I9A. Zenith and nadir. .12.43.48.50.-.52.59.72.

The zenith and/or nadir are considered together with the four cardinal directions as another (or two) cardinal directions.

Songhai, Plains Ojibwa, Pomo, Navajo, Eastern Keres, Tewa, Zuñi, Hopi, Kiliwa, Huichol, Popoluca, Nahuatl of Veracruz, Yucatec, Warraw, Nivacle.

West Africa. Songhai (Tombuktu) [the first word of God went to the east, its color is white, it gave birth to our world; the second to the west, yellow, gave birth to Adam and Eve, ritual objects associated with marriage; the third to the south, white, gave birth to fresh water; the fourth to the north, white, gave birth to cereals, food, salt; the fifth to the zenith, green, gave birth to salt water; the sixth to the nadir, yellow, gave birth to spirits, devils]: Pâques 1964: 186.

Midwest. Plains Ojibwa (Bungi) [each cardinal point has its own being (possibly the Thunderbird); during the Sun Dance each is symbolized by a banner of a certain color, placed at that point; E: red, S: yellow, W: blue or green, N: white; the one who calls upon the spirits points the pipe successively in these directions, then to the zenith, where Quiche Manito is, and to the nadir]: Howard 1965: 92.

California. Central Pomos [the earth is quadrangular, floating in water; the corners are supported by pillars, each watched over by one of the spirits (two more at zenith and nadir)]: Loeb 1926a: 300.

Great Southwest. Navajo [six mountains at the cardinal points, at zenith (and nadir?)]: O'Bryan 1956: 23; Eastern Keres (Sia) [fir, pine, oak, aspen on four mountains at the four ends of the world; cedar at zenith, another oak at nadir]: Stevenson 1894: 28; Eastern Keres (Sia) [N: yellow, E: white, S: red, W: blue; zenith: black; nadir: gray (?)]: White 1943: 324 (=White 2004a: 770); Eastern Keres (Santa Ana) [each of the six directions has its own color and animal; N: yellow, puma; W: blue, jaguar or bear; S: red, wildcat; E: white, wolf; zenith: brown, eagle; nadir: black, shrew; center: badger (no special color)]: 2004b: 555; Tewa [directions in general, Corn Girls: N: blue, green, W: yellow, S: red, E: white, zenith: mottled, nadir: black]: Harrington 1916: 43; Zuñi : Stevenson 1904 [Corn Girls: N: yellow, W: blue, S: red, E: white, zenith: mottled, nadir: black]: 52; Cushing in Judson 1994 [people seek corn girls; Eagle, Falcon, Raven cannot find; Payatuma easily finds; they are in the country of Summer in the south; Girls hear his music, come to the middle country where the Zuñi live; go at night like spirits or stars; the Virgin Mother of the North brings yellow corn, the West blue, the South red, the East white, the other two bring black and variegated; later people can no longer see the Corn in human form; with the Girls came the sad Shutsukiya - the voice of the cold wind in the dry stalks after the harvest is gathered]: 120-131; Hopi : Harrington 1916 [like Zuni]: 42; Parsons 1939 [in the North sits a chief in a mask of yellow clouds, yellow butterflies fly before him, yellow corn grows; ditto in the West (blue), South (red), East (white), above (black), below (variegated)]: 172; Kiliwa[in the darkness appeared Coyote-People-Moon; from him light; took water in his mouth, sprinkled it in four directions; the south became yellow, the north - red, the west - black (there was a sea there), the east - white; determined the zenith and nadir, the sky - blue, the earth - the color of paper (amate); lit a cigarette, fell asleep, from the smoke of his pipe all the roads of the earth and sky were formed; from the calves of the legs he made two pairs of mountain rams; put them on four mountains to support the sky with horns; Mole dug a passage around the world, secured the covering; created four ancestors of keel from clay; from their union with Deer, Fish, Pheasant, Cat other animals were born; KLL created the Sun, himself fell ill, died, became a bird; was offended that no one came to say funeral chants; told the Deer to hide the darkness in a bag, thus taking the night away from people; ordered the bag to be given to Puma and not to be opened, he gave it to Snake, she to Eagle, etc.; finally Fox gave it to Coyote, he opened it out of curiosity, darkness flooded the world, the light disappeared; Puma ran to KLL, said that they did not know the chants, that only he himself knew them; he admitted this, ordered Coyote to shoot arrows in the four directions of the world, zenith and nadir; day came again; KLL became the Moon, walks across the sky]: Olmos Aguilera 2005: 103-117.

