APPENDIX I: MOHAVE DIRECTIONAL CIRCUITS
Reading edition
These seven stories contain mentions of eight or nine directional circuits, as per the list. Four of these circuits are sunwise; five, if a half-circuit be included, run counter-sunwise. Three begin with north; three with west; one with south; one with east; one with southwest. None of the circuits has color associations; such do occur in other tales, but they seem to be as variable as the directions and starting points are variable here.
Myth Paragraph Footnote Direction Begin End Reference
Nyohaiva 34 65 Counter S W Create wand magically
Raven 4 10 Sunwise W S Create gourd magically
Raven 30 27 Counter E S Walk before transforming
Deer 5 13 Counter W N Look about
Deer 22 39 Sunwise W S 4 actual mountains cited
Mastamho 37 58 Sunwise SW SE 4 kinds of seeds planted
Mastamho 75 105 Counter N S Half circuit, withdrawal
Mastamho 85 127 Sunwise N W Dancers' lines face
There are also cases of the directions being named in opposite pairs instead of in a circuit. Thus in Cane, I, 7b, 11b, 15, 17b, girls are obtained successively from W, E (as wives for the younger brother), N, S (for the older). The cages of the girls' birds are twisted, successively, of red and white, red and blue, (unstated), and red and blue cloth. In Mastamho, paragraphs 49-50, the direction names are taught in the order: N, S, W, E.
It is evident that the Mohave like the formalism of four times, of cardinal directions, and often of a circuit; but that, especially as compared with Hopi, Zuni, and Navaho, they are untrammeled as to turn, start, end, color, or other associations. This is evidently because they wholly lack strict rituals such as these other southwestern tribes have developed so abundantly with manipulations, altars, cult objects, schematized songs, fetishes, and priests.