" "No,"
said the gods, "this is the warrior who comes before our father;"
and when the sun arose the people fell upon the earth and bowed their
heads in fear. All their traditions point to the distant land of their
appearance in this world as being in the far northwest; from, there
they were accompanied by [=A]h-ai-[=u]-ta and M[=a]-[=a]-s[=e]-we.
These little gods occupy important positions in Zuni myth and legend.
After long journeying, it was decided that the Priest Doctor (K[=a]
wi-m[=o] sa) should send his son and his daughter in advance to
discover some favorable spot upon which to build a village. The youth
and the maiden finally ascended a peak from, which to have an extended
view of the country. "Rest here, my sister, for you are tired," said
the youth, "and I will go alone." From fatigue, the girl soon sank
into a slumber, and when the youth returned, he was impressed with the
surpassing loveliness of his sister. They remained for a time on this
mountain, and at their union they were transformed--the youth into a
hideous looking creature, the K[=o]-y[=e]-m[=e]-shi (Plate XX); the
maiden into a being with snow white hair, the K[=o]-m[=o]-k[)e]t-si.
The [t]K[=o]-thl[=a]-ma (hermaphrodite) is the offspring of this
unnatural union. The youth said to his sister, "We are no longer like
our people; we will therefore make this mountain our home. But it
is not well for us to be alone; wait here and I will go and prepare
a place for our others.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25