White Feather, Bear Clan
"The Fourth World shall end soon, and the Fifth World will begin. This the
elders
everywhere know. The Signs over many years have been fulfilled, and so few
are
left.
"This is the First Sign: We were told of the coming of the white-skinned
men, like
Pahana, but not living like Pahana -- men who took the land that was not
theirs
and who struck their enemies with thunder. (Guns)
"This is the Second Sign: Our lands will see the coming of spinning wheels
filled
with voices. (Covered wagons)
"This is the Third Sign: A strange beast like a buffalo but with great
long horns,
will overrun the land in large numbers. (Longhorn cattle)
"This is the Fourth Sign: The land will be crossed by snakes of iron.
(Railroad
tracks)
"This is the Fifth Sign: The land shall be criss-crossed by a giant
spider's web.
(Power and telephone lines)
"This is the Sixth Sign: The land shall be criss-crossed with rivers of
stone that
make pictures in the sun. (Concrete roads and their mirage-producing
effects.)
"This is the Seventh Sign: You will hear of the sea turning black, and
many living
things dying because of it. (Oil spills)
"This is the Eighth Sign: You will see many youth, who wear their hair
long like
our people, come and join the tribal nations, to learn our ways and
wisdom. (Hippies)
"And this is the Ninth and Last Sign: You will hear of a dwelling-place in
the
heavens, above the earth, that shall fall with a great crash. It will
appear as a
blue star. Very soon after this, the ceremonies of the Hopi people will
cease.
"These are the Signs that great destruction is here: The world shall rock
to and
fro. The white man will battle people in other lands -- those who
possessed the
first light of wisdom. There will be many columns of smoke and fire such
as the
white man has made in the deserts not far from here. Those who stay and
live in
the places of the Hopi shall be safe. Then there will be much to rebuild.
And
soon, very soon afterward, Pahana will return. He shall bring with him the
dawn of
the Fifth World. He shall plant the seeds of his wisdom in our hearts.
Even now
the seeds are being planted. These shall smooth the way to the Emergence
into the
Fifth World."