STEVENSON. ] NAIYENESGONY AND TOBAIDISCHINNI. 279 
The old song priest who related this myth to me regretted that so 
few of his people now visited the sacred spot. 
“When I was young,” he said, “‘many went there to pray and make 
offerings.” 
NAIYENESGONY AND TOBAIDISCHINNI. 
This world was destroyed five times. The first time by a whirlwind; 
the second, by immense hail stones; the third, by smallpox, when each 
pustule covered a whole cheek; the fourth, all was destroyed by cough- 
ing; the fifth time Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni went over the 
earth slaying all enemies. 
These two boys were born at Tohatkle (where the waters are mated), 
near Ute Mountain, in Utah; they were the children of Ahsonnutli. 
Ahsonnutli and Yolaikaiason (the white-shell woman) were the creators 
of shells. Ahsonnutli had a beard under her right arm and Yolaikaia- 
son had a small ball of flesh under her left arm from which they made 
all shells. The eyes of Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni were shells 
placed on their faces by Ahsonnutl; the shells immediately becoming 
brilliant the boys could look upon all things and see any distance with- 
out their eyes becoming weary. A stick colored black was placed to 
the forehead of Naiyenesgony and one colored blue to that of Tobaid- 
ischinni. When Naiyenesgony shook his head the stick remained firm 
on the forehead, but he felt something in the palm of his hand, which 
proved to be three kinds of seeds, and he said, ‘* We must go by this.” 
When Tobaidischinni shook his head the stick dropped off the forehead 
and they thought a long time and said, ‘‘ We must go by this.” This is 
why the deer sheds his horns. In ceremonials the breath is drawn from 
sticks which are made to represent the originals; the sticks are also 
held to wounds as a curative. 
These two boys grew from infancy to manhood in four days and on 
the fourth day they made bows and arrows; on the fifth day they began 
using them. Although they were the children of Ahsonnutli they did 
not know her as their mother, but supposed her to be their aunt. Fre- 
quently they inquired of her where they could find their father. She 
always told them to stop their inquiries, for they had no father. 
Finally they said to her, “‘ We know we have a father and we intend to 
go and look for him.” She again denied that they had a father, but they 
were determined and they journeyed far to the east and came to the 
house of the sun. The house was of white shell, and the wife of the sun 
(Yolaikaiason) was also of white shell. The wife inquired of the youths 
where they were from, and, said she, ‘““ What do you want here?” They 
replied, “‘ We came to hunt our father.” When the sun returned to his 
home in the evening he discovered the youths as soon as he entered his 
house and he asked, ‘“‘ Where are those two boys from?” The wife re- 
plied, “ You say you never do anything wrong when you travel; these 
two boys call you father and I know they are your children.” The wife 
