The Story of the Moccasin Game
The Moccasin Game is a traditional Navajo story explaining the origin of a sacred winter game. In the mythological account, the animals gathered to play the moccasin game, which involves hiding a stone or yucca ball under one of four moccasins while the opposing side guesses its location. The game was played between the day animals and the night animals, with the stakes being control over light and darkness. Through trickery and strategy — particularly from Coyote who cheated by using a yucca ring instead of a stone — the night animals won, establishing that darkness would have its place in th