THE MOUNTAINS SACRED TO THE DÎNÉ
From the Navaho Order of Things, Animal Heroes

First Man and First Woman formed six sacred mountains from the soil that First Man had gathered from the mountains in the Third World and kept in his medicine bag. As before they placed Sis na'jin in the East, Tso dzil in the South, Dook oslid in the West, and Debe'ntsa in the North. They placed a sacred mountain, which they called Chol'i'i, on the earth; and they made the mountain, Dzil na'odili, around which the people were to travel.

There were four Holy Boys. These beings First Man called to him. He told the White Bead Boy to enter the mountain of the East, Sis na' jin. The Turquoise Boy he told to go into the mountain of the South, Tso dzil. The Abalone Shell Boy entered the mountain of the West, Dook oslid. And into the mountain of the North, Debe'ntsa, went the Jet Boy.

Now the mountains to the East and South were dissatisfied. The East wanted the Turquoise Boy and the South wanted the White Bead Boy for their bodies. There was quite a lot of trouble; the mountains would tremble as though they would fall to pieces, and it was a good time before they were satisfied. The other mountains were happy in their bodies and there was no trouble between them.

First Man and First Woman called other Holy Beings to them.

They put the Beautiful Mixed Stones Boy and Girl into the sacred mountain called Chol'i'. They put the Pollen Boy and Grasshopper Girl into Dzil na'odili. They asked the Rock Crystal Girl to go into Sis na' jin. They put the White Corn Girl into Tso dzil; the Yellow Corn Girl into Dook Oslid; and the Darkness Girl into Debe'ntsa.

notes: The White Bead Boy is also called the Dawn Boy and the Rock Crystal Boy.

note: The Turquoise Bead Boy is called the Daylight Boy.

note: The Abalone Shell Boy is called the Twilight Boy.

note: the Jet Boy is called the Darkness Boy and the Obsidian Boy.

note: The Pollen Boy and the Grasshopper Girl are also called the Beautiful Goods Boy and Girl.

After the Holy Beings had entered the Sacred Mountains First Man and First Woman dressed them according to their positions on the earth. They fastened Sis na' jin to the earth with a bolt of white lightning. They covered the mountain with a blanket of daylight, and they decorated it with white shells, white lightning, black clouds, and male rain. They placed the white shell basket on the summit; and in this basket two eggs of the hasbi'delgai, the pigeon. They said that the pigeons were to be the mountain's feather; and that is why there are many wild pigeons in this mountain today. And lastly they sent the bear to guard the doorway of the White Bead Boy in the East.

Tso dzil they fastened to the earth with a stone knife. They covered this mountain of the South with a blue cloud blanket; and they decorated it with turquoise, white corn, dark mists, and the female rain. They placed a turquoise basket on the highest peak, and in it they put two eggs of the blue bird, doli. Blue birds are Tso dzil's feather. They sent the big snake to guard the doorway of the Turquoise Boy in the South.

Dook oslid was fastened to the earth with a sunbeam. They covered the mountain of the West with a yellow cloud. They adorned it with haliotis shell, yellow corn, black clouds, and the male rain, and they called many animals to dwell upon it. They placed the abalone shell basket on the summit; and in it they placed the two eggs of the tsidiltsoi, the yellow warbler. These birds were to become its feather. The Black Wind was told to go to the West and guard the doorway of the Abalone Shell Boy.

They fastened the mountain of the North, Debe'ntsa, to the earth with a rainbow. Over it they spread a blanket of darkness. They decorated it with bash'zhini', obsidian, black vapors, and different plants and animals. The basket they placed on its highest peak was of obsidian; and in it they put the two eggs of the chagi, the blackbird. The blackbirds are the mountain's feather. The lightning was sent to guard the Jet Boy's doorway in the North.

First Man and First Woman fastened the Sacred Mountain Chol'i'i to the earth with a streak of rain. They decorated it with the pollens, mixed chips of stone precious to them, the dark mists, and the female rain. And they fastened Dzil na'odili to the earth with the sun's rays; and they decorated it with the beautiful goods of all kinds, the dark clouds, and the male rain. They left the summits of these mountains free. But some say that Dzil na'odili was fastened to the earth with Tse'hadahonige, the mirage stone; and those people associate the Mirage Boy and the Carnelian Girl with this mountain."

All the mountains have their prayers and chants which are called Dressing the Mountains. All the corner posts have their prayers and chants, as have the stars and markings in the sky and on the earth. It is their custom to keep the sky and the earth and the day and the night beautiful. The belief is that if this is done, living among the people of the earth will be good.

