The Navajo Twins closely correspond to the ones of the Pueblo Indians and
those of the Mayas and even the ones of the Indians of South America. Indeed,
the Navajo Twins are the counterparts of those of the Old World, pairs
like Castor and Pollux, Atlas and Gadeiros, as well as the Ashvin Twins
of Vedic India. In all cases the function of these Twins was ridding the
world of monsters and pests, including diseases and vermin. This is true
on both sides of the world. Hence, it is naive to think that such perfect
correspondences can be the result of chancy coincidences.
 A close comparison of these
and other mythological personages discloses the fact that Amerindian religion
is very much the same all over the three Americas, particularly insofar
as their Cosmogony is implied. However, as is so often the case with the
oppressed races, the Indians disguise their true religion under a heavy
veil of allegories and symbolisms that have to be deciphered before the
underlying unity and purpose become evident. Even in this regards, the
religion of the Amerindians closely parallels the Mystery Religions of
the Old World, whose secret contents was never divulged to the profanes,
particularly if these belong to the despicable white races.
Djos y Ley, the Archetypal Twins
Frequently, the Navajo own
gods are synchretized to the alien deities and saints, despite the fact
that they are indeed their duals. For instance, the Pueblo Indians disguised
their Twins, during Spanish dominion, under the characters of Djos and
Ley. These two are characters akin to the Trickster, and figure in vulgar
tales tending to the fescenine.
In fact, their names are
corruptions of the Spanish
Dios and
Rey ("God" and "King")
and embody the two types of divine authority that we encounter the world
over. These two types correspond to the powers the Hindu impersonated in
Mitra and Varuna, as so amply discussed by Prof. G. Dumézil. Mitra
("twin") is the Solar Twin, and personifies Royalty (Ley), much
as Varuna is the Lunar Twin who corresponds to Magic and Religion (Djos).
The Twins personify, everywhere,
the two races of Man, from which all humans arose. The junior (or lesser)
twin is often likened to a woman, and is dominated by his elder twin. Sometimes
they are made into a Male and a Female and their role is switched as the
eras alternate. The Twins are often likened to the Sun (or Sky) and the
Earth (or Hell), which are esteemed to be their parents.
With the Barasana Indians
of the Brazilian Amazon jungle, the Twins are substituted by the Primordial
Couple. These two consist of Jurupari and Romi Kumu. Romi Kumu somehow
lost his/her phallus, and became the Great Mother, just as Jurupari, the
Great Father, also lost his own, in a later occasion. But in many other
South American nations, the male (or androgynous) character of the Twins
is preserved, with one of them dominant, and the other one dominated and
effeminate.
These two Primordial Castrates
closely evoke the ones of Greek mythology (Ouranos and Kronos), themselves
copied from Brahma and Shiva, their Hindu archetypes. When one pauses to
reflect, it is difficult not to realize their common origin somewhere.
And when one thinks even harder, it is easy to see that this origin can
only have been in the Indies, whence we all came from, in the dawn of times.
The Twins as Fire and Water
More exactly, the Navajo
Twins are, respectively, like their Hindu counterparts, the children of
the Sun and Water by the Earth Mother. Again this dualism is of Hindu origin,
and the Sun is, indeed, Agni (the Fiery Principle), whereas the Water corresponds
to Indra (the Watery Principle).
Vedic mythology is extremely
difficult to penetrate. But it is possible to show that Mitra ("twin")
is really an epithet of Indra (ind = "water"), whereas Varuna is
really the Celestial (or Sun) god fallen down into the Ocean. When this
reversal of roles happened, Varuna was degraded and descended to the bottom
of the seas, trading role with his Twin (Mitra), that ascended to Heaven.
The Navajos and the Apache
express their religion in the ritual dances and chants of the whole community.
These ceremonies are intended to reestablish Cosmic Order and, hence, bring
back health to the sick; rains to the crops; game to the hunters, etc..
They also drive away the evil spirits that disturb Cosmic Harmony, and
invite in the good ones that foster it.
All their arts are combined
in the rituals: the elaborate poetry of the chants; the mythical geography;
the beautiful masks and feather head-dresses; the deep symbolism of the
intricate sand paintings and, finally, the spectacular dancing of the characters
who wear the godly regalia.
Both the Apache and the Navajos
call the Twins by names such as "Killer-of-Enemy Gods" and "Child-of-the-Waters".
These names are shared by the other Athabascan-speaking peoples. The enemy
gods are the monsters that inhabited primordial earth, and which rendered
it unfit for human occupation before they were exterminated by the Twins.
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