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From Mike Watt for LAist
Entrance into the fourth world
Two main versions exist as to the hopi's emergence into the present (or fourth) world. the more prevalent is that spider grandmother caused a hollow reed (or bamboo) to grow into the sky, and that it emerged in the fourth world at the sipapu. the people then climbed up the hollow tube into this world. typically, the location of the sipapu is given as in the grand canyon which is fairly near to the hopi mesas. the other version (mainly told in oraibi) has it that tawa destroyed the third world in a great flood. before the destruction, spider grandmother sealed the more righteous people into hollow reeds which were used as boats. upon arriving on a small piece of dry land, the people saw nothing around them but more water, even after planting a large bamboo shoot, climbing to the top, and looking about. spider woman then told the people to make boats out of more reeds, and using island "stepping-stones" along the way, the people sailed east until they eventually arrived on the mountainous coasts of the fourth world. - Wikipedia
Photo of Mermen by Mike Watt