Creation of First Man and First Woman: A Navajo Legend
The first people emerged through three worlds before settling in the fourth. Driven from each previous world due to their conflicts and misdeeds, they found themselves in a new land inhabited by the Kisani, or Pueblo people. This world was a blend of black and white, with a sky of blue and black hues. It was devoid of sun, moon, or stars, but four majestic snow-covered peaks marked the horizon in each cardinal direction. Late in autumn, the people heard a distant, powerful voice from the east. As they listened, the voice grew nearer and louder until four mysterious beings appeared before them. These were White Body, the god of this world; Blue Body, the sprinkler; Yellow Body; and Black Body, the god of fire. Using gestures, the gods attempted to communicate, but the people could not comprehend them.
On the fourth day, after repeated visits, Black Body stayed behind and spoke in the people’s language, explaining their signs. He told them, “We wish to create beings more like us. While you have bodies like ours, your features are more akin to beasts and insects. The new humans will have hands and feet like ours. You must also cleanse yourselves, for you carry an unpleasant odor. We will return in twelve days.” Heeding this instruction, the people washed thoroughly on the twelfth day. The women dried their skin with yellow cornmeal, while the men used white cornmeal. They soon heard the gods’ call, repeated four times as they approached. Blue Body and Black Body each carried a sacred buckskin, and White Body held two ears of corn, one yellow and one white, both fully grained.
The gods placed a buckskin on the ground, head to the west, and laid the corn ears with tips to the east. Beneath the white ear, they placed the feather of a white eagle; under the yellow, a yellow eagle’s feather. The people were instructed to step back, allowing the wind to enter. A wind from the east and a yellow wind from the west blew between the skins. As it did, eight Mirage People encircled the items on the ground four times. The eagle feathers moved, and when the upper buckskin was lifted, the corn had transformed into a man and a woman—First Man and First Woman. The wind had given them life, and it is the breath that sustains life within us. The gods instructed the people to build a brushwood enclosure, where First Man and First Woman began their life together as husband and wife.
Within four days, First Woman bore hermaphrodite twins, followed by a boy and a girl, who matured in four days and lived as a couple. In total, they had five pairs of twins, with all but the first becoming couples who had children. After the last twins were born, the gods took First Man and First Woman to the eastern mountain, where they stayed for four days, returning to find their children had also been taken to the mountain. It is believed the gods imparted mysterious knowledge to them. Upon their return, the children, who had married too closely among themselves, separated and married among the Mirage People. They kept the secrets learned from the gods hidden, even from their new families. Every four days, the women bore children who matured swiftly, and in this way, the descendants of First Man and First Woman spread across the land.
This retelling is shared with respect for the Navajo people, who continue to honor their traditions and stories.
