chiefs answered, "We have called you  so that you may go up to
    discover whether there is another world above the sky. If you find
    someone living in that place, ask if we may  come there and begin
    our lives again."

    The swallow flew up. He circled higher and higher, until the people
    could no longer see him. His strength began to flow away, but still
    he went upward. At last he saw an opening in the sky. But he was
    too tired to go on, and he returned to the place where the chiefs
    and the medicine men were waiting. He fluttered weakly and settled
    on the ground. He said, " I went up. I found an opening in the sky.
    It was as though I were looking up through the entrance of a kiva.
    But my strength failed ans so I had to return."

    The mmedicine men decided to make a stronger bird. They began
    again, fashioning a figure out of clay and covering it with the
    cloth. They sang and made medicine, and this time when they removed
    the cloth a white dove sat there. The chiefs said, " How can the
    dove do what the swallow could not do?"

    The medicine men answered, "It has great strenght. Let it try."

    The white dove spoke, saying, "Why am I here?"

    The chiefs said, "We have called you to go above us to see what
    kind of a world is up there. Pass through the opening in the sky
    and tell us what lies beyond. If anyone inhabits that place, ask if
    we may come to find new homes for ourselves."

    The dove went up and passed through the opening. He saw a vast
    land, but no living things, and he returned. He said, " It is true
    that there is an opening in the sky, and on the other side is a
    land that spreads in all directions, but I saw nothing that was
    alive."

    The chiefs and the medicine men discussed the matter, recalling the
    sounds of footsteps in the sky. They said, "Surely someone lives in
    that place. We must know who he is."

    Once more the medicine men fashoined a bird out of clay and brought
    it to life under the ova cloth. This time it was a hawk. The hawk
    also went up through the sky and explored the land above, but he
    returned without discovering what the people wanted to know.

    The medicine men tried again, and this time they created a catbird.
    When the catbird asked, "Why am I here?" the chiefs replied, "You
    have been called because the swallow and the dove and the hawk have
    not been able to discover who it is that walks in the land above
    us. You, catbird, go up, discover who makes the sound of walking up
    there. Speak to him. Tell him the people of good heart wish to
    leave this place. Ask for his permission to enter his land. Go and
    return. Let us know how things are."

    So catbird flew up and passed throught the opening in the sky. He
    passed the place where the hawk had turned back. He went on. He
    came to a place of sand and mesas. He saw large fires burning
    alongside gardens of squash, melons and corn. Beyond the gardens
    was a single house made of stone. A person was sitting, his head
    down, sleeping. The catbird alighted nearby and waited. The person
    awoke and raised his head. His eyes were sunken in deeply, there
    was no hair on his head, and his face was seared by burns and
    encrusted with dried blood. Across the bridge of his nose and his
    cheekbones tow black lines were painted. Around his neck were two
    heavy necklaces, one made of four strands of turquoise, the other
    of bones. The catbird recognized him. He was Masauwu, Spirit of
    Death, the Owner of Fire and Master of the Upper World, assigned to
    this place by Tawa because he had no other place for him.

    Masauwu looked at the catbird, saying, "You, why are you here?"

    The catbird said, " Yes, now you know that the footsteps are mind.
    Are you afraid?"

    "No," the catbird answered, "for I am only a bird fashioned out of
    clay just recently. I don't know enough yet to fear anything. I
    came because the Lower World is infested with evil, and there are
    many good people who would like to come here to live. Down below,
    the rain does not fall, the springs do not flow, the corn dries up
    in the fields, and there are numerous persons who do not respect
    the virtues of life. The people of good heart ask your permission
    to enter the Upper World and build their villages here."

    Masawu said, " You see how it is in this place. There is no light,
    only a grayness here. There is no warmth, and I must build fires to
    make my crops grow. But there is land and water. If the people wish
    to come, let them come."

    The catbird left Masauwu and returned to the opening through which
    he had passed. He went down to where the chiefs and the medicine
    men were waiting. They asked him, "Did you arrive there and find
    the one who walks in the sky?"

    The catbird answered, "Yes, I found the person who lives there. He
    is Masauwu, Spirit of Death, Owner of Fire and Master of the Upper
    World. His face is terrifying to see. But I spoke with him. He
    said: 'You see  how it is. There is no light here and no warmth.
    But there is plenty of land and water, so if the people want to
    come, let them come."

