1893.] Archeology and Ethnology. 69 
ARCH ZXZOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY. 
* Legendary Evolution of the Navajo Indians.'—The Nav- 
ajos once lived in a world below this earth. The tribe had twelve 
chiefs, and the chief had four wives. This head chief arose early in 
the morning and commanded his people to go to work. One morning 
he failed to arise. The third morning he failed to arise. The fourth 
morning he made no appearance. On the fifth morning the Navajos 
became uneasy, and went to find their chief. The other eleven chiefs 
wondered what became of him, and when they found him they learned 
that. his oldest squaw had left him, and had married another man. 
The old chief grieved very much and refused to be comforted. 
In a short time the squaw came in and said, “I have left you 
because I have ceased to love you. I can make my own living, and 
you can make yours.” So they had a row. 
This woman was chief of the women of the tribe. 
Then the squaw called all of the women to council and said, “ Let 
us part from the men!” So the women said, “ Take all the men, boys, 
and male babies and cross the large river... Burn logs out to make 
the canoes, and stay over there four years.” ; 
They gave the male children into the hands of some hermaphro- 
dites, who raised them on the brains of wild sheep and deer. 
The men sailed across the large river, planted large fields of corn, 
and raised immense crops. The first year the women raised a fair 
crop; the second year they raised less ; the third year they had hardly 
enough to eat; and the fourth year was a complete failure. 
The women became discontented, and were in a starving condition. 
Some of them ran into the river and were drowned. 
1These legends were collected by the writer while employed in the Indian service at 
the Navajo Indian agency. They were related by Tsé-di-dhl-ha’-in-be-géh, or 
Rocking Sun, the great Lightning Medicine-Man of the Navajos. These legends 
were carefully interpreted, and are given word for word as they were related. 
2The “ Happy Hunting-grounds” of the Navajo Indians are represented as a land 
full of forests and lakes which abound in various kinds of game and fish. Flowing 
through the center of this land is a huge river which separates the braves and pretty 
maidens from the inferior members of the tribe and the old women. 
