Myths and Tales from the White Mountain Apache

They wondered why she told them to go only at night and resolved to travel by day. They came near where the ground was black with mosquitoes that had teeth of becdiłxił, and there was no way to pass through them. They caused a rain, yellow with sunshine, to fall on them and wet their wings so that they stuck to the trees. By this means, they passed beyond them. “This is why she said it is dangerous,” they said to each other. They came where the earth was crossed with a stripe of cactus which had spines of becdiłxił. A black whirlwind with a core of becdiłxił passed, twisting through the cactus; the boys got by it. “This was surely the bad place of which our mother told us,” they said. As they were going on toward their father's house, they came to sand which, if one stepped on it, rolled back with him. There was no way to get through it. A big black measuring worm having his back striped with a rainbow, bent himself over the sand for them and they crossed over. They were now approaching their destination when they found the house surrounded by thirty-two lakes which could not be avoided.

A turquoise bird sat in the ear of one of them and directed them on their way. The Sun's wife saw the two men pass through, avoiding the four bodies of water that surrounded the house. She concealed them under the bed which stood in the house. When the Sun returned, he saw the tracks of two men and asked where they had gone. The Sun's wife replied that they were not there. “You are always saying you have made no visits and yet your two sons come here,” she said. The Sun directed that they should come to him. They sat facing him. He had tobacco hanging in sacks in four places. It was black tobacco which grew on stalks of becdiłxił. He had a turquoise pipe with thirty-two44 holes for the tobacco to burn in. With this tobacco, he killed those who were not really his children. They heard him draw on the pipe once and then he tapped it on something and the ashes rolled out. “Fix me a smoke, that is why I came,” one of the boys said.

They two went to the sack which was hanging on this side. It was filled with large blue tobacco which grew on stalks of becdoł'ije. He filled a pipe with thirty-two bowls and lighted it again. Having drawn on the pipe, he passed it to them. He heard them draw on the pipe once and then the ashes fell out.

“Prepare a smoke for me, for I came for that purpose,” one of the boys said again. When the other kinds, yellow, and white had been tried from the remaining world-quarters, one of the boys produced some tobacco and a pipe made of clay with a hole through it. “This is my pipe and my tobacco,” the boy announced. “Why did you not tell me before that you had tobacco?” the Sun said. He had chairs placed and took a seat between the two boys. The three looked just alike. “Come, Djingona'ai,45 move yourself,” the Sun's wife said, so that she might distinguish him from the others. “They are surely my children,” the Sun declared. “What do you desire?” he asked them. The boys said they had come to hear him ask that. The Sun urged them to ask for what they wished without delay as he had many things.

The Sun had domesticated animals in four corrals on four sides of his house. He had four kinds which were bad. They were bear, coyote, panther, and wolf, of which one is afraid. He led a bear from the eastern corral, remarking that this was probably the sort they meant, that it was his pet. The boys refused it, saying they had come for his horse. In turn he led animals from corrals at the south and west which were refused each time on the advice of the monitor that sat in the ear of one of the boys. The Sun pretended he had no other horse, that he was poor. The monitor urged them to persist in their request, saying that the Sun could not refuse. He finally led to them one of the horses which was walking around unconfined. He was just skin and bones. The rope also was poor. “Did you ask for this one?” the Sun said. “That is the one,” they replied. The Sun told them the horse could not travel far, but the boys said that was the animal they wanted.

He gave them the horse with the admonition that they must not let Ests'unnadlehi see it or she would send them away with it, it looked so bad. The boys assured him it would be all right. He replied that she would be surprised at least. He requested them to tell Ests'unnadlehi that he, the Sun, always told the truth. He charged the two boys that they should not lie to each other. “This is a good day for you both,” he told them. “Thank you, Ests'unnadlehi, my mother, thanks.” “Thank you, Djingona'ai, my father. It is true that it is fortunate for us. It was for that reason you raised us,” they said.46

The Adolescence Ceremony. 47

The Sun was the one who arranged the ceremony for unclean women. She (Ests'unnadlehi) sat thus on her knees and the red light from the sun shone into her. She was living alone.

