Native American Zuñi Religion Bunzel Index
{p. 613}
|
|
Page |
|
Introduction |
615 |
|
I. Prayers to the Ancients |
621 |
|
1. An offering of food to the Ancestors |
621 |
|
2. Preparation of prayer sticks at the winter solstice |
623 |
|
3. Offering of prayer sticks at the winter solstice |
624 |
|
*4. Monthly offering of prayer sticks |
626 |
|
5. Offering of prayer sticks to dead wife |
632 |
|
6. Offering of corn meal to dead wife |
633 |
|
II. Prayers to the sun |
635 |
|
1. At sunrise |
635 |
|
2. Presenting an infant to the sun |
635 |
|
3. P?ekwin sets date for the summer solstice |
636 |
|
4. Firekeeper at the winter solstice |
637 |
|
III.. Prayers to the Uwanammi |
643 |
|
*1. A priest goes into retreat |
643 |
|
2. A priest during his summer retreat |
646 |
|
3. P?ekwin goes into retreat |
659 |
|
4. Bow priest in retreat in summer |
663 |
|
IV. Prayers of the war cult |
668 |
|
1. A bow priest makes prayer sticks at the winter solstice |
668 |
|
2. Prayers before going on a war party |
669 |
|
3. Prayers of the scalp dance |
674 |
|
V. Prayers and chants of priests of masked gods I |
690 |
|
1. The coming of Kyäklo |
690 |
|
2. Prayer of the impersonator of Pautiwa |
692 |
|
VI. Prayers and chants of the priests of the masked gods II. Prayers and chants of the Ca?lako |
702 |
|
1. The impersonators with monthly offering of prayer sticks |
706 |
|
*2. Sayataca's night chant |
710 |
|
3. Sayataca's morning chant |
756 |
|
4. Night chant of Hek^äpa-kwe Ca?lako |
762 |
|
5. Washing the head of the Ca?lako impersonator |
776 |
|
6. "Washing" the Koyemci |
777 |
|
7. Dismissal of the Koyemci |
780 |
|
VII. Prayers of the medicine cult |
782 |
|
*1 The Great Fire Society Chief sets up his altar |
782 |
|
2. Summoning a shaman |
791 |
|
3. Summoning a novice for his initiation |
795 |
|
*4. The Society father blesses the novice at the close of his initiation |
802 |
|
5. Prayer of a Society chief during his winter retreat |
827 |
|
6. Prayer of the chief of the Ant Society |
829 |
|
7. Prayers for collecting medicine |
830 |
|
8. Prayer for stalking deer |
835 |
* The items marked with an asterisk are presented in text with interlinear and free translation; the others text and free translation only.
{p. 615}
Spoken prayer in Zuñi is called t?ewusu p?ena:we, "prayer talk." This includes personal prayers, all the set prayers of rituals, chants, the origin myth in its ritual forms, the "talk" of komosono and other set speeches. It is also used for urgent requests. (t?ewusu p?eye?a--" he speaks prayers, i. e., begs, implores.")
Prayer is never the spontaneous outpouring of the overburdened soul; it is more nearly a repetition of magical formulae. A good deal has already been said (p. 493) about the rôle of prayer in the ritual. The prayers constitute the very heart of a ceremony. Like fetishes, they are sacred and powerful in themselves. Their possession is a source of power; their loss or impairment a great danger. Zuñis will describe esoteric ceremonies fully and vividly, but there are two thing which they are equally reluctant to do--to exhibit sacred objects or to repeat the words of a prayer. There is much less reticence about songs, except for a few special, secret songs. Prayer frequently forms part of set rituals. Then whether publicly declaimed or muttered so as to be inaudible to profane ears, the efficacy of the prayer depends in no small measure on its correct rendition. The prayers for individual use, such as accompany offerings of prayer meal, food, or prayer sticks, requests for medical service, etc., are also fixed in form and content, although they are individually varied in degree of elaboration. "Some men who are smart, talk a long time, but some are just like babies." There are certain other occasions on which men can display their skill in handling the poetic medium when they are visited in their houses by the katcinas; when they are called upon to take part in the games of the Koyemci; when they are appointed to office; or otherwise signaled out for honor or blessing by the supernaturals. In such cases one must improvise quickly and handle correctly the ritual vocabulary, rhythms, characteristic long periods, and, above all, speak without any hesitation or fumbling and for as long as possible. There is no time limit, no admonitions to be brief and to the point.
