Myths and Legends of California and the Old Southwest by Unknown
page 53 of 123 (43%)
page 53 of 123 (43%)
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The old men said, "'Beneath that star there must be people." They
decided to travel to it. They cut a staff and set it in the ground and watched until the star reached its top. Then they started and travelled as long as the star shone. When it disappeared they halted. But the star did not shine every night. Sometimes many years passed before it appeared again. When this occurred, the people built houses during their halt. They built round houses and square houses, and all the ruins between here and Navajo Mountain mark the places where our people lived. They waited until the star came to the top of the staff again, but when they moved on, many people remained in those houses. When our people reached Waipho (a spring a few miles from Walpi) the star vanished. It has never been seen since. They built a house there, but Masauwu, the God of the Face of the Earth, came and compelled the people to move about halfway between the East Mesa and the Middle Mesa and there they stayed many plantings. One time when the old men were assembled, the god came among them, looking like a horrible skeleton and rattling his bones. But he could not frighten them. So he said, "I have lost my wager. All that I have is yours. Ask for anything you want and I will give it to you." At that time, our people's house was beside the water course. The god said, "Why do you sit there in the mud? Go up yonder where it is dry." So they went across to the west side of the mesa near the point and built a house and lived there. Again when the old men assembled two demons came among them, but the old men took the great Baho and chased them away. |
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