    Hearing this, the chief of the Fire People spoke. He said, "
    Masauwu is our spirit. We are the ones to whom he sent the secret
    of fire. He is our relative. Therefore we are willing to go."
    Others said, "Yes, let all of us who wish to escape from evil go
    there. The Fire People can lead us and speak for us to Masauwu. Let
    us prepare for the journey."

    It was agreed, then but the chiefs and medicine men looked upward,
    saying, "How shall we ever reach the sipapuni [or sipapu], the
    doorway in the sky?"

    While they were thinking about this problem, Gogyeng Sowuhti,
    Spider Grandmother, appeared in the plaza with her young gtandsons,
    the warrior gods Pokanghoya and Polongahoya. She said, "We are
    here. We will help you pass throught the sipapuni." She sent the
    young warrior gods to find a chipmunk, the planter. Soon they
    returned bringing the chipmunk with them. Spider Grandmother said
    to the chipmunk, " It is you who have been chosen to make a path
    for the people into the sky. For this you will always be
    remembered." And she explained what had to be done.

    The chipmunk planted a sunflower seed in the center of the plaza.
    By the power of singing the people made it grow. If they stopped
    growing, and Spider Grandmother called out, "Sing! Sing!" As soon
    as they started to sing again, the sunflower stalk reached toward
    the sky, but just as it was about to pass through the sipapuni it
    bent over from the weight of its blossom.

    Spider Grandmother said, "Let us try again," This time the chipmunk
    planted a spruce tree and gave the people a song to sing. They sang
    the spruce tree into the sky, but when it had finished growing it
    was not tall enough. So now the chipmunk planted a pine seed, and
    by the power of singing they made it grow tall. But the pine, also
    failed to reach sipapuni. Once more the chipmunk planted. This time
    it was a bamboo. The people sang hard and made the bamboo grow
    straight and tall. Each time they stopped to catch their breath the
    growing stopped and a joint formed on the bamboo stalk. And when
    they resumed singing the bamboo grew again. Spider Grandmother went
    back and forth exhorting the people to sing the bamboo into the
    sky. Thus it went on. The people began to fear that they did not
    have breath enough to do what was required of them. But finally
    Spider Grandmother called out, "It is done! The  bamboo has passed
    throught the sipapuni!"

    The road to the Upper World was finished, and the people rested.
    Spider Grandmother spoke, telling of things to come. She said: "The
    journey will be long and difficult. When we reach the Upper World,
    that will be only a beginning. Things there are not like things
    here. You will discover new ways of doing things. During the
    journey you must try to discover the meaning of life and learn to
    distinguish good from evil. Tawa did not intend for you to live in
    the midst of chaos and dissension. Only those of good heart may
    depart from the Third World. The powakas and all  who perform
    wicked deeds must stay behind. As we go up the bamboo to the Upper
    World, see that no one carries evil medicine in his belt. See that
    no powakas go with us. Leave your pots and grinding
    stones behind. Up above, you will make more of these things. Carry
    nothing that has to be held in your hands, for you will need your
    hands for climbing. When we have arrived in the Upper World I will
    tell you more about what is expected of you. Meanwhile, remember
    this: In the Upper World you must learn to be true humans." Then
    Spider Grandmother sent the people home to prepare for the journey,
    which would begin in four days.

    The people prepared, and on the fourth day they gathered at the
    foot  of the bamboo. The chiefs stood in front-the village chief,
    the crier chief, the singer chief and the war chief. Behind them
    the people stood waiting for the journey to begin. Spider
    Grandmother arrived with the boy warrior gods, Pokanghoya and
    Plolngahoya, the elder, carried lightning arrows in his right hand
    and a thunderbolt in his left. Polongahoya, the younger, carried a
    buckskin ball in his left hand, and in his right hand he held a
    nahoydadtsia playing stick. Spider Grandmother went up the bamboo
    first, followed by the boy warrior gods. The people moved toward
    the bamboo to begin their climb. But now the chief of the Fire
    People protested, saying " Wait. We are the ones who are entitled
    to go first, for Masauwu is our special benefactor. We shall take
    the lead." The others deferred to the Fire People. After the Fire
    People began their ascent, whoever could get to the bamboo took his
    turn. The mockingbird fluttered around the bamboo, calling out,
    "Pashumayani! Pashumayani! Be careful! Be careful!" This is the way
    the people departed from the Lower World. They moved slowly upward,
    and in time the entire bamboo stalk was covered with human bodies.