When she becomes a woman they straighten her. The people stand in a line and sing while the drum is beaten. They dance four nights. They paint her with white clay that she may live a long time, and that her hair may get white on one side of her head. They put up a cane with a curved top for her around which she is to run. At one side a basket stands in which there is tobacco and on the other side a basket containing corn.

When she has run around the cane in its first position, it is put up again farther away, where she runs around it again and returns to the line of singers. Again, the cane and basket of corn are moved out and the girl runs around them. When she returns to the singers she dances, having a downy feather tied at the crown of her head. The cane is put up again and the basket of corn moved once more. The girl runs around them returning to the singers. This cane is said to be the sun's cane and the chief's cane.

The corn is poured from the basket over the crown of the girl's head. The people all try to get a handful of the corn. After that, she throws the blankets in every direction and the people pick them up, saying, “May her blankets be many.” They plant the corn and all say they raise large crops in consequence.

They prepare Gans and dance four nights. They do not allow anyone to sleep during the dancing.

The girl, Ests'unnadlehi, has a skirt and a shirt of dressed skin. The shirt is spoken of as fringed shirt and the skirt, a fringed skirt.

When the Gans dance, the girl dances behind them. She does not sleep during the four nights.

On the morning after the fourth night all the people gather around to insure good luck in the future. The sun's songs, the chief's songs, are sung and with them they dance. After the four nights they paint the girl white with gypsum mixed with water which is in a shallow basket. The girl stands here and a woman whose husband is rich in horses and other property stirs the gypsum and water with a hairbrush. She applies this white mixture to the girl's head, and brushes her downward until she is whitened all over. The girl then sprinkles the men, women, and children who stand around in a large circle. This is done that they may be fortunate in the future. If some of the white mixture falls on the hair, that person will have gray hair at that spot.

The Migration of the Gans. 48

They say they moved about from place to place under the cliffs. “We will move to a place where we will not die,” they said. They went to a place halfway between the earth and sky, and lighted on a mirage. They were dying there too. They came back to this world. Wind and rain ceased.

Mocking bird said he wanted to be chief. Gopher said he wanted to be chief. When someone remarked that the chief's eyes were small, Gopher was angry and went under the ground, taking with him the wind and rain.

Humming bird started over the earth, hunting in vain for the wind and rain. He came where Gopher had gone underground and went in there and came where the Gans were living. They had much corn and ripe crops. It rained there all the time. Humming bird came back and reported that he had been where there were many ripe crops and where rain fell all the time. He also said those who live there do not die. The Gans started to move down there and on their way came to a place called “Two-mountains-go-around-each-other-in-opposite-directions.” Rocks, white and all colors, lie there, one above the other. The Indians went there and came where the Gans were living.

A small mountain stood at the east and on it Black Gan stood every dawn and talked as a chief. When he had spoken as chief four mornings, they asked why Black Gan was talking that way. All the Gans came together and he talked to them. “May one of your children remain here?” he asked. All the Gans said, “No. Our children are all going with us.” Then Black Gan decided that one of his should stay. He left the youngest little girl, putting a turquoise water jar by her pillow. He covered this with earth. They started away where people do not die. His little girl returned to the place where her water jar had been put. While she was gone for it the others moved away and left her.

Some Indians found the baby, who was running about crying, and took her to raise. When she was grown, she married, and gave birth to a boy. Then Black Gan had a son-in-law and many people came to see him because he was Black Gan's son-in-law. They crowded into the house and kept saying, “Move over a little, Donaildihi.” He, Eats-a-long-time-without-being-satisfied, moved over; and they kept coming in until the house was stretched over to one side.

