He checked his watch. Six minutes early. He wasted a few of those enjoying this close view of the San Francisco Peaks. If Jason Delos collected Indian antiquities, he probably knew their role in mythology. Not terribly crucial for his Dineh people as he remembered the winter hogan stories from his boyhood. He had heard them mentioned mostly because of Great Bear spirit and his misadventures. But they were sacred indeed for the Hopis. They recognized Humphries Peak (at 12,600 feet, the tallest of the San Francisco chain) as the gateway to the other world, the route their spirits used to visit during ceremonials when Hopi priests called them. For the Zunis, as Leaphorn understood what he'd been told by Zuni friends, it was on of the roads taken by spirits of Hopi dead to reach the wonderful dance grounds where the good among them would celebrate their eternal regards. He interrupted that thought to glance at his watch again. It was time.
Tony Hillerman, The Shape Shifter. 2006. p.92
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