Native American Legends
Changing Woman
A Navajo Legend
Changing
Woman comes closest to being the personification of the Earth
and of the natural order of the Universe
as to any other brief way of describing her. She represents the
cyclical path of the Seasons,
Birth (Spring), Maturing
(Summer), Growing old
(Fall) and Dying (Winter),
only to be reborn again in the Spring.
The birth of Changing Woman was planned by First
Man and First
Woman. First Man repeatedly held up his medicine
bundle toward Gobernador
Knob at dawn. Somehow
from this action Changing Woman was born and found lying on top
of Gobernador Knob. She was found by Talking
God who was sent to investigate. First Man then presented her
to the diyinii, saying that you could see that this is the child
of the young man and young woman of exceeding beauty who themselves
had arisen from the same medicine bundle to become the inner form
of the Earth.{*}
First Man raises and teaches Changing Woman. She grew from infancy
to puberty in four days, thus acquiring the name Changing Woman.
This occasioned the first puberty ceremony. The
Holy People were called for and Talking God officiated at the
ceremony.
Changing Woman was dressed in jewels (white
shell, turquoise,
abalone and jet),
blessed with pollen
from the dawn and from twilight,
and with "pollen" from many jewels and soft fabrics, symbolizing
her control over these articles. After this blessing, her hair was
bathed with dews and she
was instructed to run toward the dawn as far as she could see and
then to return. As she ran, her dress of jewels jingled. She repeated
this for four nights.
On these days, when not involved in ceremonies, she occupied herself
with planning for the future of the Earth. By the end of the ceremony
she had made millstones,
a whisk broom,
pots and stirring
sticks. The songs that were sung for Changing Woman as she ran
are sung today for young women at their puberty ceremonies.
At Changing Woman's next menstration another puberty ceremony was
held, similar to the first. But at this ceremony other procedures
for the future were defined. These decree that no menstruating woman
shall be present at any ceremonial. The order of songs at future
Blessingway
ceremonies was thus determined.
After this ceremony Changing Woman would go outside and walk on
the trail which had been prepared for her. One day at noon a strange
man walked up to her and spoke to her. He said "Prepare yourself
for something that is going to happen, after a while I will visit
you." This stranger was so dazzling that Changing Woman had
to look away. When she turned back, he was gone. She returned home
and reported this encounter to First Woman and First Man. It seems
that First Man was expecting this occurence, which happened twice
again. On the third time Changing Woman was told to fix her bed
outside, with her head to the east. When she fell asleep a young
man came and lay beside her. This happened again and she asked who
he was. He replied, "Don't you know me? Didn't you ever see
me? Don't you know that you see me all the time? It is I that takes
care of all things, whatever there is on Earth. I am the Sun's inner
form. In my very presence you came into being, in my presence you
were put into shape, even I was among them!" He then indicated
that First Man had directed him to do this. The next day she decided
to bathe because the young man might visit her again.
While bathing the young man appeared again and with the collaboration
of the dripping water impregnated Changing Woman. In nine [náhást'éí]
days, twins were born to Changing Woman. These twins were to become
Monster Slayer and Born for Water. These two also grew in four day
periods and in twelve days they were grown young men.
At this point Changing Woman asked for and receives the medicine
bundle that First Man had brought up from the previous worlds. She
moves to a hooghan that was built for her at the base of Huerfano
Mountain. Here she conducted the first wedding ceremony, the mating
of corn. After this ceremony Changing Woman leaves for the house
that her sons have built for her, at the direction of their father,
the Sun, in the west, at or on the Pacific Ocean.
Here Changing Woman grew lonely and created the Navajo People from
skin rubbed off various parts of her body. The four pairs of people
created at this time are the ancestors of all Navajo today.
Changing Woman also caused the abduction of the two children of
Rock Crystal Talking God. They were taken to her house in the west
by way of a rainbow
and a sunbeam. Here
they were taught the Blessingway ceremony. They returned home to
teach the ceremony to all of their people (the original Navajos
saw the ceremony being taught to these children). The diyinii all
gathered to learn the ceremony and to construct the original Mountain
Soil bundle, containing soil from each of the sacred mountains,
with which the ceremony is still conducted. The Holy People then
said that, after their departure from this ceremony, they would
never be seen in person again but that their presence would be manifest
in the sound of the wind [níyol], the feathers [ats'os] of
an Eagle, in various birds,
the growth of the corn and
other aspects of the world surrounding the earth surface people.The
two children who had been taught the Blessingway ceremony then departed
to live with the Holy People.
{*} The parentage
of Changing Woman is described in several different ways by different
informants; however these can be thought of as just different ways
of saying the same thing. Some say that her father and mother are
the Sky and the Earth. Others say her parents are sa'a naghái
ashkii (boy) and bik'e hózh at'ééd (girl) as
in this version. However the Sky is sometimes referred to as sa'a
naghái and the Earth as bik'e hózh. In either case,
Changing Woman is Earth's child, the child of the Sky and the child
of the mountain. As she was planned for by First Man and First Woman
and called forth by First Man, she is also their child.
Changing
Woman Asdz nádleehé
Earth Nahasdzáán
Universe Yádihi
Bii' Bi Haz'ánígíí
Seasons nináhágháhígíí
Spring daan dgo
Summer sh shgo
Fall 'ak'eed
Winter haigo
First Man Átsé
hastiin
First Woman
Átsé asdzáán
Medicine
Bundle jish
Gobernador
Knob Ch'óol''
Dawn hayíík
Talking God
Haashch'éét'í
The Holy People
diyin diné
white shell
yoogaii
turquoise doot'izhii
abalone diichi
jet bááshzhinii
pollen tádídíín
twilight nahootsoii
dews dahtoo'
nights t'éé
millstones tsédaashjéé
and tsédaashch'íní
whisk broom
bee nahalzhoohí
pots 'ásaa'
stirring
sticks ídístsiin
ceremonies kinaaldá
Blessingway
hózhójí
rainbow nááts'íílid
sunbeam shábit'óól
Eagle 'atsá
birds naat'a'gii
corn naad
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