NW Mexico. Huichol : Dutton 1962 [Eastern Water Mother - red snake appearing as lightning, lightning her wand; sends storms from the east; flowers and pumpkins belong to her; Western Water Mother - white snake in a white cloud; can send drizzle at any time of the year; corn, deer, crows are in her power; Southern Water Mother - blue snake, appears in a body of water; she is the body of water and the water lizard; the shaman is associated with her when he sings, and corn in grain belongs to her; Northern Water Mother - snake; also a spotted fish; owns corn, pumpkin, beans, flowers, now also cows, mules, horses, sheep; Young Eagle Mother - personifies the zenith, is associated with the cult of the sun, sometimes she is the mother of the Sun; the stars are her dress; in general S = red, N = white, E = white, W = black, zenith = turquoise, nadir = brown]: 16–18; Lumholtz 1986 [S: red, N: white, B: black, E: white, zenith: blue or green, nadir: coffee]: 40; Maclean 2001 [N, S, E, W, center, zenith, and nadir are associated with the idea of ​​color, but specific color associations vary]: 318.

Mesoamerica. Popoluca , Nahuatl of Veracruz [directions in general: N: white, E: red, S: yellow, W: black, nadir: green; the sun located in the corresponding direction: E: red, S: white, W: yellow, N: blackish]: Münch 1983a: 154; Yucatec [during the ritual, the five Chacs (gods of thunder and rain) are represented by men, each with a calabash of rainwater and a wooden sword that calls down thunder and lightning; the main Chac at the zenith, four at the cardinal points; E: white, N: red, W: black, S: yellow]: Villa 1969: 171.

Guiana. Warrau [the world ocean and the part of the land submerged in it are enclosed within a cylindrical abyss; along the perimeter of the earth there are mountains; in the center of the submerged part below the earth is the Goddess of the Nadir in the form of a snake, each of whose four heads is crowned with deer antlers and directed to one of the cardinal points]: Wilbert 1981: 38.

Chaco. Nivakle [Stavuun – the king vulture (S.) carried off the hunters to be eaten by his wife; his children played with their bones; Ajti'ta began to practice running, cutting his body; the place where the vulture's children play is the Milky Way; it used to be below, but the sky and the earth changed places, because the sky was very dirty then; two bright spots in the night sky {Magellanic clouds?} are where two menstruating women relieved themselves; when the earth and sky changed places, the people of the sky fell into the underworld; with a forked stick A. pinned the vulture's grandmother to the ground; she said that the king vulture was very angry; but A. promised to kill him; killed his children; when KS began to approach, it began to rain; the noise of the rain was heard approaching ; KS asks the vulture grandmother where A. is; she points in turn to the four cardinal directions and to the zenith; S. rushes in these directions; from the zenith he sees that A. has gone underground; he digs the earth; having found a snake, he asks the grandmother - is it he? - No; then A. ran, and S. followed; A. takes the form of trees; then he asked the bottle tree to hide him, it opened, but said that only Palo Mataco would hide him; Palo Mataco opened, and when S. tried to enter it, it closed; that is why when the wind blows, kuuunnn is heard ; A. killed S., who almost exterminated people; all kinds of animals came and took a piece of S.'s flesh for themselves; this flesh suited the deer well; the birds did the same; the birds also bathed in the blood, acquired color; some shook off the blood immediately, leaving only spots, others retained the red color]: Wilbert, Simoneau 1987b, no. 164: 388-392.