    As the first climbers emerged through the sipapuni and stepped into
    the Upper World, Yawpa the mockingbird stood at Spider
    Grandmother's side and sorted them out. "You shall be a Hope and
    speak the Hopi language," he said to one. "You shall be a Navajo
    and speak the Navajo language," he said to another, "You shall be
    an Apache and speak the Apache language." He assigned every  person
    to a tribe and a language, and to each tribe he gave a direction to
    go in its migrations. He named the Paiutes, the Zunis, the Sioux,
    and the White Men. The people began to make camp near the sipapuni.
    There were a great many of them. The chiefs discussed things and
    said, "Surely all the people of good heart have now arrived." But
    more were still coming up. The chiefs said, "All those who chose to
    depart from evil are here. Therefore, let no more come through the
    sipapuni."  The village chief went to the opening and called down,
    "You who are still climbing, turn and go back. It is because of you
    that we chose to leave and come to this Upper World. Do not follow
    us. You are not wanted here."

    But the climbers persisted, saying that they also wanted to be in
    the Upper World. So the warrior gods, Pokanghoya and Polongahoya,
    grasped the bamboo stalk and pulled its roots  from the ground.
    They shook it and those clinging to it fell back into the Lower
    World like seeds falling from ripe grass. The chiefs ssaid, "Now we
    are secure from the evil ones. Let us make camp." The people camped
    near the sipapuni and rested.

    Pokanghoya and Polongahoya looked around at the vast Upper World.
    Pokanghoya said, " Yes, see how it is out there. The  ground is
    soft.  It is nothing but mud." So they took their buckskin ball and
    their playing sticks and began to  play nahoydadatsia, following
    the ball wherever it went, running all the time. Wherever their
    feet touched the soft earth it became hard. They gathered the mud
    into great mounds and turned them into mountains. Wherever they
    passed, grass, and trees came into being. They raced far to the
    north, and in an instant they created Tokonave, meaning Black
    Mountain, which in later times the White Men called Navajo
    Mountain. From there they ran far to the south, chasing their ball
    all the while, and created Neuvatikyao, which the White Men later
    named San Francisco Peaks. They went eastward then, making hills,
    mountains, and mesas everywhere. They arrived at Muyovi, which the
    White Men came to call the Rio Grande, and near where the Zunis now
    live they created salt beds, and they also made salt beds at other
    places. When at last they had  done enough things of this kind they
    returned to the sipapuni.

    Spider Grandmother asked them, "Where have you boys been?"

    They said, " We have been playing. We have made the Upper World
    good to look at. See what we have done."

    But the light in the Upper World was a grayness and it was not
    possible to see very far so what they had  done was not clearly
    visible.

    Pokanghoya said, " We need light in this place."

    Polongahoya said, "Yes, and we need warmth also."

    Spider Grandmother agreed, saying " It is true, light and warmth
    are needed."

    She assembled the chiefs and the medicine men. She said, " Let us
    do something now to bring light and warmth to this place." She told
    the people what to do. They brought out many things that they had
    carried from the lower World. They took a piece of buckskin and
    cut it in the shape of a disk, which they then fastened over a
    large wooden ring. They painted it with clay and speckled it with
    black. When they were finished, they laid the buckskin disk on a
    kwatskiavu cloth and sang, as Spider Grandmother instructed them.
    Four chiefs tool hold of the kwatskiavu cloth at the corners, and
    with a fast movement they lifted it and sent the disk soaring into
    the sky. By the power of singing they kept it moving upward until
    is dissappeared from sight. But after awhile they saw a light on
    the eastern horizon, and the buckskin disk rose from beyond the
    edge of things and moved slowly overhead.

