The Singing Scoutmaster: Journey Through the Worlds: The Emergence of the Earth Surface People

Long ago, before the Earth existed, there was only darkness and mist. From these swirling mists of light, the Holy Supreme Wind Being arose, bringing life and purpose to the many Holy People who dwelled in the lower worlds. These worlds, three in number, were filled with supernatural beings and spirits, but the Earth and physical humans had not yet been created.

In the First World, the insect people lived. They were small, but they possessed great energy and curiosity. However, this energy soon turned to quarreling and fighting. The Holy People saw this and instructed the insect people to leave. The insect people journeyed upwards and emerged in the Second World.

For a time, they lived in peace in the Second World, but once again, conflict arose. Fights broke out, and the Holy People instructed them to leave yet again. They journeyed upwards to the Third World, seeking a place where they could live in harmony.

But the same thing happened in the Third World. The insect people could not get along, and soon the world was filled with their discord. They were once more told to depart and journeyed upwards, emerging in the Fourth World. This time, when they arrived, they found others already living there—the Hopi people.

Determined to live peacefully, the insect people resisted their old ways. Slowly, with the help of the Holy People, their bodies transformed. They shed their insect forms and became the first human beings. They learned to live alongside the Hopi without fighting, and the Fourth World became their new home.

It was here that First Man and First Woman came into being, shaped from ears of white and yellow corn by the Holy People. Though their physical forms were new, their spirits had existed since the very beginning. They were meant to guide the people and help them find balance in the world.

But peace did not last forever. A rift formed between the men and women, each side forgetting to appreciate the contributions of the other. This division created the conditions for monsters to appear—terrible creatures that threatened the people's safety. Among the chaos, Coyote, the trickster, arrived in the Fourth World. He was clever and mischievous, always causing trouble wherever he went.

One day, Coyote stole the baby of Water Monster. Furious, the Water Monster brought forth a great flood, filling the Fourth World with water. The people and the Holy People had no choice but to escape. They gathered what they could, bringing sacred items and knowledge with them, and climbed up through a hollow reed, leaving the Fourth World behind and emerging into the Fifth World—the world where we now live.

Many things were left behind in the waters of the Fourth World, but the people brought enough to help them rebuild their new home. Here, on the surface of the Fifth World, the Earth Surface People—the Diné—were truly born. Death and the Monsters entered this world as well, but so did Changing Woman, a powerful deity who gave birth to the Hero Twins, Monster Slayer and Child of the Waters.

The Hero Twins grew up strong and brave. Armed with weapons of lightning bolts gifted by their father, the Sun, they set out to rid the world of the evil monsters. Every time they defeated one, its body turned to stone, creating the many rock formations and landmarks that stand in Diné lands today.

With the monsters defeated, the Holy People taught the Earth Surface People the sacred ceremonies that they still practice today. These ceremonies were gifts from the gods, meant to help the people live in balance and harmony with the land and each other. The Earth Surface People spread across the land, carrying with them the teachings of the Holy People and the stories of their journey through the worlds.

And so, the Diné remember the worlds they traveled through and the challenges they faced. From the First World to the Fifth, they brought the wisdom of the Holy People and the strength to endure. The story of their emergence is a reminder of the power of unity and the courage needed to overcome darkness and conflict.