{p. 616}
The set prayers must be formally learned--they are not just picked up. The most formal instruction is that connected with the transmission of the prayers of the Ca?lako. Each kiva has a Ca?lako wo?le, who, among his other duties, keeps the prayers. Immediately after the winter solstice the Ca?lako appointees come to him to be taught the necessary prayers. The wo?le meets with them for the four nights following each planting of prayer sticks, and as often besides as may be necessary. The Saiyataca party, whose ritual is the most elaborate, meets every night. Most of this time is given to the "long talk," the litany that is declaimed in the house of the host on the night of their final ceremonies. There are many other prayers that accompany all their activities-prayers for the making and planting of prayer sticks, for getting their mask from the people who keep it and returning it, for various stages in dressing and in their progress toward the village, for the dedication of the house, for blessing the food, for thanking the singers and the hosts, for going away. How ever, the "long talk" and the "morning talk" are chanted aloud in unison and must be letter perfect. The method of instruction is for the wo?le to intone the prayer, the pupils joining in as they can. One-half of the chant is taken each night. The phraseology of the prayers is so stereotyped that the principal difficulty in learning a long prayer is to keep the sequence. For this purpose certain cult groups have special mnemonic devices. The K^äklo "talk" recorded in text by Mrs. Stevenson is such a record. It is an outline naming in order the various personages called and the places visited, it being assumed that the performer can fill in the outline from his knowledge of the poetic forms. It takes the men appointed to impersonate the gods all of the year to learn their prayers. As the time for the ceremony approaches great concern is felt, and sometimes the ceremony is postponed because the men are not ready. On the night after the ceremony the men go once again to the wo?le and give the prayer back. They recite it for him. At the close he inhales, and they do not, and so he takes from them the spirit of the prayer.
The instruction in prayers that are not publicly performed is less formal. Boys learn the a, b, c's of religious participation, including elementary prayers, from their fathers. After initiation into a medicine society a man goes at once to his ceremonial father to learn to make the prayer sticks of the society, and at the same time learn prayers for the making and offering of prayer sticks. He makes some payment to his father for this information--a shirt or a headband or a few pieces of turquoise. Women do not make their own prayer sticks, but they go similarly to their "fathers" to learn the required prayers. So every additional bit of knowledge is acquired. As more esoteric information is sought, the expense for instruction increases
{p. 617}
greatly. A certain old man in one of the priesthoods knew a particular prayer and the order of events in a rarely performed ceremony. He refused to teach these things to anyone. When he was very old and his death was expected his colleagues wished to learn this prayer from him. He was finally persuaded to teach them for a consideration. The woman member of the priesthood contributed a woman's shawl, the men things of greater value, to his fee. He taught the prayer but withheld the other information, and finally died without communicating it. Sometimes a man who is apt and curious and wealthy may collect prayers, the way men in other societies accumulate oil paintings or other works of art, and eventually turn them to profit. The cost of most information is not so excessive that a poor man can not, with the practice of a little thrift, acquire whatever he wishes to know.[1] He can, if he wishes, and if he has friends, learn the prayers of the Ne?we:kwe without actually joining their society. His ceremonial affiliations restrict his right to use these prayers, but many men go to expense to learn prayers they have no intention of using. The Saiyataca texts recorded in the following pages and many others were given me by a man who had never impersonated Saiyataca and never expected to. They were verified after the informant's death by the Saiyataca wo?le, who wondered how and why the informant had learned them. I myself heard the actual chant twice after recording the text and know it to be correct.
As might be expected, prayers are highly formalized in content and mode of expression. Nearly all prayers are requests accompanying offerings. They have three sections, which always appear in the same order: A statement of the occasion, a description of the offering, and the request. In long and important prayers the statement of the occasion is a synoptic review of ritual acts leading up to the present moment of a ceremony. Thus, Saiyataca's chant begins with a description of the winter solstice ceremony when the appointment was made and follows the Saiyataca party through all the minor ceremonies of the year, even enumerating the various shrines at which prayer sticks were offered. The prayers over novices at their initiation ceremony begin with a formal description of their illness and cure. In prayers which do not mark the culmination of long ceremonies the statement of the occasion may be no more than a statement of the time of day or the season of the year, and some veiled allusion to the special deities who are being invoked.
{p. 618}
There is always a formal request for all the regular blessings--long life, old age, rain, seeds, fecundity, riches, power, and "strong spirit." This formal request closes the prayer. Any special request, such as those for summer storms and winter snows, safety in war, rescue from disease, precede this. Requests that are strictly personal never figure in prayer. One prays always for "all good fortune," never for special and particular benefit. The only exceptions are in the case of prayers in sickness and the prayer of a widower to his dead wife with the request that she should not pursue him.