    Now the people could see a little better, but it was not yet light
    enough, and the earth still was not warm enough to grow corn.
    Spider Grandmother said, 'Let us try again.' They made another disk
    in the same way, but it was larger, and this time they painted it
    with egg yokes and sprinkled it with golden-colored pollen. They
    painted a face on the golden disk in black and red, and all around
    its edges they fastened corn silk. They attached an abalone shell
    to the forehead, and their work was finished. As before, the disk
    was placed on the kwatskiavu cloth. Four strong men grasped the
    corners, and with a quick lifitng motion they sent the disk sailing
    into the sky. The people sang the disk upward until it disappeared.
    But after awhile there was a bright glow on the horizon in the
    east, and a moment later the disk appeared there, shining brightly
    land making the whole land visible. Now the people could see the
    mountains and the other things created by the boy warrior gods. The
    disk also cast warmth on the earth. The people were glad, for now
    they had a moon and a sun.

    The sun moved across the sky toward the West, rays of light and
    warmth spreading out from its corn silk edges. When the sun went
    down over the horizon the light faded, but the moon arose about
    this time and so there was not total darkness while the sun slept.
    The people were tired from their efforts and they rested now, but
    they forgot to put away all the things they had brought out to make
    their two sky disks. In the still of the night, Coyote came
    prowling among these things, examining them and turing them over
    out of curiosity. He discovered nothing that was edible or in
    any way useful to him, and in irritation he took a handful of small
    objects and hurled them into the air. These objects soon began to
    sparkle in the sky. And so the people now had many stars as well as
    their sun and moon. Coyote also picked up the painpots, whose
    colors had been used to decorate the sun and moon, and threw them
    in all directions. The paint splattered against the rocks and
    buttes, marking them with the colors they have had ever since.
    These things Coyote did, and the people acknowledged that Coyote
    was responsible.

    At the end of four days the people were ready to leave the place of
    the sipapuni and begin the next stage of their journey. Then,
    suddenly, the son of the kikmongwi, or village chief, fell sick and
    died. They buried him not far from the sipapuni and put stones over
    his grave. The kikmongwi grieved. He said, 'There must be a
    sorcerer among us.' And he instructed the people to find the one
    with the evil heart who had killed his son. The people looked about
    them. They examined each other's faces. They looked for the small
    black spot on the end of the nose that would identify a sorcerer
    but found nothing. The kikmongwi said, 'Look closely to see if
    anyone brought medicine from below in his belt.' But they could not
    find anyone with medicine in his belt. The kikmongwi said,
    'nevertheless, we shall discover the one with the evil heart.' He
    made a ball of cornmeal and threw it into the air saying, 'May the
    ball of meal fall on the evil one.' It fell on the head of a young
    woman, the very last perons who had come through the sipapuni. The
    chief said, 'Ah, then it is you.'

    She said, 'yes, I am the one.'

    The people said, 'Why have you come? Fpr all the powakas were
    instructed to stay below.'

    She answered, 'That is so. But I did not wish to stay there
    anymore. I want to be in the Upper World.'

    The kikmongwi took hold of her to throw her back through the
    opening into the Lower World, but the woman said, 'Wait, do not
    throw me back. Your son is not dead. He lives on.'

    The kikmongwi replied, 'No, the spirit has gone from his body,
    which is buried under the stones.'

    The woman said, 'Yes, his body is under the stones, but even so he
    is not truly dead, for he lives on below.'

    The kikmongwi answered, 'How can such a thing be? For his body is
    cold.'

    The woman said, 'Look through the sipapuni and see for yourself.'

    The kikmongwi looked down. He saw his son playing nahoydadatsia
    with other children in the village in the Lower World. He said,"
    Yes, I see that it is so.' I see him there. My son lives on.
    Nevertheless there is no place in the Upper World for a powaka. You
    must return to the Lower World.'

    The woman pleaded saying, saying, 'Let me stay here. Should things
    ever go badly I will use my powers to help the people.'

    There was a discussion. People argued about the matter. At last
    they decided. One of the old men said, 'Let her stay in the Upper
    World. It is true that she is a powaka. But she has already
    contaminated the place by her presence. Good and evil are
    everywhere. From the beginning to the end of time good and evil
    must struggle against each other. So let the woman stay. But she
    may not go with us. After we have gone on she may go wherever she
    wishes.'

