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underground country. Or, they emerged due to any other reason which would lure them to seek a new land on the surface of the earth. The means by which they made these journeys are also varied. For instance, some say their ancestors came up through a hollow reed or bamboo, a vine reaching down into the depths, ladders, winding tunnels, trails, etc. The appearances of the

entrances also differ, for instance... lakes, hills or mounds, caves, tunnels, etc. - Branton)

 

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The following tradition is recorded on pages 10, 26, 57, 58, & 109 of Morris E. Opler's book, "MYTHS AND TALES OF THE JICARILLA APACHE INDIANS":

     "...Down in the underworld there were many brooks and streams. The people had all kinds of water.

     "...The earth is our mother. We came from her. When we came up on this earth, it was just like a child being born from its mother. The place of emergence is

the womb of the earth.

     "...Now the people were dissatisfied with life on this earth. They wanted to go BACK to the place below.

     "...The people now wanted to go back into the place from which they had emerged because the monsters (saurians!? - Branton) were beginning to come around. They said, ‘This is a dangerous place. We had better go back.    "...If the people had been as they are now they would have been frightened and would have run back into the hole of emergence. But when all of the monsters were killed ...all was at peace."

 

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The following two stories, about two seperate visits made to underground cities with advanced technology, appears on pages 37-42 of Timothy Green Beckley's book,