Zuñi prayers are distinctly matter of fact. They deal with external events and conditions rather than inner states. Outside of the request, their content is limited to two fields: Natural phenomena, such as sunrise, sunset, dawn, night, the change of seasons, the phases of the moon, rainstorms, snowfall, the growth of corn; and ritual acts, especially the making of prayer sticks, setting up of altars, and transfer of authority. Rituals of a more intimate and personal character, such as fasting and abstinence, are never mentioned. In their prayers Zuñis do not humble themselves before the supernatural; they bargain with it.
There are regular stereotyped phrases for all things commonly alluded to in prayer. The sun always "comes out standing to his sacred place," "night priests draw their dark curtain," the corn plants "stretch out their hands to all directions calling for rain," the meal painting on an altar is always "our house of massed clouds," prayer sticks are "clothed in our grandfather, turkey's, robe of cloud." Events are always described in terms of these stereotypes, which are often highly imaginative and poetic.[2] These fixed metaphors are the outstanding feature of Zuñi poetic style. There are not very many of them; they are used over and over again, the same imagery appearing repeatedly in one prayer. A prayer recorded by Cushing more than 50 years ago contains all of the same stereotypes and no turns of expression different from those in use to-day. A comparison of Cushing's texts[3] with mine shows a rigidity of style in oral tradition.
The sentence structure is that of continued narrative in the hands of a particularly able story-teller. Zuñi is a language that is very sensitive to skillful handling. Oratory is a recognized art, and prayer is one of the occasions on which oratory is used. The best prayers run to long periods-the longer the better, since clarity of expression is not necessary, nor particularly desirable.
Zuñi, like Latin, is a highly inflected language and can handle effectively involved sentences that can not be managed intelligibly in
Word play is used with still greater subtlety in the description of the prayer-stick offering. Many Zuñi roots are neutral; i. e., can be inflected to form both nouns and verbs.[4] ikwi: is to tie something about something else; ikwin:e, literally a tying about, is the usual word for belt. To say, therefore, "I tie the cotton about it," is precisely the same as to say "I belt him with a cotton belt." So the whole image of the making of the prayer stick or the dressing of an idol is built up linguistically. It is very difficult to tell how much is word play, how much metaphor, and how much is actual personification. The Zuñi finds these ambiguities intriguing.
This leads us to the third form of word play, the deliberate use of ambiguity, both verbal and grammatical. There are passages where subject and object are deliberately confounded, although there are excellent means for avoiding such ambiguity. These sentences are perfectly grammatical and can be correctly interpreted in two ways.
It has been impossible, of course, to render the original rhythm. One characteristic feature, however, has been retained, namely, its irregularity, the unsymmetrical alternation of long and short lines. Cushing, in his commendable desire to render Zuñi verse into vivid and intelligible English verse, committed the inexcusable blunder of reducing the Zuñi line to regular short-line rhymed English stanzas. If one were to choose a familiar English verse form it should be the line of Milton or, better still, the free verse of the King James version of the psalms. I have tried to retain the sense in the original of the fluidity and variety of the verse form. In reading the translations one must be mindful of Zuñi methods of declamation. The short lines are declaimed slowly and with marked emphasis, the long lines are spoken rapidly, unaccented syllables are slurred or elided, and the word accents pile up on each other. The two types of line are like the booming of the surf and the rushing of the brook.
Zuñi poetry has no feminine endings.[5] The heavy accent with noticeable lengthening on the final syllable can not be transferred to English. The translation therefore suffers greatly from loss of sonority and vigor. In the original every line is like the declaration of a creed--an effect which no translation can adequately render. It is interesting to note that although the natural cadence of Zuñi is trochaic, the poetic rhythm is predominantly iambic. The principal word accent in Zuñi is invariably on the first syllable, with a secondary accent, in words of four or more syllables, on the penult. The final syllable is always unaccented, yet the important poetic stress is always on the final syllable of the line, which gives the verse a curious syncopated quality, very difficult of reproduction. The final syllable is usually distinguished by prolongation and a high falling tone.
The offering of food to the dead forms an important part of Zuñi household ritual. Cushing states that a bit of food is offered in the fire at each meal by all partaking, and that no child is weaned until he is able to make this offering with a suitable prayer. At the present time the practice is by no means universal. It is made, with very little ceremony, by priests and the female heads of their houses. The female heads of houses holding ceremonial objects make offerings to these objects before serving food. Each appointee to ceremonial office makes offerings at nightfall in the river, about a mile west of Zuñi. The food thus offered is carried by the river to the supernaturals at the village of the masked gods. Offerings of food are conspicuous at any ceremonial meal, and each man holding ceremonial office receives a package to be offered later in the river. With offerings in the house no prayer is spoken-at most only a few words are mumbled: "Eat; may our roads be fulfilled," or "May we be blessed with life. " With outdoor offerings, long prayers are spoken. Offerings, whether of food, corn meal, or prayer sticks, are never made specifically to one's own ancestors, but to the ancestors.