    So that was the way it was settled.

    The time was drawing  near for the people to leave the sipapuni
    behind. Yawpa the mockingbird said, "There is something still to be
    done-the selection of the corn." The people gathered around while
    the mockingbird placed many ears of corn on the ground. One ear was
    yellow, one was white, one was red, one was gray, some sprinkled,
    one was a stubby ear with blue kernels, and one was not quite corn
    but merely kwakwi grass with seeds at the top. The mockingbird
    said, 'Each of these ears brings with it a way of life. The one who
    chooses the yeollow ear will have a life full of enjoyment and
    prosperity, but his span of life will be small. The short ear with
    the blue kernals will bring a life full of work and hardship, but
    the years will be many.' The mockingbird described the life that
    went with each ear, and then he told the people to choose. Even
    while he was talking the people were deciding. The leader of the
    Navajos reached out quickly and took the yellow ear that would
    bring a short life but much enjoyment and prosperity. The Sioux
    took the white corn. The Supais chose the ear speckled with yellow,
    the Comanches took the red, and the Utes took the flint corn. The
    leader of the Apaches, seeing only two kinds of corn remaining
    chose the longest. It was the kwakwi grass with the seeds on top.
    Only the Hopi's had not chosen. The ear that was left was the
    stubby ear of blue corn. So the leader of the Hopi's picked it up,
    saying, 'We were slow in choosing. Therefore we must take the
    smallest ear of all. We shall have a life of hardship, but it will
    be a long-lasting life. Other tribes may perish, but we, the
    Hopi's, will survive all adversities.' Thus the Hopi became the
    people of the short blue corn.

    Gogyeng Sowuhti, Spider Grandmother, said, 'There is still one more
    thing to be done.' She went to the sipapuni and covered it with
    water, so that it resembled an ordinary pond. To see it, one would
    not know it to be the place through which the people had emerged
    from the world below. Spider Grandmother said, 'Here at the
    sipapuni the tribes will separate. We are ready to begin our
    journeys. When the sun rises tomorrow we shall leave.'

    The people slept, and when the next glow of the rising sun became
    visible the exodus began. Those who called themselves Paiutes,
    Apaches and Navajos departed, each taking the direction assigned to
    them by the mockingbird. Then the Zunis, the Supais, the Pimas, the
    Utes went out. There remained only the Bahanas, or White People,
    and the Hopis. As the Bahanas gathered their possessions and
    prepared to go, the leader of the Hopis saw that the sorceress was
    still there in the camp. He said to her, 'why do you remain here?'
    Go somewhere, find your own way, for we intend to leave all evil
    behind.'

    The chief of the Bahanas said, 'let the powaka come with us. Even
    though she is evil she has great knowledge. We do not fear her. Her
    knowledge will be useful to the people.' The the Bahanas trailed
    out of the camping place and went toward the south, the powaka
    following them.

    The  leader of the Hopi said, 'Because the powaka has gone with the
    Bahanas, they will grow strong. They will learn evil as well as
    good, and they will have secrets that are not known to us.
    Therefore, whenever we meet with the Bahanas let us listen with
    caution to what they say. Let us stand apart from their ways.
    However, it is said that in some distant time a certain Bahanas
    whose name is not yet known will arrive among us from the direction
    of the rising sun, bringing friendship, harmony and good fortune to
    our people. When the time comes he will appear. Let us watch for
    him. Let the dead be buried with their faces toward the east so
    that they will meet him when he approaches.'

    One of the elders of the Fire people said, 'When such a person
    arrives, how shall we know for certain that he is the one we are
    expecting? What if a powaka comes saying, I am the one you are
    waiting for? He will take advantage of us and abuse us. He will
    destroy our way of life and give us cruelty instead of harmony.'

    Thereupon he took a small flat piece of stone and carved a picture
    of a man on it. Around the figure he made designs. And when he had
    finished carving this tablet he broke it into two parts. The part
    containing the head of the figure he handed to the chief of the
    Fire People saying, "Let the Bahanas carry this piece. Let them
    hold it in trust for the White Brother who will come to us.'

