Ahayuta
Encyclopedia
According to Zuni mythology
, Ahayuta (also spelled Ahaiyuta) are the twin
gods of war in Native American mythology
.
, the Sun God, to protect the first people from their enemies, using lightning
. They are second only to Awonawilona himself.
or protection, one should carve an effigy of one or both of the twins from a piece of wood that was struck by lightning.
Followers of the Zuni religion
believe that Ahayuta are still defending all the peoples of the earth.
Zuni mythology
Zuni mythology is the oral history, cosmology, and religion of the Zuni people. The Zuni are a Pueblo people located in New Mexico. Their religion is integrated into their daily lives and respects ancestors, nature, and animals. Due to a history of religious persecution by non-native peoples, they...
, Ahayuta (also spelled Ahaiyuta) are the twin
Twin
A twin is one of two offspring produced in the same pregnancy. Twins can either be monozygotic , meaning that they develop from one zygote that splits and forms two embryos, or dizygotic because they develop from two separate eggs that are fertilized by two separate sperm.In contrast, a fetus...
gods of war in Native American mythology
Native American mythology
Native American mythology is the body of traditional narratives associated with Native American religion from a mythographical perspective. Native American belief systems include many sacred narratives. Such spiritual stories are deeply based in Nature and are rich with the symbolism of seasons,...
.
Origins
Ahayuta were created by AwonawilonaAwonawilona
In the myths of the Zuni Indians of New Mexico, Awonawilona was the creator of the world, becoming the sun and making the 'mother-earth' and 'father-sky', from whom all living creatures came, born in four caves deep in the earth. The first man, Poshaiyankya, led the creatures up into the light...
, the Sun God, to protect the first people from their enemies, using lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
. They are second only to Awonawilona himself.
Names
"Benedict (1935 :1) and Bunzel (1932 : 584, n. 96) give the names Watusti (Bunzel uses the term Watsutsi) and Yanaluha to these" twin-brothers.Feats
- The ʼahayutah (Ahayuta) overcame a one-horned giant (who had been kicking people over cliffs) by tricking his son into killing him;
- they sent a gopher who tunneled into another giant's house to find the rain-clouds which had all been confined to jars there, released the rain-clouds, cut out and burned that giant's heart;
- they found the deer who had all been confined to a corral by yet another giant, and induced the predator-beasts to tear down the corral, releasing the deer, and transformed that giant into a crow.
Worship
Legend says that if one desires victory in battleBattle
Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...
or protection, one should carve an effigy of one or both of the twins from a piece of wood that was struck by lightning.
Followers of the Zuni religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
believe that Ahayuta are still defending all the peoples of the earth.