Black Gan's son-in-law lay down with one leg over the other, and called for the baby. When its grandmother brought it, he tossed it up and down on his chest and sang to it. When he was done playing with it, he called to them to take it again.

After a time another boy was born. When they were both grown they were hunting birds and came where the Gans were living. When they returned, food was offered them in vain. They had eaten where the Gans lived while away, and would not eat on their return.

A man fell sick. His eyes and mouth were crooked, as were also his arms and legs. The people were asking what they should do about it. The man told the mother of the boys to prepare a deerskin which had no holes in it with a piece of turquoise fastened at the forehead. To the turquoise he asked that downy feathers be tied. She directed that bacinϵ with downy feathers be tied between the eyes. In addition tsϵltcϵϵ and yołgai each with downy feathers were to be tied to the skin. She asked that the skin prepared thus be placed on the top of the feet of the children (Gan's grandchildren).

When they put it on the foot of one of these boys, he kicked it to the other boy, who kicked it back. When this had been done four times one of them directed that wood be brought in, and they consented to give a dance for the sick man. They directed that all the people should come together and that the sick man should be brought to the dancing place. Preparations were also made there for the fire. “All of you come here where we are going to sing,” they announced.

When they had come together they began to sing, the two grandsons of Black Gan acting as leaders. When they started to dance one of them stood up and made a speech. He told them they must not go away during the dance or something bad would happen to them.

When they had sung four songs, the sound of a bull roarer was heard underground to the east, south, west, and north. The Gans ran there and formed in line around him (the sick man). The Gans came to the dance ground, and Black Gan shook himself by the side of the sick man. He took the sick man up and threw him over there. Then Brown Gan shook his body by the sick man and swayed from side to side. Then the Gan who has one side of his face covered, shook himself by the sick man and threw him over there. Next Red Gan swayed himself and took up the sick man and threw him over there.

The Black Gan then went to the sick man and made his eyes good again. Brown Gan went to him and fixed his arms. The Gan whose face is half covered fixed his back. On this side (north) Red Gan restored his legs. The man was well again, and danced among the others. They danced four nights and the morning after, the Gans and men stood with their little fingers interlocked; first a man and then a Gan; a man and then a Gan; a man and then a Gan. Thus they formed a circle, standing in a line alternating, with their little fingers interlocked. They danced until it grew light and then the dance began to move away toward the sunrise. Old men and old women were lying down nearby. The dancing people kept moving away toward the east. The old women and old men ran after them. They were dancing on the ground and then began to move up higher and higher in the air. The Indians ran after them but the Indians who were dancing went up with the dance. They could hear the sound of the dancing up there and the songs. They moved away to the Sun. He sent them where they do not die. They are still living there, I suppose. They are the people who do not die.

Releasing the Deer. 49

Ganisk'ide50 was the only one who owned deer. He was the only one who brought them home and who ate their flesh. He gave none of the meat to the people who lived near him.

Ravens, who were then people, proposed that they make a puppy and desert it. They did this; they moved away and left a puppy lying there. When the children of Ganisk'ide went where the people had moved away, they found the puppy. They took it up and carried it home.

Ganisk'ide told the children to throw the puppy away, but when they objected, he told them to try the dog's eyes by holding fire in front of them. When they brought the fire near the dog's eyes it cried, “gai gai gai.” “It is a real dog,” Ganisk'ide said. “You may take him behind the stone door where the deer are enclosed and let him eat the entrails.”

When the children had taken the dog behind this door he became a man again. He moved the stone to one side and the deer that were inside ran out. Ganisk'ide called to his wife from the doorway to touch the nostrils of the deer with her odorous secretions. She touched each of the deer on the nose as they ran by her and they received the sense of smell. They ran away from her.

“You said it was a dog,” he said to his children with whom he was angry, “but he turned them out for us.” The deer scattered all over the earth.

Deer Woman. 51

After he married, they went on a hunting trip. When they had established camp where they were to get the deer meat, the man went out to hunt, but the woman stayed at the camp. As the husband left, he said, if anyone came from the north, that would be himself, but if someone came from the east it would be someone else.

