Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-06-14
NAVAJO TRADITION.
HOW ALL ANIMAL LIFE WAS CON-
FINED IN A CAVERN.

Freedom First Found by a Locust-The
Badger FoIIows-Prisoners Free at Last.
Dispute Concerning the Use of Night
and Day.
The Navajo Indians of Arizona have a
tradition to the effect that while the earth
was young and destitute of animal life
the Great Spirit created twelve people
six men and six women-together with
many species of animals, and confined
them in cavern of the San Francisco
mountain, where they lived as great,
happy family for many years. But in
course of time a restlessness possessed
the prisoners. Though they had known
nothing of freedom, all felt the oppres-
sion of their narrow limits, and vaguely
yearned for greater fulfillment of the
dream or reality of living. But what
could they do? All speculated on the
situation to no purpose. Daily they jos
tied each other, little and big, clumsy and
nimble, bpeds and quadrupeds, feathered
and furred, winged and wingless, timid
and bold. Every successive period of
time was but repetition of the past.
OPENING THE WAY OUT.
None of the many puzzled brains could
offer means of breaking the monotony,
till happy thought struck one of the
most insignificant of the living mass.
For want of other occupation a locust
bored a hole in the wall and thereby
opened the way for the enthusiasm and
progress of the host of it's comrades
throughout the length and breadth of
their underground world. The Great
Spirit had so decreed it. They were there
Co. ~ hot hn
destined hour, as the eaglet bursts the
shell that imprisons it, so the locust's tiny
burrow should lead to the escape of all
into the open world, where each could fol-
low his inclinations unhampered.
The laboring locust had but a solitary
witness. A badger watched with growing
amusement the diminutive tunnel making.
His eyes sparkled with interest as the
locust labored energetically. He lay rest
ing with his head between his fore paws
in most lazy attitude, but his face eX-
pressed animation and eagerness not much
longer to be retained. AS the tail of the To-
Gust disappeared the time for eXertion had
come To follow the locust's movements
further necessitated like energy. The
lOcusts hole was too small for the
badgers access, so he started a tunnel
making of his own. By the time he
reached the locust he was in no mood to
| give up the chase, so he passed on,
scratching his way through the solid
| earth until he broke through the outer
crust of the mountain, and in the JOY and
excitement of the moment he sprang into
the ample space before him. The noun
tain side was steep, and he 'tlanded " in
the shallow edge of the lake in Monte
yuma valley. AS he fell his fore feet
lefr, int ho mir on6 hic
even unto today have inherited black fore
paws because of this incident of the
worlds firsS peopling.
The NavajOes within the cavern, noting
the departure of the badger, began
prospect. Finding the hole large enough
for exit they crepG out, one after the
other, and train of all sizes and species
of animals followed in their wake, as from
Noah's ark.
FRIGHTENED THEM AWAY.
AS soon as all the prisoners were free,
fire and smoke began to issue from the
hole that had delivered them. This
frightened them far away into the valley,
and there they prepared to make them
selves comfortable and live as their new
advantages permitted. Food was plentiful
in vegetable forms, but some varieties
needed heat to make them good. At
least the Navajoes thought so, but they
had no means of kindling a fire. This
difficulty was soon overcome by sendinga
bat, wolf and a squirrel after the
needed element, fire. Going to hole in
the mountain, the wolf tied some pitchy
splinters to his tail, then turned and held
it over the little volcano till it began to
smoke and ignite. The bat then famed
it into flames with it's wings and the
squirrel carried it away to the Navajoes.
The people were delighted at getting the
one missing essential to happy life in
the open world, and when, long after,
time came when the worlds plenty had
pampered their wills and fostered their
greed and selfishness to the point of
preying upon their fellow creatures for
food, they still had the honor to VOW
never to eat wolf or squirrel flesh.
Neither would they move camp without
live coal among their possessions And
even today the NavajOes' gratitude to the
trio is observed as the promise made to
the fire getters Of the tradition.
Between the Navajoes and different ami
mails there sprang up dispute over the
Grea Spirits intended use for night and
day. All agreed that one should be spent
in sleep and one in action, but which
should serve the one and which the otheri
It was settled at last. Those that wished
to roam at night should do so and sleep by
day, and vice versa. The heroic badger
was among those who chose the mysteries
of the darkness or the immediate dawn
and dusk for thought and action and the
bright and sunny hours as fit to be slept
away in his cool underground nest. As
the sun sank in the west upon their busi-
ness meeting, the owl, bat, moth, and
many other animals scattered out into the
valley borders on their foraging exploits,
while many kinds of birds flew to roost in
the trees. Other animals lay down to
sleep in sheltered parts Of the forest, and
the Navajoes spread their waterproof
blankets, the trophies Of the women's in
dustry, and enjoyed their couches under
the starry sky in peaceful dreams.
To-