In the Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado, there was an ancient Native American Culture known as the Ancestral Puebloans, that emerged 12th Century BCE.
The Ancestral Puebloans have a unique creation story that tells of humans emerging from the underworld through an ancient portal, known as a sipapu. The word sipapu comes from the Hopi language.
According to Hopi legend, when time and space began, the sun spirit (Tawa) created the First World, in which insect-like creatures lived unhappily in caves. With the goal of improvement, Tawa sent a spirit called Spider Grandmother to the world below. Spider Grandmother led the first creatures on a long trip to the Second World, in which they took on the appearance of wolves and bears. As these animals were no happier than the previous ones, Tawa created a new, Third World, and again sent Spider Grandmother to convey the wolves and bears there. By the time they (bears and wolves) arrived, they had become people.
– Barry Pritzker in The Hopi: History & Culture of Native Americans (2011)
In one version of the Hopi creation story, evil breaks out in the Third World. Spider Grandmother, then helps a giant hollow bamboo reed grow from the Third World into the entrance of the Fourth World. This entrance is the fabled sipapu. It is traditionally believed that the sipapu is in the Grand Canyon.
In the Fourth World, the people learned many lessons about the proper way to live. They learned to worship Masauwu, who ensured that the dead return safely to the Underworld and who gave them the four sacred tablets that, in symbolic form, outlined their wanderings and their proper behavior in the Fourth World. Masauwu also told the people to watch for the Pahána, the Lost White Brother.
– Barry Pritzker in The Hopi: History & Culture of Native Americans (2011)
It is interesting to note that the Lakota people in the Black Hills region also have an origin story similar to this. In the Lakota story, people travelled from Tunkan Tipi, the great spirit lodge, to the surface of the earth, through Wind Cave.
Deep within Mesa Verde National Park, there is a pictograph panel that tells part of Ancestral Puebloans’ origin story. The journey to the panel includes a 2.5-mile long hike, through a scenic canyon carved in the cuesta plateau. The hike provides a wonderful glimpse into the terrain that the Ancestral Puebloans lived in.
The trail follows along the edge of a cliff, up rock stairs, and through canyons and cracks in the rocks.
At one point along the trail, the remains of an ancient dwelling can be seen tucked into the cliffs. The walls have mostly collapsed now, but the structural shape can still be made out. You can see how the cliff is used to shield the occupants from the elements.
Not far from here is where the petroglyph panel can be found. The panel is approximately 10 feet above the trail. Petroglyph panels are delicate cultural resources, so it’s always important to make sure not to make contact with them while viewing them.
The panel has a lot of interesting glyphs. In the images below, I’ve highlighted a few interesting symbols. In the first image, I’ve highlighted the spiral shapes which represent the sipapu. The sipapu symbol can be seen in multiple places.
In the second image, from left to right, are the symbols for several clans.
- Mountain Lion Clan
- Possibly, a supernatural spirit
- Horned Toad Clan (or Lizard Spirit)
- Parrot Clan
- Mountain Sheep Clan
- Eagle Clan
The petroglyphs are meant to be read from right to left. In the third image, there is a line that goes from the sipapu and past each clan glyph. This is to symbolize the journey taken from the sipapu. It is believed that each clan glyph represents the leaving of each clan from the main group.
With this interpretation, the petroglyph tells the story of how all the clans entered the Fourth World together, through the sipapu, and as they travelled, they slowly separated one at a time. First, the Eagle Clan, then the Mountain Sheep, followed consecutively by the Parrot Clan, Horned Toad Clan, and Mountain Lion Clan.
In some ways, it seems reminiscent of the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel. Initially, they were one people, with one language, who eventually separated and scattered over the corners of the Earth. The petroglyph doesn’t explain why the different clans left, or where they went, only that they started in the underworld, and wandered across the content, slowly separating into different clans.
