THE SKY AND THE EARTH
From the Navaho Order of Things, Animal Heroes

Then came the Earth Woman, Nahosdzan'esdza'. First Man told her that she was to be the wife of the Sky. She would face the East, and her husband over her, would face the West. And whenever the Fog covered the Earth they would know that the Sky had visited Nahosdzan'esdza'.

After that they set the corner posts and stretched the Sky in the four directions.

About twenty chants were sung at this time, and after the first ten sections of the first chant, the Sun Chant, the Sun began to move away. The next chant was for the Moon, and after a little time, it also began to move away.

note: Yaya ni'sin is the name of the corner or sky posts. Dilye'he, the Pleiades. Atse'etso, the forepart of Scorpio. Atse'etso'si, the belt and sword of Orion. Baalchini, the central double stars in the lower part of the Hyades, Hastin sakai, Orion. The left foot is Rigel and the right foot is Betelgeuse. Gahat'ei, the star cluster under Canis Major, Akaisda'hi, the Milky Way. Nahokhos bokho, the North Star. Nahokos bakhai, Ursa Major, the Big Dipper. Nahokos baadi, Cassiopeia, but some medicine men say Ursa Minor.

note: The Coyote added his own star, Mai'bizo, which is sometimes called So dondizidi, the No-Month Star. This is identified as Canopus. The Coyote Man was thrown into the sky, and is known as Atse'etso'si. The Baalchini are his children by the woman Dilye'he, the Pleiades. Those who know of the Coyote cult and its weird rites understand incestuous relationship. Dilye'he, the Pleiades, is sometime represented as the mother-in-law who must not meet her son-in-law, Aste'etso'ei, but must continually run from him. The myth of the Coyote Man is the origin of the mother-in-law taboo.

Today different medicine men use different chants and prayers for this ceremony; but the chants of the Sun and Moon and Earth are always sung. Some say that black magic and evil entered the plan at this time, but others hold that it was not until later.

Now after the Sun rose in the sky the Dark Cloud that covered the earlier worlds during half periods became the night. The White Cloud was the dawn, and the sun's light became our day. And along the far horizons where the first ones used to see the blue and yellow clouds, there appeared the twilight and the false dawn.

The first day-period that the sun was raised in the sky the heat was unbearable. So the Holy Ones stretched out the four corners of the sky and this raised the sun still higher in the heavens. After they had done this four times it was like it is today. There was room on the earth for everyone, and the sun's warmth was right for the growing plants and the animals and the people.

Sand Painting of the Earth, (The plan of the earth.) From the top of the mask projects a breath feather, tied with a white cotton string, the spider's gift. Coral and turquoise ear pendants are Indicated. The body is dark gray. Borders, mask, neck, etc. The two arms and two legs are kos ischin, triangles set upon one another and symbolizing forming clouds or cloud terraces.

Now it was the same with the earth as it was with the sky. They planned just how the earth should be. They made the face of the earth white, with eyes and nose and mouth. They made earrings of turquoise for the ears; and for a border they placed a black ring, a blue ring, a yellow ring, and a white ring, which is the earth's edge. These rings are for the earth's protection; no power shall harm her.