Naiyenezgani then said, “He stayed with me last night and he ate something. It seems he turned into a snake and crawled in the river.”
All the Eagle people, Black Whirlwind, the Sun, the Moon, and the Gan people all started toward Tsitena'a. When they came there, in the presence of the Sun and Moon, Black Gan rolled a turquoise hoop into the water. The water of the river rose up so much. Then Ganłbaiye rolled a hoop of bacinϵ into the water. Next Gan with his face half covered rolled a hoop of tsϵłtcϵϵ in the water and the river was lifted up so much (about a yard). Finally, Ganłtci' rolled a hoop of yołgai and the water was high enough above the river bed that a man could walk under it.[[65]]
They all entered the bed of the river and followed the man who had turned into a snake. They finally overtook him. There was a snake on the other side which they concluded was the one who had been a man. A turquoise hoop was rolled toward him and it jumped over his neck. From the neck up he took on the appearance of a man. A hoop of bacinϵ was next rolled and it fell to the waist. Next a loop of tcϵłtcϵϵ was rolled which jumped on the man and fell to the hips, above which he took the form of a man. Finally a hoop of yołgai was rolled, and his entire body became human. Then they took him by the hand and led him back. They danced for him twelve nights and he was restored as a man. During the twelve nights, no one was allowed to sleep, but someone did fall asleep. The one who had turned into a snake began to sing, “I am going up. I am going up where the sky comes together,” he said as he sang. He was no longer seen where he had been standing. The man had a sister who began to sing. “Truly, I am going where it is called, mesquites-come-together.” She was no longer where she had been standing.
She is the one who crawls around here in the summertime. The female lives below; the male lives above.[[66]]
It was here the Indians secured the supernatural power. Naiyenezgani alone had the najonc poles. He alone played with them. There were two of the poles.
My yucca fruits lie this way.
[62]. Told by the father of Frank Crockett in February, 1910. This is the myth upon which the ceremony for curing one bitten by a snake rests. For the San Carlos version see p. 64 above.
[63]. A valley on Cedar Creek in the White Mountain country.
[64]. This knowledge of geography by a bird-old-man is found in a San Carlos story, p. 21.