13G THE NAVAJO SHOEMAKER. 



a shoe for the right foot. Presently Coyote returned and asked the 

 people why they had been cursing him. " Because you stole my beauti- 

 ful shoe," said the cutter. "Listen to me, brother," says Coyote: "I 

 carried the shoe away to do you a good turn. Don't you know, if 3 r ou go 

 on making shoes like it you will lose youreyes and die?" Coyote then 

 goes on to give lengthy reasons for this, the drift of which was this 

 way : 



Hoa dj-yeltis face is of the color of the first light of the east — "la- pa" or 

 pale gray. The freshly cut edge of the badger skin is of this color, and 

 must be concealed, because Hos-dj-yelti always conceals his face with a 

 mask when he visits mankind. 



The cutter listened to all this but did not believe it, so he went on 

 making his shoe and had about half finished it when he was struck 

 blind, as were all the people who were in the hut observing. "Aha," 

 said Coyote, "perhaps you believe me now!" and ran off, jeering at 

 them. 



The people were in great distress, for they then knew neither "song 

 prayers" nor "medicines," and were therefore helpless. 



By-and-bye Hos-dj-yelti, with other deities, came to them, and the 

 ceremonies of the Hos-dj yelti dance were performed and taught, and 

 the people all recovered. 



They were then told that whenever they made this kind of shoe, they 

 should always cover the edge of the sole with paint, either red, yellow, 

 blue, or black. They were also told that thereafter whenever any one 

 had sore eyes they should perform the ceremonies then shown them and 

 they would recover. This elaborate dance is still frequently observed 

 for this purpose. 



In these early days the tvomeu were once gathered in a hut making 

 baskets from peeled withes. A basket was finished, and as it was of 

 this sacred color " la-pa," the maker and all the women who looked at 

 it became blind. The same incidents as at the making of the first shoe 

 transpired, and after the women had recovered their sight Hos-dj-yelti 

 painted colored figures upon the basket, and since then, when that kind 

 of basket is made, it must always display some colored decoration. 



There are different versions of the foregoing myth, as indeed there are 

 of all the Navajo myths, but an old shaman once said to me, referring 

 to these differences, "There are as many traditions and 'song prayers' 

 as there are rays of the sun ; they cover the earth as do the rays of the 

 sun and the rainbow from opposite points. Some say your song is not 

 right but they should rather say, 'your song differs from mine.' I say 

 all are good ; let each one follow the path he knows. All lead in the 

 right direction if they are straight, that is, if the truth be told." 



