Long time ago mother Earth (Awidelin Tsitda) was alone with Father Sun (Yadokkya Datchu). Father Sun wanted to help mother Earth so she wouldn’t be lonely. Father Sun called his two sons (an chaw a:chi) , Morning Star (Ma’a’sewi) and Evening Star (Uyyuye:wi) to help him. The two sons are also known as Ahayu’t a:chi (war gods). Father Sun placed his sons on an arrow and using a bow, sent them into the world within Mother Earth where the Zuni (A:shiwi) people were created. When they were discovered they were covered with slime, had webs on their hands and feet, had tails on their back. Here is where the Zunis (A:shiwi) are and need help to get out, so they can offer prayers to Father Sun and live with Mother Earth in harmony.
The 1st world they were in was very dark, there was no light. This world is covered with soot. It is known as Annohsiyan Dehwulla. The A:shiwi walked around bumping into each other. The two sons told the people they were there to help them go up to live on Mother Earth. They planted some seeds and from those seeds a tree grew. This tree was a ponderosa pine (ashek’ya datdanne), and it grew as tall as the world. The War Gods instructed them to keep climbing until they reach the next world. They were also told that they need to climb through four worlds in order to get to the top, where their journey would continue.
It was a struggle for the Zunis, as the War Gods led them through each world. The 2nd world was known as K’olin Dehwulla (gas world). It was stinky, smelled really bad like rotten eggs, nail polish or gas. Some say it was a sulfur smell, making the world look yellowish in color. Once the War Gods planted the seeds and from there another tree grew. This was the douglas fir tree (k’yałatsilo datdanne). The Zunis still had to climb the tree to get to the next world. Sun Father’s sons were still guiding and helping the Zunis with their journey.
The next world they climbed was the 3rd world, that world is known as Awisho Dehwulla (algae world). This world was wet and moist, algae was growing all over. They said this world smelled like a lake or uncleaned fish tank. With the seed being planted, another tree grew. They climbed the aspen tree (łaniłk’oha datdanne), this tree was hard to climb because the white bark was slippery and the branches were too close to each other. The Zunis continued climbing up in the world and making their way up toward Mother Earth.
The fourth world is called Debahayan Dehwulla (predawn world). When the Zunis came into this world, they noticed small rays of light coming in. The world looked like the sun was just rising. The tree they had to climb out wasn’t exactly a tree. It was a bamboo reed called Łak’yaya sho’le/ Łak’yaya tsawak’i. This proved to be the most difficult to climb because the reed didn’t have branches to hold onto and leaves grew here and there. The Zunis had webbed hands and feet which also proved to be difficult for them to grip the reed. With the continued guidance from Yadokkya an chawe, The Zunis were almost there, but this would just be the beginning of their long journey.
Deep in the Grand Canyon (Ku’din an A’l’akkwa), a place called Ribbon Falls (Chimik’yana’kya Deya’a) is the name of the place where the Zunis came out. Upon emerging onto Mother Earth, the Zunis fell onto the ground because this was the first time they came in contact with Father Sun. The sun shined so bright that it hurt their eyes. The War Gods helped their people by cutting off the algae covering their bodies, cutting slits between their webbed fingers and toes. Their tails were also cut off. The Zunis were told that the water strider had stretched its legs to the four oceans of the world and wherever its heart landed is where the Zuni would live. They were then told to start searching for the middle of the earth or Idiwana. Therefore, they began their search for the lands in which they will live on for the rest of their lives. This became the beginning of their journey to find their home.
From Ribbon Falls-Chimik’yanakya deya’a (place of origin) they traveled to San Francisco Peaks (Sunha:kwin k‘yaba:chu Yala:we). As the people traveled searching for the middle place, they stopped and built villages and stayed for four days and four nights, some people say four years. The villages they built became a sacred shrine still remembered in oloprayers. While staying at one of the origin places, they were given a choice between a very plain egg or a colorful egg. Out of the plain egg hatched a colorful parrot and the colorful egg hatched a crow. The people that chose the plain egg that hatched a parrot journeyed to the Land of Everlasting Sunshine (dek’yałna łimna). The Zunis who had chosen the beautiful egg continued their search for the middle place.
As they resumed their journey they split into groups. One group continued up the Little Colorado River to where it is joined by the Zuni River, there located is Zuni Heavens (Kołuwala:wa). Before they crossed the lake they were warned not to let go of their children but some of them got scared and let go and their children became sea creatures, i.e., fish, turtles, etc. This is where our religious leaders go for their pilgrimage.
From Zuni heavens they went to Hard Scrabble Wash (Hanłibinkya) and here the Zuni clans originated. Also at Hanłibinkya the Ahayuda or twin gods were created by the Sun Father, where they chose the clans to be caretakers of them. They chose the deer clan and the bear clan. They traveled to other places like Bandelier National Monument, Sandia Mts., Mt. Taylor, El Morro where they were close to the middle place. The Zunis continued their journey until they settled Halona: Idiwana’a with the help of a water strider (k’yan’asdebi). It spread out its legs until he reached the four oceans. When it had spread out to find the six cardinal directions, its heart touched the middle place. It was here that the Zuni settled for the final time. The place is Zuni Pueblo - Halona: Idiwana’a.