Then Ganłjine came there carrying a deer mask in his hand which he put on the brush of which the camp was made, and sat down by the fire. The deer mask was eating as if it were alive and it made a noise like a deer. Ganłjine told the woman to put on the thing which was lying there. She replied that a deer mask was something to be afraid of. “Put it on and let me look at it,” he insisted. “Will it be all right?” she asked him. He told her to put it on anyway, and stand at one side so he could look at it. She put it on and stood at the place designated in the posture of a deer.

He threw a turquoise ring on her, and she became like a deer as far as her neck. Then he threw a ring of bacinϵ on her and an additional portion of her body changed to a deer. Next he threw a ring of tcϵłtcϵϵ, and last, one of yołgai. She was then completely like a deer and walked away, wiggling her tail.

Toward the east there are mountains called Iłijgo. There are four mountains standing in a line, one back of the other. She who used to be a woman and Ganłjine went there together. They were mating as they went along, as could be told from the tracks. Deer tracks were in one place and nearby, other deer tracks, but on one side a man's tracks. They went toward the east.

When the husband came back he saw by the tracks that a man had visited the camp and had gone away with his wife. He went back to the settlement and told them that the woman with whom he had gone to hunt had gone off, leaving human tracks on one side and on the other side like a deer.

The people went in a company to the place where the man had camped and commenced following the tracks that were human on one side and deer-like on the other. While being trailed they ran from those who were following them, who ran after them, chasing them around until the one who had been a woman was worn out. They overtook her and threw on her a ring of turquoise, followed by one of bacinϵ and then one of tcϵłtcϵϵ, and finally one of yołgai. As these rings fell on her she became progressively human in shape. When she had become a human being again, they took her back to the settlement. When it was time for deer to run again, she became a deer once more, and then became a person again.

When thunder was heard, they made a camp and went to hunt little fawns which they were bringing into the camp. This woman who had turned into a deer had little fawns which she had borne for a deer. She went around among the houses where the fawns were being brought in and found her own lying there dead. An Indian had killed them both and had brought them in. When she learned a man had brought in pretty fawns, with yellow around their eyes, she ran there and commenced to cry.

She spoke, saying that the deer they should see along the trail where she went with her children would be herself and that they should pray to her.

The Gambler who secured the Water-Ceremony. 52

A boy started playing najonc and lost his arrows, his moccasins, his breechcloth, his shirt, his headband, his hair, his eyebrows, and his eyelashes. When he returned home so divested, his mother told him to go away somewhere that she might not see him again.

He started away, utterly naked as he was, and traveled until he came to the edge of the ocean. He jumped into the water but was thrown back.53 He did this three times with the same result and then jumped in under the water. When he looked back through the water it was white. He began to eat all kinds of “worms” as he went along. He ate, also, some of the green growth floating on the water. They came with him to the house made of water. The fly that sat inside his ear gave him information and advice. All the water people and the fog people went with him; Water-old-man was among them and Water-youth with a downy feather on the crown of his head. He was sent down that way with a message.54 They sent him where the black blanket of water is spread down.

“Over there he is running along,” someone said. “Now to you they are starting, Water-youths, to you they are starting. Yonder we are coming, Water-youths are coming,” he said. “They are coming right up the stream.

“Fog-youths are coming, right in front of the fog they are coming.

“Where the water stands straight up, next to him, the water people are coming to us. With water-downy-feathers as their feathers they are coming to us; holding the lightning in their hands they are coming to us.

“Where the fog stands straight up, standing next to me, they come to us,” he said. “Fog-youths come to us,” he said. “At the end of the water, they come to us. Having downy feathers of fog they come to us; holding the lightning in their hands they come to us.”55

The one who became water came by the house made of fog and water. “Where is the place called 'House-of-water'?” he asked. “This place is called 'House-of-water'” the water people replied. His monitor, fly, told him they were not telling him the truth. He came to the house made of water. “Where is the place called 'House-of-water'?” he asked. It was Water Chief to whom he came. “It is called 'Water-house' right here,” he replied. His fly told him that was correct; that 'Water-house' was there.

