Prevod
Med indijanskimi plemeni najdemo mnogo fantastičnih pripovedi o izvoru človeka. Onondagi pravijo, da so Indijanci narejeni iz rdeče zemlje, belci pa iz morske pene. Glino, iz katere nastaja meso, je videti v strmem bregu soteske zahodno od doline Onondaga, kjer se ponoči igrajo in drsajo vilinska bitja, »mali možici«. Med drugimi pripovedmi najdemo tudi vzporednico legendi o Noetu. Več plemen trdi, da so prišla iz notranjosti zemlje. Oneidi kot svoj rojstni kraj kažejo na grič blizu slapov reke Oswego v zvezni državi New York; Wichiti so se dvignili iz skal ob reki Red River; Creeki iz gomile v dolini reke Big Black v deželi Natchezov, kjer je prebival Gospodar diha; Azteki so bili eno od sedmih plemen, ki so prišla iz sedmih votlin Aztlana ali Kraja čaplje; Navaji pa verjamejo, da so prišli na površje na kraju, ki ga poznajo v gorovju Navajo.
V podzemnem svetu so bili Navaji srečni, saj so imeli vse, kar so si mogli želeti: ni bilo ne prevroče ne premrzlo, povsod so rasla drevesa in cvetlice, dan pa je naznanjal svetel oblak, ki se je dvigal na vzhodu, medtem ko je črn oblak, ki je prihajal z zahoda, prinašal noč. Tam so živeli stoletja in morda bi bili tam še danes, ko ne bi eden izmed njih našel odprtine v zemlji, ki je vodila neznano kam. O njej je povedal vsemu plemenu. Odpravili so se navzgor po rovu, da bi videli, kam vodi, in po dolgem, utrudljivem vzpenjanju dosegli površje. Novo okolje jim je ugajalo, zato so se tam naselili, toda četrti dan po prihodu je njihova kraljica izginila.
Iskali so jo zaman, dokler ni nekaj mož prišlo do vhoda v rov, po katerem so dosegli zgornji svet; ko so pogledali navzdol, so zagledali svojo kraljico, kako si češe dolge črne lase. Povedala jim je, da je mrtva in da njeno ljudstvo lahko pride k njej šele po smrti, vendar bodo v svojem starem domu srečni. Nato se je zemlja sklenila in odtlej se ta kraj ni nikoli več odprl očem smrtnikov. Kmalu so prišli ljudožerski velikani, ki so pustošili po puščavskih deželah in pokončali vse pleme razen štirih družin; te so našle zavetje v globokem kanjonu gorovja Navajo. Iz svojega skrivališča so videle žarek svetlobe, ki je sijal z enega od gričev nad njimi, in ko so se povzpele tja, so našle prelepo deklico, še dojenčico.
Otrok je pod njihovim varstvom odrasel v mlado žensko in njena lepota je pritegnila velikega manituja, ki jezdi na belem konju in nosi sonce za ščit. Snubil jo je in se z njo poročil, njuni otroci pa so pobili velikane, ki so pomorili Navaje. Čez čas je manitu odnesel ženo v svojo plavajočo palačo na zahodnem vodovju, kjer odtlej prebiva. K njej ljudstvo naslavlja svoje molitve in dvanajst nesmrtnikov nosi njihove prošnje pred njen prestol.
Izvirnik
Many fantastic accounts of the origin of man are found among the red tribes. The Onondagas say that the Indians are made from red earth and the white men from sea-foam. Flesh-making clay is seen in the precipitous bank in the ravine west of Onondaga Valley, where at night the fairies “little fellows” sport and slide. Among others, the Noah legend finds a parallel. Several tribes claim to have emerged from the interior of the earth. The Oneidas point to a hill near the falls of Oswego River, New York, as their birthplace; the Wichitas rose from the rocks about Red River; the Creeks from a knoll in the valley of Big Black River in the Natchez country, where dwelt the Master of Breath; the Aztecs were one of seven tribes that came out from the seven caverns of Aztlan, or Place of the Heron; and the Navajos believe that they emerged at a place known to them in the Navajo Mountains.
In the under world the Navajos were happy, for they had everything that they could wish: there was no excess of heat or cold, trees and flowers grew everywhere, and the day was marked by a bright cloud that arose in the east, while a black cloud that came out of the west made the night. Here they lived for centuries, and might have been there to this day had not one of the tribe found an opening in the earth that led to some place unknown. He told of it to the whole tribe. They set off up the passage to see where it led, and after long and weary climbing the surface was reached. Pleased with the novelty of their surroundings, they settled here, but on the fourth day after their arrival their queen disappeared.
Their search for her was unavailing until some of the men came to the mouth of the tunnel by which they had reached the upper land, when, looking down, they saw their queen combing her long, black locks. She told them that she was dead and that her people could go to her only after death, but that they would be happy in their old home. With that the earth shut together and the place has never since been open to the eye of mortals. Soon came the cannibal giants who ravaged the desert lands and destroyed all of the tribe but four families, these having found a refuge in a deep canon of the Navajo Mountains. From their retreat they could see a beam of light shining from one of the hills above them, and on ascending to the place they found a beautiful girl babe.
This child grew to womanhood under their care, and her charms attracted the great manitou that rides on a white horse and carries the sun for a shield. He wooed and married her, and their children slew the giants that had destroyed the Navajos. After a time the manitou carried his wife to his floating palace in the western water, which has since been her home. To her the prayers of the people are addressed, and twelve immortals bear their petitions to her throne.
