Four Worlds: The Dine Story of Creation
( Dine [Navajo] Southwest)

Before this world existed, there was a first world far below the world
where we are now.

In that world everything was black. There was darkness everywhere,
and in the darkness there were six beings. Those beings were first man,
the son of night and the blue sky over the sunset; first woman, the daughter of
day break and the yellow sky of sunset; salt woman; fire god; coyote
and Begochiddy. Begochiddy, who was the child of the sun, was both man and
woman, and had blue eyes and golden hair.

There were no mountains or plants in that first world, so Begochiddy began
to make them. Begochiddy made four mountains. To the east Begochiddy made
a white mountain. To the south Begochiddy made a blue mountain. To the west
Begochiddy made a yellow mountain. To the north Begochiddy made a black mountain.
To the north Begochiddy created the ants and other insects and made the first plants.
But things were not right in the first world. One story is the fire god became
jealous and started to burn everything up. According to another story, the first
begins were not happy in that dark world. Whatever the reason was, they decided to
leave the first world.

“Gather together the plants and other things I have made,” said Begochiddy to first man.

First man did as Begochiddy said. Then he and the other beings came to the
red mountain which Begochiddy created in the center of the first world.
The Begochiddy planted the big reed. As the hollow Big Reed began to grow,
the first beings climbed into it. Up and up it grew, leaving the first world behind.
It grew up and up until it came to the second world.

In the second world Begochiddy created even more things. Begochiddy created the
clouds. Begochiddy created more plants and mountains. The color of the second world
was blue, and there was other beings in it—Sallow People and Cat People.
The Cat People tried to fight Begochiddy and the others, but First Man used his
magic and overcame them. For a time, everyone was happy. Then things began to go
wrong. Once more Begochiddy planted Big Reed. Once more Begochiddy told
First Man and others to put all the tings created into big reed. Big reed began to grow.
Up and up it went and carried them all to the third world.

The third world was yellow. Though there was no sun and moon, the mountains
gave light. It was the most beautiful of the world they had seen. In this
world Begochiddy created rivers and springs. Begochiddy created all kinds of
human beings. In this beautiful third world everything spoke one language.
All of the things and beings in creation understood each other. But everything
was not perfect in the third world. Yellow and red streaks appeared across the eastern
sky. They were placed there by first man and represented the diseases about
to come to the people through evil magic. Before long, the men and women began to
quarrel with each other. The men said that the women were causing trouble.
The women said that it was the men. Coyote came to Begochiddy and told him
that men and women were always quarreling. Begochiddy decided to put a stop to it.

“All of the men must stay on the right side of the bank of the river. All women must
stay on the left side of the river. Neither may cross the river to be with the other.”

So it was done. The men and women lived apart for some time, but they were not
happy without each other. Finally they went to Begochiddy. Some say it was the
women who came first, but others say it was the men.

“We are not happy by ourselves,” they said. “We wish to be reunited.”

So Begochiddy brought men and women back together.

“If there is more trouble,” he warned them,” this third World will be
destroyed by a flood.”

All of this time, Coyote was roaming around. Wherever he went he was curious
about everything, including things he should have left well enough alone.
One day, Salt Women went walking by the two bog rivers Begochiddy had made
in this Third World. When she came to the place in the water. It looked like a
baby with long black hair. Coyote lifted it out of the water and hid it under his blanket.
He told no one what he had done.

Four days passed and then a great noise was heard all around the Third World.
Begochiddy knew what it was, knew what had happened. Someone had done wrong.
Now this Third World was about to be destroyed by flood. From the East a black
storm came. From the south a blue storm approached. From the west came the yellow
storm. From the north a white storm swept. Once again Begochiddy gathered all the
beings and things created. Once again Big Reed grew up and up.
It lifted up all the beings and things as storm waters rose beneath them.

This time, though, was not as easy as before. Big Reed stopped growing before
it entered the next world. The Spider People wove a web to bring them closer,
but they could break through into the new world. The ant People tried to dig through,
but they could not do it. Finally Begochiddy told the Locust to try. Using their hard
head the locust broke through into the Fourth World. Now Brgochiddy climbed up
through the hole the locust had made. He found himself on an island with only water
to be seen in all directions. Begochiddy saw right away that there were others in
this Fourth World who had great power. To the east was talking god. To the south
was forest bringer of seeds. To the west was house god. To the north was a second
bringer of seeds. Begochiddy waved to each of them.
Then the four powerful beings
made the waters recede, leaving a world covered with mud. Brgochiddy went
back down Big Reed to the others.

“Grandparent,” said the others, “how is it in the new world?”

“The new world is good,” Begochiddy said, “but it is not yet dried. Someone
must try to walk up there. Who will try?”

“I will go,” said Badger. Then he went up through the hole and tried to walk on
the new Fourth World. His feet broke through the surface, through, and became
covered with mud. To this day all badgers have black feet.

“This will not do,” Brgochiddy said. “How can we dry this new world?”

“We shall dry it,” said the winds. Then the winds went up to the Forth World.
The cyclones and the whirlwinds and small dust devils went up to the Fourth World.
They swirled about and dried the surface well so the people went up and walked
on the dried Fourth World, and all the other people and created things followed.

Begochiddy, though, looked back down through the hole to the Third World.
The water was still rising.

“Who is the one who angered the water monster?” Begochiddy said.

No one answered, but coyote pulled his blanket tighter around himself.

“Open your blanket,” Begochiddy said.

Then Coyote opened his blanket and Begochiddy saw the water baby.

“You must give the water monster back its child,” Said Begochiddy.

Coyote did as Begochiddy said. He dropped the water baby back to the Third World,
and the waters receded.

Now Begochiddy went around the Forth World and placed things in order.
The mountains were put in their places. The sun and moon and stars were put
into the sky. Fire god tried to keep all the fire to himself, even though the people
needed it to keep warm and cook their food. One night, through, a fire god slept,
coyote stole fire from him and gave it to all the people. Then Begochiddy told the
humans beings the right way to live, how to give thanks, how to care for the plants
such as corn and squash and beans. Begochiddy gave them ,may different languages,
then, and sent them to live throughout the world. It was now, in the Forth World,
that changing Women came to be. She became the greatest friend of the human beings,
helping them in ways. It was changing women who gave birth to the hero twins,
who traveled throughout the world doing great deeds, destroying the monsters
that threatened the people.

So the Fourth World came to be. However, just as the worlds before it were
destroyed when wrong was done, so too this Fourth World was destined to be
destroyed when the people do not live the right way.
That is what the Dine say to this day.