Two vessels filled with water which was boiling, were by the fire. “Drink all there is in one of the vessels,” he was told by Water Chief. He drank the contents of one vessel and then vomited. He was saying, “wa, wa,” as he vomited. He threw up all of the underwater “worms.”

They bathed him with the contents of the other vessel. They commenced to dance and danced for twelve nights without sleeping. When they had danced twelve nights without his falling asleep they told him he might go home.

Then Naiyenezgani danced there among them. His hat was white on top. He held his hand outspread over him as he stood by him. Water-old-man, too, danced among them. Water-house was on this side.

“Water-youths all came here where they were dancing. With their downy feathers of water they came there. They came to the dance ground holding lightning in their hands.

“From 'House-made-of-fog,' Fog-girls came where they danced having their downy feathers of fog. They held lightning in their hands.

“Water-youths were behind them, pretty, they were behind them; having their downy feathers of water, they were behind them. Holding lightning in their hands, they were all behind them.

“The Fog-girls came from the house made of fog. Having downy feathers of fog, they danced with fog. All holding lightning in their hands, the dance being made of fog they started to dance with him.

“They danced with the boy who became water.”

Naiyenezgani danced among them. When they were looking somewhere else Naiyenezgani became a baby again, and was tied in a basket cradle. The attention of the people was attracted elsewhere and when they saw Naiyenezgani again he was standing among the Water-maidens to whom he did various things.

Tobatc'istcini, too, was tied as a baby, then the two men did various things to them. The twelve nights had passed without anyone sleeping. He stood between the Water-maidens. The men from a distance made a circle and danced. The Water-people danced with him. The Fog-people danced with him.

The Sun was present there. From so great a height56 he looked down on them. They danced in his presence. They danced, too, in the presence of the Moon. When twelve nights had passed and it was the twelfth morning he went to sleep. Far off, a Water-maiden stood. He, who became water, stood here and there stood a Fog-maiden. When twelve nights had passed he fell asleep. He loved this one. They shouted to him saying, “You are falling asleep.” The one standing behind him stepped by his foot and he fell against him.

Bił'olisn was there where they were dancing.

“He took her away, where the land is beautiful with corn.

“Fog-maiden; where the land is beautiful with pumpkins.

“Bił'olisn; where the land is beautiful with large corn, they two went.

“Fog-maiden; where the land is beautiful with large pumpkins, they two went.

“Bił'olisn; where the land is beautiful with large corn, they two sat down.

“Fog-maiden; where the land is beautiful with large pumpkins, they two sat down.

“Bił'olisn; where the land is beautiful with large corn, they two lay down.

“Fog-maiden; where the land is beautiful with pumpkins, they two lay down.

“At the east where the black water lies, stands the large corn, with staying roots, its large stalk, its red silk, its long leaves, its tassel dark and spreading, on which there is dew.

“At the sunset, where the yellow water lies, stands the large pumpkin with its tendrils, its long stem, its wide leaves, its yellow top on which there is pollen.”57

This all happened where the man turned to water. He came back here where people were living. His mother had her hair cut off and was weeping for him. He came back at the end of a year. His younger brother was walking outdoors and saw him. When he saw him coming back he said, “Mother, over there my brother is returning.” “Evil one,58 why do you say that?” she replied. “I am telling the truth, my brother is coming. Come here and look,” the boy said. She came out and found it was true. She called him her son, and told him she had been having a hard time and had cried on his account.

He went and hunted deer in company with his brother. He asked his brother to hunt in a certain direction and circle around to him again. There were thunder showers. The young man was sitting by himself. In one direction it was raining, it was black with the falling rain.