Religious Importance of the Number Four
Written by: Aron Brown
I found this essay in a box lying in my room. This was a topic I covered my freshman year in college, after re-reading and editing it I figured it was interesting enough to share it with you. It will help you to first read the Pima native american creation stories. I hope you enjoy the essay and find the connections as interesting as I do, and again keep in mind this was written my freshman year of college so please forgive the poor writing style.
Religious Importance of the Number Four
Aron Brown
December 3, 2008
Keiser University – Sarasota Campus
Every culture has them, stories of how the earth came to be and its purpose. The Native Americans were no exception to this rule. “The Story of the Creation” as passed down by the Pima natives and finally taken down in written word in 1911, tells the story of Juh-wert-a-Mah-kai, which translates to the Doctor of the Earth. The Doctor is the creator of the planet; according to this legend. There are a lot of things he did to create the Earth, but the most important element to this story is the use of the number four. A sacred number to the Native Americans; it also has roots in Paganism and Christianity.
In the Pima story; the importance of the number four comes out when we look at the tasks the Doctor performs to create the planet. The first of the tasks that was performed was the creation of rock, which he made out of the sweat of his body. “It tipped over three times, but the fourth time it staid straight in the middle of the air…”. It also took Juh-wert-a-Mah-kai four tries to get the world to the way he wanted it.
Along with the religious connotations that this use of the number four had for the Pimas, it also tells of the makeup of the world. The placement of the sun is one of these elements in the story. “First he placed it in the North, but it did not work; then he placed it in the West, but it did not work; then he placed it in the South, but it did not work; then he placed it in the East and there it worked as he wanted it to”. Not only does this introduce the creation of the sun, it also introduces the cardinal directions. The cardinal directions are the first link between the beliefs of the Pima natives and the other religions of the world.
From the cardinal directions Native Americans created one of their most sacred symbols, the earth cross. The earth cross is a four armed cross; each arm is of equal length, and it rests within a circle. THe circle symbolizes the universe as the natives saw it, with no beginning and no end. The pagans used a symbol of near resemblance to represent what they called the four towers. The towers, or pillars, were used in purification rituals and later on during the demoralization of the religion in casting, what the church started calling, “witches circles.” Each tower was guarded by a familiar spirit to the believer. The North tower was of the earth; it kept them grounded and protected them from straying from their path. The East tower was of the air; it represented purity and protected their hearts from evil intent. The South tower was of fire; it was the protector used to ward off evil spirits. The West tower was of water; it represented thought, emotion, and health.
Another major thing connecting the Pima religions use of the number four to other religions is in regard to the number of spiritual entities that take part in the creation and management of the planet. In the native’s story there is the Doctor of the Earth, the being known as Noo-ee, which means buzzard. He was created to help the Doctor complete the earth. There is also the child of the sun and the moon, Toe-hahvs as Huh-wert-a-Mah-kai called him. Lastly was the mysterious spirit of two names; See-ur-huh, which means older brother, and Ee-ee-toy, which is no longer translatable. The older brother descended from the north and claimed to be older than Juh-wert-a-Mah-kai, and to please him the Docter let him remain known as older brother. Having four spiritual beings is very common among religions. Christianity even has four beings; although the only ones that tend to be mentioned are: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Most people forget to include Lucifer in this group even though he does have dominion over the minds of man. Also within the rebirth of Paganism today, which is being refered to as New Age, the Arc Angels are now commonly called in place of the four towers. Gabriel of the North is strong of focus and a great teacher, Ariel of the East is pure and motherly, Micheal of the South is the guardian and warrior, and Raphael of the west is healer and wise man.
Perhaps the most amazing connection is between the Pima belief and Christianity. As was mentioned previously; it took the Doctor four attempts until the earth was the way e liked it. That is the same as well with Christianity. The garden of Eden was the first creation of the world, and when Eve ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, God banished them; changing the planet bringing it to its second carnation. The third creation of the planet was after the great flood, and Noah’s ark. The fourth and final stage of the planet is yet to come, as it states in Revelation: there will be a new earth and a new heaven.
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