The Emergence from the Underworld

In the beginning, the First People lived in a series of dark, cramped worlds beneath the surface of the earth. Each world began in peace, but as the population grew, so did strife and disharmony. Seeking a better way of life, the people, guided by the wisdom of Spider Woman and the Holy Ones, began a vertical pilgrimage. They climbed through a succession of colored worlds—black, blue, and yellow—each representing a stage of spiritual growth. Eventually, they reached a great hollow reed that pierced the sky of the third world. One by one, they climbed through this bamboo-like stalk, emerging through a small opening called the Sipapu into the Fourth World—the world of light, color, and sun. Here, they were greeted by the vastness of the horizon and tasked with living in balance with the land, remembering always the journey they made from the shadows into the dawn.