The Ethkay-nah-ashi
belong to Begochiddy, the Great God, and are next in order to him in holiness.
The earthly forms are small twins who ride on little deer which bear twin male
deer, and these, when they have been smothered by pollen (killed without the shedding
of blood) are made into Yehbichai masks. Pg. 168
The Ethkay-nah-ashi belong to the Blessing Chant and they are in all ceremonies.
One of them comes from the morning light and one from the evening light. Pg. 169
Evidently a man can use the masks and medicine (of the Ethkay-nah-ashi), but they
must be kept on the hands of a woman when not in use. Pg. 170
Navajo
Creation Myth, The Story of the Emergence; 1942, Mary C. Wheelwright.
One-follows-the-other
('alke' na'a'ci') (P) were said to be a divine couple who came together, walking
arm in arm. The woman carried two ears of corn, one yellow, one white, in a
turquoise vessel. They may be First Man and First Woman, since both pairs created
people from corn. Commonly 'alke' na'a'ci' means simply that one person walks
behind rather than beside another. Father Berard seems not to distinguish the
vernacular from the ritualistic usage. In the Hail Chant, Male and Female gods
are referred to as One-follows-the-other, but the text does not mean that this
was their name; it merely describes the way they walked. According to Goddard,
'alke' na'a'ci' were the two who sought the first person who died. Since the
deceased was the first hermaphrodite child, and since First Man and First Woman
had the power to wear masks, as these two people did on the journey described,
it is quite possible that they are identical with the First Pair (Ch. 18; Matthews
1897, p. 136; Haile 1938b, p. 30; Sapir-Hoijer, pp. 191, 193; Goddard, p. 36;
Wheelwright 1942, Set 1, 4).
Navajo
Religion, Vol II; Gladys A. Reichard, 1950
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