Navajo creation story – Ni’hodootl’izh – Second World (Blue World)

Because of the strife in the First World, First Man (Atse Hastin), First Woman  (Atse Estsan)  , and the Coyote called First Angry, followed by all the others, climbed up from the World of Darkness and Dampness to the Second or Blue World.

Creation Story Poster
Illustrations by Theresa Breznau.
© 2013 Heritage Language Resource Center. All rights reserved
To purchase see bottom of page.

In the Blue World
Blue Bird
Blue Hawk
Blue Jay
Insects
Cicada
Crickets

Holy People
Zigzag Lightening
Stright Lighting
Rainbow

Animals
Wolves
Wildcat
Kit Foxes
Mountain Lion

Many beings lived in the Blue World. There was Blue Bird, Blue Hawk, Blue Jay and Blue Heron. Big insects also lived there. Wolves lived in a white house in the east. Wildcats lived in a blue house in the south. Kit foxes lived in a yellow house to the west. Mountain lions lived in a black house in the north.
The powerful swallow people lived there also, and these people made the Second World unpleasant for those who had come from the First World. There was fighting and killing.

The animals of the Blue World were at war with each other. First Man knew this, and he killed some of them. For doing this, First Man received certain songs and prayers. He said the prayers and sang the songs. When he did, the animals came to life again.
Coyote also lived in the Blue World. Coyote traveled all over. He went to all four directions. On his trips, he saw that the beings were not happy. They wanted to leave the Blue World.
When First Man heard this, he tried to help them leave. He smoked some sacred tobacco. He blew the smoke in the four directions. This made the insects feel better, but all the beings still wanted to leave. First Man tried again to help them. He tried many things, but he could not find a way for them to leave.

Finally, First Man found a black stone, called jet. He made a wand with the jet. He made three other wands. One was made of turquoise, One was made of abalone, and one was made of shell. Then First Man carved four footprints on the wands.

The beings climbed on the wands. The wands took them through an opening in the south. Before they left they made an offering. This was their way of thanking the Holy People for helping them leave. Today, people still make offerings like this.

The First Four found an opening in the World of Blue Haze  and they climbed through this and led the people up into the Third or Yellow world.

The First World “Nihodilhil” (Black World)

 Ni’hodootl’izh – Second World (Blue World)

 Nihaltsoh -The third World (Yellow World)