After the crops are harvested in fall ghosts' day or grandmothers' day is announced by the sakisti (sacristan of the ancient mission church).[2] On this day large quantities of food are prepared, only products of that year's harvest being used, a lamb of that spring's lambing, bread made of new wheat and corn, and anything else that has been raised. The melons are gone by that time, but some are always saved for the grandmothers. Before eating the evening meal women make their offerings in the fire, a few ears of corn, a dish of lamb stew, a loaf of bread, a roll of paper bread. After dark the men take even greater quantities to the river. The following prayer is used, probably, with this special offering.
This day my children,
For their fathers,
Their ancestors,
5. A:wonawil?ona--used of any supernaturals who influence human affairs. This is not a special deity, as Mrs. Stevenson believes.
6. That is the night itself, anthropomorphically envisaged.
7. Onaya:nak^ä--literally "road fulfilling."]
{p. 623}
45 Therefore I have added to your hearts.
To the end, my fathers,
My children:
You will protect us.
All my ladder descending children [8]
50 Will finish their roads;
They will grow old.
You will bless us with life.
Twice during the winter solstice ceremony each adult male makes prayer sticks. The first time he makes for himself offerings to the sun, and to the ancestors. For the grown women of the family he makes offerings for the moon and the ancestors; children offer to the ancestors. If he is a member of a society he makes the special offering appropriate to his rank in the society. These solstice offerings are quite different from monthly society offerings.
The offerings of each family are deposited in an excavation in the family field, generally the cornfield, despite the fact that these are at greater distances from the village. After the offerings are made everyone is supposed to abstain from animal food, in addition to the usual requirement of sexual continence. Abstinence from meat is required because of the offering to the sun, which employs only downy feathers, which are especially potent and carry with thorn the pledge of abstinence. Among the younger people only those who belong to societies fast from meat. The others would consider it wrong to do so. "While we were away at school we ate meat, and it is a bad thing to break one's custom."
On the fourth day each initiated male offers to the katcinas, and each male society member offers to the beast gods. These offerings are made in the cornfield or in the fields to the east of the village. That night, after dark, special offerings are made in the corrals for the increase of horses, cattle, and sheep, for clothing and ornaments, and for medicine. Each man uses a different kind of stick and guards this secret knowledge jealously.
There are prayers to be said at each stage of the process of prayer stick making. Prayers are always offered to the trees before cutting the sticks. Corn meal is offered to the "lucky" tree. This is not cut, but another is taken. The rest of the prayers are generally
This many are the days
Since at the new year
For those who are our fathers,
12. A common play upon words a'lhea?u means either to give into one's hand or to clothe one. Likewise i'lhea'u (reflexive) means either to take in one's hand or to clothe oneself.
13. Literally "the water object in the dish," the rain-bringing fetish of the priests. (M. C. Stevenson, 23d Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethnology, p. 163.)]
{p. 625}
5 Tcu'eto:we,[14]
The days[15] were made.
From all the wooded places
Breaking off the young straight shoots
Of the male willow, female willow,
10 In our hands we held them fast.
With them we gave our plume wands human form.
With the striped cloud wing
The one who is our father,
Male turkey,
15 We gave our plume wands human form.[16]
With the flesh of our mother,
Cotton woman,
Even a poorly made cotton thread,
20 With this four times encircling the plume wands,
And tying it about their bodies,
We finished our plume wands.
Having finished our plume wands
25 And offering our fathers their plume wands
We make their days.[17]
Anxiously awaiting their days.
We have passed the days.
After a little while
30 Your massed clouds,
Your rains,
We shall desire.
We have given you plume wands.
That with your waters,
35 Your seeds,
Your riches,[18]
Your long life,
Your old age,
You may bless us--
40 For this I have given you plume wands.
To this end, my fathers,
May our roads reach to dawn lake;[19]
May our roads be fulfilled;
May we grow old;
18. Clothing and ornaments, which constitute personal property, hence wealth.
19. The water that lies on the easternmost rim of the world. This is where the sun comes out, and stands, therefore, as the symbol of fulfillment.]
