White Shell Woman
This woman could be seen as the Messiah of our culture. What is not mentioned in either text, but was told to me by a well esteemed medicine man named Johnson Dennison, is that the Holy People (who I didn’t mention too much of in the emergence section) and First Man decided to leave all their problems behind again, and journey to a new world. The men came to the agreement that this was a good idea and they all agreed on leaving. All the while the men were talking and planning, First Woman was outside of the Hogan (dwelling) and overheard everything that was said. After the meeting was over and First Man and First Woman were alone, First Woman had told First Man that what they discussed was wrong. She had told him that we can’t keep running away from our problems because they will follow us and they will continue to be there, just like with the previous worlds. She told her husband that they needed to stay here and fight, especially since they took so much effort to create what is here in front of them.
First Man thought about what his wife said, and just as the sun was peeking above the horizon he went outside to look at the land that just a few hours before he wanted to leave. He stood outside of his home, and looked to the east, and he could see the strip of white light that was the sun, and he could see the darkness of the night with stars still shining brilliantly. He could see the beautiful mountains, the valleys, and hear the singing of the birds in the trees. He smelled dew, and moisture in the air, and took in all that was around him. He looked around and felt tears well up inside him, tears that come when witnessing something incredibly beautiful, something so sacred that it moves your soul. He knew his wife was right, and went back to the Holy People to tell them what they needed to do.
The council thought hard, and proclaimed that a child should be born, and this child will hold the answer to the problems that they faced. First Man was out walking near his dwelling and noticed clouds hanging low on top of Dzi[ Ch’0ol’9’9 and went to investigate. Because the threat of being eaten by monsters was very real, First Man sang traveling songs that would keep him safe from harm. He climbed to the top Dzi[ Ch’0ol’9’9 and nothing was there. This happened for the next three days, but with each day he would hear the cries of a baby and each time he reached the top there would be nothing. On the fourth day (sacred number) as he neared the top there was a flash of lightning, rainbow, and rainfall all at the same time. He reached the top and found lying in the middle of the mountain top a little baby girl. She was bound in her cradle board, swaddled in all four colors of clouds. The cradle was made of rainbow, zig zag lightning, straight lightning, and sunrays. First Man took this little baby and out of the bushes, and then Talking God appears. Talking God is a Holy being that’s been present since the beginning. He plays a major role in every story but doesn’t talk. He can only make a whu sound, much like an owl. Talking God approached First Man and made it known through mysterious magical ways (there is an actual word for this, 7l7l7k’ehgo) that he wanted to raise the child, and they argued who would be the best caretaker. First Man who was more like the child reasoned well, and was told by Talking God to make a cradle replica once they get home. The cradle replica that was made is the same one that is used today.
In four days the baby grew into a young woman and had her menses, and with this, she was given her puberty ceremony. The young woman went through her ceremony which includes running to the east every morning, not being lazy, not eating certain foods, grinding corn, and sewing husks together to make the lining of her sacred corn cake. The ceremony that was performed for her is the same ceremony that Din4 girls go through when they reach puberty. Unfortunately, not all girls do this due to family conflict with religious beliefs, finding a medicine man, time, supplies, or not being well informed of the procedures.
After her puberty ceremony White Shell Woman is courted by the Sun. The Sun is a man that travels through the sky and carries a burning bright disc from east to west. They came together and conceived twins that are to be the warriors that kill the monsters.
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