Author: * Mangas Cochise -
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Date: Sep 12, 2004 - 10:02
Yolkai Estasan, a name translated out as "White Shell Woman", is a moon deity in the Navajo culture. Apparently, to the Navajo, the moon resembled a shell. She is associated with the seasons.
Her sister, Estanatlehi, was formed from abalone (a mollusk from the Haliotidae family), a richly-hued shell. It was she who was associated with the ocean, sunrise, fire and corn. She was a sky goddess, associated with maturation and change, and endlessly goes through the life cycle of womanhood, dying and rebirth. It was she who created the first people out of pieces of her own skin. The first man and woman discovered her in her infant form; it took a mere 18 days for her to reach adulthood on that cycle.
Other deities:
Ahsonnutli "Turquoise Hermaphrodite" - created heaven and earth.
Hastshehogan - patron of the home.
Hasteoltoi - goddess of the hunt.
Glispa - patron of medicine.
Bikeh Hozho - the power of speech.
Tonenili "Water Sprinkler" - rain god and trickster.
Tsohanoai "Sun Bearer" - bears the sun on his back across the sky, storing it overnight.
Navajo Mythology
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