{p. 626}
45 To where the road of our sun father goes
May our roads reach;
May our roads be fulfilled;
May we grow old;
50 May we be blessed with life.
At each full moon (in some societies at the new moon) each member of a society offers prayer sticks. In addition to special offerings prescribed by the society there are two to four short black sticks for the ancestors and, for males, one similar black stick, with the addition of a duck feather, for the katcinas. The sticks are buried in the corn field or at Red Earth, a point on the river bank east of the town. The prayer sticks are deposited with the following prayer, which was secured from one of the headmen of the Wood Society.
This many are the days
Since our moon mother,
Yonder in the west
Appeared still small.
When she became fully grown
Seeking yonder along the river courses
The ones who are our fathers,
Male willow,
Female willow,
Four times cutting the straight young shoots,
To my house
I brought my road.
This day,
With my warm human hands
I took hold of them.
I gave my plume wands human form.
With the striped cloud tail
Of the one who is my grandfather,
The male turkey,
With eagle's thin cloud tail,
With the striped cloud wings
And massed cloud tails
Of all the birds of summer,
With these four times I gave my plume wands human form.
With the flesh of the one who is my mother,
Cotton woman,
Even a poorly made cotton thread,
Four times encircling them and tying it about their bodies,
I gave the plume wands human form
With the flesh of the one who is our mother,
Black paint woman,
Four times covering them with flesh,
I gave my plume wands human form.
In a short time the plume wands were ready.
Taking the plume wands,
I made my road go forth.
Yonder with prayers
We took our road.
Thinking, "Let it be here,"
Our earth mother
We passed upon her road.
Our fathers,
There on your earth mother,
There where you are waiting your plume wands
We have passed you on your roads.
There where you are all gathered together in beauty
Now that you are to receive your plume wands,
You are gathered together.
This day I give you plume wands.
By means of your supernatural wisdom
You will clothe yourself with the plume wands.
Wherever you abide permanently,
At the place of the first beginning,
Touching one another with your plume wands,
You will bend down to talk together.
From where you abide permanently,
Your little wind-blown cloud,
Your thin wisps of cloud,
Your hanging stripes of cloud,
Your massed up clouds, replete with living waters,
You will send forth to stay with us.
They will come out standing on all sides.
With your fine rain caressing the earth,
With your weapons, the lightning,
With your rumbling thunder,
Your great crashes of thunder,
With your fine rain caressing the earth,
Your heavy rain caressing the earth,
With your great pile of waters here at Itiwana,[20]
With these You will pass us on our roads.
In order that you may come to us thus
I have given you plume wands. My fathers,
When you have taken your plume wands,
With your waters,
Your seeds,
Your riches,
Your power,
Your strong spirit,
Will all your good fortune whereof you are possessed,
Me you will bless.
Corn meal is then sprinkled on the prayer sticks with the following prayer:
This day, my fathers,
I have given you plume wands.
The source of our water of life.
The source of our flesh,
Flesh of the white corn
Prayer meal
I give to you.
Taking your plume wand,
Your prayer meal,
with your waters,
Your seeds,
Your riches,
Your long life,
Your old age,
With all your good fortune
You will bless us.
This is all.
When a man's wife dies for four days he observes the most stringent taboos. He remains continent; he abstains from eating meat, grease, and salt. He sits alone, away from the fire, and must not be touched. He should not speak or be spoken to. Each morning at dawn he drinks an emetic and goes out on the eastern road to offer black corn meal to the dead spouse. He holds the black meal in the left hand, passes it four times over his head, and throws it away as rite of exorcism. Then, using the right hand, he scatters white meal, and prays. These taboos are the same as those offered by a warrior who has taken a scalp, and are directed to the same ends, the removal of contamination and the propitiation of the ghost. The ghost, who is lonely, will try to visit her husband in dreams. To prevent this he uses black corn meal, "to make the road dark" or "to forget."
After the four days he plants prayer sticks and resumes normal life. For 12 months he should remain continent, lest the dead wife become jealous. During this period he is "dangerous." At the end of this period he has intercourse with a stranger to whom he gives a gift, the instrument for removing the contamination. She throws this away. Next day both plant prayer sticks. If he desires to shorten the period, he gets some man with esoteric knowledge to make him especially potent prayer sticks two or four sets-planted at intervals of four days, which are offered to the dead wife with the following prayer. These same rites are observed also by a widow and a warrior who has taken a scalp.
This is the only example which has come to my knowledge of any offering made to an individual, and even in this the ancestors are included. This prayer is also used with offerings of prayer sticks to the dead, on the fourth day after death, the day in which the spirit is believed to reach the land of the dead.[21]
My fathers,
Our sun father,
Our mothers,
Dawn
5 As you arise and come out to your sacred place,
I pass you on your road.
The source of our flesh,
White corn,
{p. 634}
Plume wands which I have prepared for your use.