One of the Mountain Chants:

For ages and ages the plans have been made.
For ages and ages the plans of the Holy Mountains have been made.

For Sis na' jin, the mountain of the East, the plan was made.
The plan was made in the home of the First Man.
The planning took place on top of the Beautiful Goods.
They planned how a strong White Bead Boy should be formed;
How the White Bead Boy should be formed, and
How the Chief of the Mountain should be made.
How he should be made like the Most-High-Power-Whose-Ways-Are-Beautiful.

For Tso'dzil, the mountain of the South, the plan was made.
The plan was made in the home of the First Man.
The planning took place on the top of the Beautiful Goods.
They planned how a strong Turquoise Boy should be formed;
How the Turquoise Boy should be formed, and
How the Chief of the Mountain should be made.
How he should be made like the Most-High-Power-Whose-Ways-Are-Beautiful.

For Dook oslid, the mountain of the West, the plan was made.
The plan was made in the home of the First Man.
The planning took place on the top of the Beautiful Goods.
They planned how a strong Abalone Shell Boy should be formed;
How the Abalone Shell Boy should be formed, and
How the Chief of the Mountain should be made.
How he should be made like the Most-High-Power-Whose-Ways-Are-Beautiful.

For Debe'ntsa, the mountain of the North, the plan was made.
The plan was made in the home of the First Man.
The planning took place on the top of the Beautiful Goods.
They planned how a strong Jet Boy should be formed;
How the Jet Boy should be formed, and
How the Chief of the Mountain should be made.
How he should be made like the Most-High-Power-Whose-Ways-Are-Beautiful.

For Dzil na'odili, the Center Mountain, the plan was made.
The plan was made in the home of the First Man.
The planning took place on the top of the Beautiful Goods.
They planned how a strong Earth's Breath should be formed;
How the Banded Rock should be used, and
How the Chief of the Mountain should be made.
How he should be made like the Most-High-Power-Whose-Ways-Are-Beautiful.

For Chol'i'i, the Sacred Mountain, the plan was made.
The plan was made in the home of the First Man.
The planning took place on the top of the Beautiful Goods.
They planned how the strong Earth's Heart should be formed;
How the Mixed Chips should be used, and
How the Sacred Mountain should be made.
How she should be made like the Most-High-Power-Whose-Ways-Are-Beautiful.

The Ceremony that has come down to us from this story is called the Mountain Chant. There are about a hundred sections to this one great chant. There are many songs, and they are all beautiful. The words of the songs tell of the mountain people: the bear, the deer, the squirrel, and of all the others.

These persons were asked how many plants they brought with them from the first worlds, and how many seeds were collected and planted in the mountains. And after the mountain people came the people of the Plains. They were asked to bring forth the seeds of their plants. All that is seen growing on the Plains they brought with them. Next came the river people. They were asked about the willows, and the otter said that he had brought them with him. The beaver brought the cottonwoods, and also a stone which he chipped and scattered along the rivers and over the mesas, and they became the river boulders found today. First Man asked who had brought the cliff rocks. The little gray birds that live in those rocks, tse na'olch oshilchi', the rock wren, said that they had brought them. They said that they had ground it into powder and sprinkled it here and there and that the cliffs had sprung into being.

After First Man and First Woman had made and dressed the six mountains they found that there was still a little earth left in the medicine bag, so Tseya kan', the Hog Back Mountains, and the mesa south of them were formed. They were to be the lungs of the earth and the big diaphragm muscle separating the heart from the stomach.

The last of the earth was used to form Nltsa dzil, Strong Rain Mountain, the Carrizos. They made this great mountain with its legs to the South and its head to the North. It has for its dress Strong Goods, meaning many rocks for its clothing. This mountain has three other names: it is called Yolgai dzil, Bead Mountain; Nil tliz dzil, Mixed Chips Mountain; and Ta di din dzil, Strong Pollen Mountain. It holds the pollen of all the plants. And it was planned by First Man that the people should use this mountain, so he made it a strong mountain. First Man and First Woman set arrows around it to guard it. These are the rock formations such as Shiprock.

And after this was done and all was finished, the earth and all that was on it was stretched in the four directions so that there would be room for all. The people were told that they were to use the six sacred mountains indicated as their chief mountains. The place of emergence from the lower worlds was where it is now. The people could always see their great mountains above the lower mesa lands. When everything was finished a smoke was prepared for the mountains and the chants were sung.