    So the chief of the Fire People sent the fragment of the stone
    tablet to the Bahanas, who were still moving slowly southward. The
    messenger gave it to the leader of the Bahanas, saying, 'On a
    certain day, at a certain place, a Bahana whose name is not yet
    known will come to us from the east, bringing harmony and good
    fortune to the Hopi. We must be certain of his identity. When the
    special Bahana comes, let him bring this fragment of stone with
    him. We will match it with the other portion. If the two parts fit
    together and the broken tablet becomes whole again, then we will
    recognize him as the person we are expecting.'

    The leader of the Bahanas accepted the fragment of the stone
    tablet, the messenger returned to the sipapuni saying, 'It is
    done.'

    Now, when the Fire People claimed the right to leave the Lower
    World first, the others had deferred to them. The migrations were
    about to begin, and the Hopi addressed themselves to the Fire
    People this way: "We are going to the place where our destiny
    awaits us. Because your are Masauwu's relatives, and because it is
    he who granted permission for us to come here, it is you who will
    take the lead and guide us. Direct us to do what is necessary and
    we ahall follow."

    But the Fire People did not accept. Their chief said, "No, we also
    are strangers here. If we take you to some place that is not good
    you will blame us. If the journey seems too long you will say that,
    'The Fire People don't know what they are doing. If we are attacked
    by enemies you will say, The Fire People were careless. See what
    they have done to us. If the corn dries up in the fields you will
    say that we are at fault. Therefore we don't care to lead. Choose
    whomever you wish for your leaders. We shall be responsible only
    for ourselves.'

    And so the Hopi selected other persons to lead them on the journey.

    Gogyeng Sowuhti, Spider Grandmother,spoke. She said," Remember the
    sipapuni, for you will not see it again. You will go on long
    migrations. You will build villages and abandon them for new
    migrations. Wherever you stop to rest, leave your marks on the
    rocks and cliffs fo that others will know who was there before
    them. Tawa, the Sun Spirit will watch over you. Do not forget him.
    There are other gods here as well. There is masauwu, the Spirit of
    Death, who sent fire to the Lower World. This is his land, and so
    people must always be in the presence of death. If you see
    Masauwu's face you will recognize him though you have never seen
    him before. If you see a flame of fire moving in the night, that is
    Masauwu's breath. Speak well of him but avoid him. If he touches
    you the breath of life will deapart from your body and go down to
    Maski, the Land of the Dead, from which it can never return. There
    is also Muyingwa, the spirit who germinates and makes things
    fertile. When you see him you will recognize him, for his body is
    made entirely of maize. There is Huruing Wuhti, the Hard-Substances
    Woman who owns all shells, corals and metals. Also living here is
    Balolokong, the Great Water Serpent who controls the springs and
    brings rain. All such things you have to know. You will learn about
    the forces of nature in your travels. The stars, the sun, the
    clouds and fires in the night will show you which directions to
    take. But the short blue corn that you chose at the sipapuni also
    will be your guide. If you reach a certain place and your corn does
    not grow, or it grows and does not mature, you will know that you
    have gone too far. Return the way you have come, build another
    village and begin again. In time you will find the land that is
    meant for yu. But never forget that you came from the Lower World
    for a purpose. When you build your kivas, place a small sipapuni
    there in the floor to remind you where you come from and what you
    are looking for. Compose songs to sing in your ceremonies that will
    remind your how the sun and moon were made, and how the people
    parted from one another. Only those who forget why they came to
    this world will loose their way. They will disappear in the
    wilderness and be forgotten.'


    Comment by Rick Martin:

    "I would ask that you keep something in mind. The Hopi elders, and
    the Hopis generally, are a very quiet and private people. They do
    not discuss tribal matters with others not of the tribe or clan-and
    they do not, as a rule, go 'outside' for assistance. I am told that
    the Hopi at this time, are at silence concerning many of the
    matters addressed in these articles. Additionally, there is concern
    about new-agers and false shaman-types coming to their land to
    perform various rituals, which only serve to distract and upset the
    balance of those natives living on the land.

    "If you feel you can genuinely assist in some manner, please do so
    with reverence, foresight, care, and a deep respect for the Hopi
    way of life. Also, pray on their behalf-for all our relations."

                                                   -Rick Martin

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