In the beginning there was darkness, a world devoid of light, the Nihodilhil. This First World existed on an island floating in dark seas surrounded with mist. Shadowy creatures lived in the mist and on the island there was one lone pine tree ...

This is where the Navajo Creation Myth begins, the Diné Bahane'. A tale so complicated I could not begin to tell it to you here, but I will give you a glimpse of what it contains. It's important to understand a culture when you are going to write about it. The old ways of the Diné (Navajo people) are still relevant to many in the Navajo Nation, although the modern world has overrun a lot of those beliefs. But it would be good to remember: no culture is complete without a past.

That dark world is where First Man and First Woman came into being. These were not ordinary human beings but supernatural creatures, and they were not alone. Other beings like the Great Coyote and the Air People lived in this world.

The four points of the compass existed in this First World as shadowy manifestations like clouds. The myth assigns them colors: Black and White, Blue and Yellow. They had a very important role to play.

Black and White Clouds came together in the east and their first puff of wind gave birth to First Man, and with him came white corn. Then Blue and Yellow came together and their wind blew west to give birth to First Woman, and with her came yellow corn.

But this was an inhospitable place and these beings escaped through a hole in the sky to the Second World. Here they encountered furry animals, birds and insects which they took with them on their journey to the south and the next level, the Third World.

This is the place where everything finally came together. This world contained rivers and mountains in which lived the spirit gods known to the Diné as the immortal Holy People, and they were also represented by the four mystical colors.

Are you with me so far? This world is important because far to the east lived Turquoise Boy and to the west White Shell Girl. These creatures were neither male nor female but both sexes combined and the myth introduces us to these gods as the first nadleehi or two-spirited beings.

The myth at this point gives the Diné their first ritual developed by the Holy People. In it the creatures of First Man and First Woman become human. In a matter of four days she gives birth to twins, one male and one female, and they are nadleehi ... as are the following sets of twins she births over and over again.

A quick way to populate the world I imagine since the twins all grow up to adulthood in a matter of days and find mates among other humans who suddenly appear in the story without explanation. Very Biblical stuff ... and this is only the beginning.

The Third World finally turns out to be another inhospitable place where men and women become divided and jealous, upsetting the balance of nature. In the midst of all this turmoil the humans are warned of a great flood that will drown their world and they escape to the mountains and plead with the Holy People for their lives.

(Sound familiar? This myth developed a few thousand years before the Old Testament stories)

There in the mountains appears Turquoise Boy, the first nadleehi among the gods. He hears their plea and raises up a giant reed through which everyone escapes into the Fourth World. This is where the Diné believe they exist today.

The Fourth World is where the Sun and Moon come into existence and the first humans settle into life with the gods ... and so on and so forth. The myth really does get very complicated after this, filled with imagery and symbols of birth, life, and death.

The whole tale of creation is open to interpretation by the spiritual advisors, the Hatalii, the Diné medicine men. But it seems the most important facet of the Creation Story is the way it includes rituals that allow The People to speak to the Holy Ones.

To outsiders these manifestations of spiritual practice among the Diné are seen in ritual dancing, songs and chants, and the most incredible works of art made by sand painting. These are things a tourist might see and are welcome to observe in public showings. But there are private rituals as well ... ones we shall never see.

The Navajo, Diné, The Earth People ... whatever name you may choose, are a tenacious people. They dwell in a land of great beauty with towering hills of sedimentary rock and parched earth where water is more precious than gold. They "live in beauty" the myths say, where sudden thunderstorms give them magical rainbows.

Their ancient ways have stubbornly resisted the intrusion of the government and forged their own national image. Like many of the nearly five million Native Americans in existence today they face social and economic problems. The struggle to maintain their native heritage after centuries of oppression is still a very real issue.

The old ways fade as the younger generation of Diné leave their ancestral homeland and are absorbed into the general population, but even that is difficult for those without an education. A complex patchwork of government regulations has done little to protect the great wealth of natural resources that lies beneath the feet of the Diné:

So before I embark upon a rant about historical injustice to Native Americans I will move on to my story about that younger generation. This is a story of fiction which contains many truths and some outright fabrication. Sometimes our modern world seems in great contrast to the ancient ways of a culture, but when a young native boy has questions about life ... in which direction should he seek answers?

Chris James



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"My Name is Eli" Copyright © Chris James. All rights reserved.
    This work may not be duplicated in any form (physical, electronic, audio, or otherwise) without the author's written permission. All applicable copyright laws apply. All individuals depicted are fictional with any resemblance to real persons being purely coincidental.

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