Drawing your plume wands to you,
And sharing my plume wands,
Indeed, under no conditions shall you take anyone away. 24
Among all the corn priests' ladder descending children,
All the little boys,
The little girls,
30 And those whose roads go ahead,
Was one, perhaps even a valuable man,
Who, his heart becoming angry be cause of something,
Injured you with his power.[25]
35 That one only you will think to drag down.
All of your good fortune whatsoever
May you grant to us.
40 Preserving us along a safe road,
May our roads be fulfilled.
Now this day,
My sun father,
Now that you have come out standing to your sacred place,
5 That from which we draw the water of life,
Prayer meal,
Here I give to you.
Your long life,
Your old age,
10 Your waters,
Your seeds,
Your riches,
Your power,
Your strong spirit,
15 All these to me may you grant.
On the eighth day of life an infant's head is washed by his "aunts"--that is, women of his father's clan, his most important ceremonial relatives. Corn meal is placed in his hand and he is taken outdoors, facing the east, at the moment of sunrise. Corn meal is sprinkled to the rising sun with the following prayer, spoken by the paternal grandmother:
Now this is the day.
Our child,
Into the daylight
You will go out standing.
5 Preparing for your day,
We have passed our days.
When all your days were at an end,
When eight days were past,
Our sun father
10 Went in to sit down at his sacred place.
And our night fathers
Having come out standing to their sacred place,
Passing a blessed night
15 We came to day.
Now this day
Our fathers,
Dawn priests,
Have come out standing to their sacred place.
{p. 636}
Our sun father
Having come out standing to his sacred place,
Our child,
25 It is your day.
This day,
The flesh of the white corn,
Prayer meal,
To our sun father
30 This prayer meal we offer.
May your road be fulfilled
Reaching to the road of your sun father,
When your road is fulfilled
35 In your thoughts (may we live)
May we be the ones whom your thoughts will embrace,
For this, on this day
To our sun father.
40 We offer prayer meal.
To this end:
May you help us all to finish our roads.
Before the summer solstice the p?ekwin makes daily observations of the sunset from a shrine east of the village. When the sun sets behind a certain point in the mesa he begins to count days with offerings of prayer sticks. There are six such offerings according to Mrs. Stevenson.[1] At dawn of the morning following the last offering he announces from the highest housetop in Zuñi that the summer solstice will take place after eight days.
Now that those who hold our roads,
Dawn ancients,
Youths,
Matrons,
5 Maidens,
Over their sacred place,
Have raised their curtain.
Here, on the corn priests' housetop
I stand up.
10 My fathers,
My sun father,
We have made your days.
Divine ones,
Remember your days.
The keeper of the New Year fire is appointed by the priests on the ninth day following the p?ekwin's announcement of the solstice. This is the day on which all people cut prayer sticks. During the day he collects wood from houses in the village and in the evening builds the New Year fire in he'?iwa kiva. On this evening the images of the gods of war are taken to the kiva for their all-night ceremony. The fire keeper must be a man of the Badger clan or a child of that clan. He is called tsu'pal-i'lona (the one who has the blood pudding; the fire is his tsu'palon:e, or blood pudding). During the ensuing ten days he must observe continence and eat no meat or other animal food. He sleeps and eats at his own house, but returns to the kiva to tend the fire, which must be kept burning throughout the period. He visits every house in the village to get wood for his fire.
At sundown on the ninth day of the second period[2] he comes to the kiva. Here p?ekwin has made a meal painting and set up an altar. When all the priests have arrived p?ekwin goes to summon the impersonators of P?a'utiwa and the four Sa'yalhia. They come unmasked, their masks having been taken to the kiva earlier in the day.
At sunset Ci'tsuk^a and Kwe'lele, gods from the east, enter the village from the east. They dance for a few minutes on the roof of the kiva and then go in. After brief prayers they go to the house of the Great Fire Society to eat. The masks belong to this society, and the impersonators must be chosen from the Great God order of the society.
Late at night they are again summoned to the kiva. Here are the priests, the impersonators of P?a'utiwa and the Sa'yalhia, men of the Dogwood and Sun clans who dress P?a'utiwa, and singers from He'iwa kiva. With Ci'tsuk^a and Kwe'lele go the headmen of the Great Fire Society and a group of singers from that society. The two choirs sing alternately and Kwe'lele and Ci'tsuk^a dance. The fire keeper sits all night beside the fireplace, within a circle of meal across which he must not step.
[2. See p. 535.]
