Hasjelti and Hostjoghon were the children of Ahsonnutli, the turquoise, and Yolaikaiason (white-shell woman, wife of the sun). Ahsonnutli placed an ear of white corn and Yolaikaiason an ear of yellow corn on the mountain where the fogs meet. The corn conceived, the white corn giving birth to Hasjelti and the yellow corn to Hostjoghon. These two became the great song-makers of the world. They gave to the mountain of their nativity (Henry Mountain in Utah) two songs and two prayers; they then went to Sierra Blanca (Colorado) and made two songs and prayers and dressed the mountain in clothing of white shell with two eagle plumes placed upright upon the head. From here they visited San Mateo Mountain (New Mexico) and gave to it two songs and prayers, and dressed it in turquoise, even to the leggings and moccasins, and placed two eagle plumes on the head. Hence they went to San Francisco Mountain (Arizona) and made two songs and prayers and dressed that mountain in abalone shells with two eagle plumes upon the head. They then visited Ute Mountain and gave to it two songs and prayers and dressed it in black beads. This mountain also had two eagle plumes on its head. They then returned to the mountain of their nativity to meditate, "We two have made all these songs."
Upon inquiring of their mothers how they came into existence, and being informed, they said, "Well, let our number be increased; we can not get along with only two of us." The woman placed more yellow and white corn on the mountain and children were conceived as before. A sufficient number were born so that two brothers were placed on each of the four mountains, and to these genii of the mountains the clouds come first. All the brothers consulted together as to what they should live upon and they concluded to make game, and so all game was created.
Navajo prayers for rain and snow are addressed to Hasjelti and Hostjoghon. These gods stand upon the mountain tops and call the clouds to gather around them. Hasjelti is the mediator between the Navajo and the sun. He prays to the sun, "Father, give me the light of your mind, that my mind may be strong; give me some of your strength, that my arm may be strong, and give me your rays that corn and other vegetation may grow." It is to this deity that the most important prayers of the Navajo are addressed. The lesser deities have shorter prayers and less valuable offerings made to them. Hasjelti communicates with the Navajo through the feathered kingdom, and for this reason the choicest feathers and plumes are placed in the cigarettes and attached to the prayer sticks offered to him.
THE FLOATING LOGS.
A man sat thinking, "Let me see; my songs are too short; I want more songs; where shall I go to find them?" Hasjelti appeared and, perceiving his thoughts, said, "I know where you can go to get more songs." "Well, I much want to get more, and I will follow you." When they reached a certain point in a box canyon in the Big Colorado River they found four gods (the Hostjobokon) at work hewing logs of cottonwood. Hasjelti said, "This will not do; cottonwood becomes water-soaked; you must use pine instead of cottonwood." The Hostjobokon then began boring the pine with flint, when Hasjelti said, "That is slow work," and he commanded the whirlwind to hollow the log. A Jerusalem cross was formed with one solid log and a hollow one. The song-hunter entered the hollow log and Hasjelti closed the end with a cloud, that the water of the river might not enter when the logs were launched upon the great waters. The Hostjobokon, accompanied by their wives, rode upon the logs, a couple sitting on the end of each cross arm. These were accompanied by Hasjelti, Hostjoghon, and two Naaskiddi, who walked on the banks to ward the logs off from the shore. Hasjelti carried a squirrel skin filled with tobacco from which to supply the gods on their journey. Hostjoghon carried a staff ornamented with eagle and turkey plumes and a gaming ring with two humming birds tied to it with white cotton cord. The two Naaskiddi carried staffs of lightning.[7] After floating a long distance down the river they came to waters that had a shore on one side only, and they landed. Here they found people like themselves. These people, on learning of the song-hunter's wish, gave to him many songs and they painted pictures on a cotton blanket and said, "These pictures must go with the songs. If we give this blanket to you you will lose it. We will give you white earth and black coals which you will grind together to make black paint, and we will give you white sand, yellow sand, and red sand, and for the blue paint you will take white sand and black coals with a very little red and yellow sand. These together will give you blue.[8]"
The song-hunter remained with these people until the corn was ripe. There he learned to eat corn and he carried some back with him to the Navajo, who had not seen corn before, and he taught them how to raise it and how to eat it.
As the logs would not float upstream the song-hunter was conveyed by four sunbeams, one attached to each end of the cross-logs, to the box canyon whence he emerged. Upon his return he separated the logs, placing an end of the solid log into the hollow end of the other and planted this great pole in the river, whereto this day it is to be seen by those so venturesome as to visit this point.
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."