{p. 638}
At the first sign of dawn P?a'utiwa dresses. When he is ready the chief of the Great Fire Society kindles fire with the ancient drill which Kwe'lele carries. As soon as the fire appears Kwe'lele lights his torch. The fire keeper takes a brand from his fire and, accompanied by Kwe'lele with his torch, p?ekwin, Ko'mosona, P?a'utiwa, and the four Sa'yalhia, goes out to the east. At a point well beyond the last house they pause. The fire keeper lays down his brand, and Kwe'lele extinguishes his torch. All pray and sprinkle meal. Then the party returns to the kiva.
This is the sign to the village that the fire taboo is ended, and immediately everyone hastens to take out their fire and sweepings. When they return to the kiva the fire keeper and p?ekwin pray. Then the people go to their houses to take out the fire from their hearths. They return immediately, and the masked gods dance until daylight. At this time anyone may enter the kiva to receive the blessings of the gods.
The following prayer is spoken by the fire keeper when he returns from the east in the morning. It was dictated by a member of the Great Fire Society.
This many are the days
Since the sun, who is our father,
Stood yonder beside his left hand sacred place.[3]
5 Then our fathers
Having prepared plume wands for the rite of their ancestors,
And having breathed their prayers upon the plume wands,
With their sacred cigarette,
Their prayer meal
10 My fathers
Laid hold of me.
When the sun who is our father
Had yet a little space to go
To go in to sit down at his sacred place,
Our two fathers,
16 The ones who hold the high places,[4]
Once more assuming human form.
With their sacred possessions,
With their house chiefs,
Their p?ekwins,
Their bow priests,
With all of these,
They made their roads come in,
7. The meal painting on the altar.]
{p. 640}
70 Made his road come in.
They sat down quietly.
Yonder toward the east,
To our two fathers
White masked god,[8]
75 Black masked god,[9]
To where they were made ready
The prayers reached;
Carrying their waters,
Carrying their seeds,
80 Making their road come hither,
Going along one road,
They sat down quietly.
After a blessed night,
With our children we came to day.
85 When the ones who are our fathers,
Dawn old men,
Dawn youths,
Dawn boys,
Dawn old women,
90 Dawn matrons,
Dawn maidens,
Dawn girls,
Had risen standing to their sacred place,
95 Saying, "Let it be now,"
Four times
Drawing up our grandmother,[10]
And making her arise,
Making her go ahead
100 Yonder toward the east
With prayers
We made our roads go forth.
How the world will be,
How the days will be,
105 We desired to know.
Perhaps if we are lucky
Our earth mother
Will wrap herself in a fourfold robe
Of white meal,
110 Full of frost flowers;
A floor of ice will spread over the world,
The forests,
Because of the cold will lean to one side,
115 Their arms will break beneath the weight of snow.
When the days are thus
The flesh of our earth mother
Will crack with cold.
Then in the spring when she is replete with living waters
Four days after the summer solstice the priesthoods begin their series of retreats to pray for rain. Each set in turn goes in at the house where their sacred bundle is kept. The four chief priesthoods associated with the four cardinal points go in for eight days each. They are followed by the p?ekwin, who goes in for four days. He is followed by the bow priest, who observes a 4-day retreat, although he does not stay in his house. After these the minor priesthoods, "the darkness people," follow in fixed order. They go in for four days each. The last come out about the first week in September, which is near the end of the rainy season.
Retreats always start in the evening, generally after sunset, and nights only are counted. They end at sunrise on the fourth or eighth morning following. The day before the retreat begins is spent by the priests in making prayer sticks. These are tied together in the after noon, and shortly before sunset the chief priest accompanied by an associate leaves to plant them in a distant spring. They return late at night. They go immediately into the inner room set aside for their retreat, where the other members have already assembled.. The chief priest sets up his altar--a meal painting, one or more feather-wrapped com fetishes, pots of black paint that have been brought from the underworld, stone knives, thunder stones, and finally the sacred bundle itself.
The first of the two prayers below is said with the offering of corn meal when gathering willow sticks, the second on setting the sacred bundle on the altar. They were dictated by a former member of the priesthood of the water serpent, and have been verified by a priest of the priesthood of the south.
This day
Desiring the waters of our fathers,
The ones who first had being,[1]
In our house
Having prepared prayer meal,
Shells,
Corn pollen,
Hither with prayers
We made our road come forth.
This way we directed our roads.
Yonder on all sides our fathers,
Priests of the mossy mountains,
All those whose sacred places are round about,
Creatures of the open spaces
You of the wooded places,
We have passed you on your roads.
This day
Prayer meal,
Shell,
Corn pollen
We offer to you, my fathers.
Offering these to you,
Four times we offer them to you.
7. The young ears, wrapped in their leaves.
8. When the spirit of the corn leaves the country the ears in the storerooms shrivel up and waste away.]
{p. 646}
We pass our days.
Whenever your days are at an end,
Then we shall fulfill our thoughts.
Our mother,
The one who first had being,
To wherever you abide permanently,
To your fourth inner room,
You will make your road go in.
Then again, holding your country,
Holding your people,
You will sit down quietly for us,
Therefore as children to one another
We shall always remain.
My child,
My mother,
According to my words,
Even so may it be.
Do not let go of your people;
Let not your thoughts be thus.
Let no difficulty befall any of our daylight children,
Our ladder descending children,
When they have gone but a little ways on their road!
That this may not be
I commission[10] you with my prayers.
Because of my words
You will sit down quietly.
This many are the days,
And when your days are at an end,
You will sit down quietly.
Although we say we have fulfilled your thoughts
No! we have not yet fulfilled your thoughts.
Our office never lapses.
When we come to another day,[11]
Then again eagerly awaiting your rite
We shall pass our days,
For the winter eagerly waiting
We shall pass our days.
This is all.
Thus with plain words,
My father,
My mother,
My child,
Thus you sit down quietly.[12]
11. The next period of retreat. The rite is handed down in a self-perpetuating group through the generations.
12. The last part of the prayer refers to the bundle on the altar rather than the prayer stick offering.]
{p. 656}
This many are the days,
Since those who are our fathers,
Those who are our mothers,
The ones who first had being
5 k^?ä'etoew:
Tcu'eto:we
Had kept for them their days.
This many days,
Anxiously waiting,
10 We passed our days.
When all these days were past,
Now we have come to the ap
pointed time.
Our fathers,
Our mothers,
15 In your fourth inner room
You stay quietly.
This day we have reached the appointed time.
Our fathers,
20 Our ancestors,
Yonder, you who were priests
when you were alive,
We have reached your appointed time.[13]
This day
25 Your day has been made.
The one who is my father,
The one who is my mother,
Four times I shall hold you fast.
The retreat of the p?ekwin follows next after the priests of the four directions. He is priest of the sun, and is associated, according to Mrs. Stevenson, with the zenith. This association, however, does not seem firmly fixed.
The following prayer is recited at the beginning of his retreat. The first part is spoken outside when he plants his prayer sticks, the latter half after he returns to his home.[16]
This many are the days,
Since the new year,
The cycle of the months of our fathers,
The ones that first had being.
This many days
We have awaited our time.
It has come to summer.
My fathers,
My mothers,
10 The ones that first had being,
Your day goes on.
Not long ago,
At the middle of the year[17]
I made my fathers' days.[18]
15 This many were the days of the rain makers of all directions,
And now that my fathers' days are at an end,
20 Yonder, wherever the roads of the rain makers come forth,[19]
Where people pray to finish their roads,
There you stand at the borders of our land,
Male willow, female willow.
Four times breaking off the straight young shoots,
22. The bird associated with the north. The birds of the six directions are the p?ekwins or heralds of the directions. The p?ekwin, who is the herald of the sun, is frequently referred to as, "all the birds of summer, p?ekwins." The feather of the blue jay is the feather of the priests which they are entitled to wear in the hair on ceremonial occasions.]
{p. 661}
60 The one who first had being,
Black paint woman,
With her flesh making the flesh of my plume wands,
I gave them human form,
Saying, "Let it be now."
65 Taking my plume wands,
The plume wands which had been prepared,
I made my road come forth.
I made my road go forth.
Somewhere in my water-filled fields[23]
70 I passed my earth mother on her road.
My fathers,
My ancestors,
You who used to be p?ekwins,
You who used the downy feather,
You who used to take charge of the world,
75 And furthermore my child,
My father,
Sun,
My child, my mother, moon,
My fathers,
80 Divine ones,
This day
I give you plume wands.
Taking your plume wands,
There where you abide permanently,
85 Clasping them in your arms,
Caressing them,
With your supernatural wisdom,
You will distribute them amongst you.
After a little while
To my house
90 My road will reach.
Making your days, I shall pass the days.
[He deposits the plume wands, then he returns to his ceremonial house, sets up his altar, which consists of dishes of sacred black paint and bowls of prayer meal. The prayer continues:]
This day, my fathers,
On the day the p?ekwin comes out of retreat in summer the bow priest begins to count days. He is not a rain priest. He has no altar; he has no rain-making fetish; his sacred possessions are associated rather with war. Therefore, instead of remaining in meditation and prayer in his ceremonial house, he makes offerings at the various shrines of the gods of war on mountain tops around Zuñi. The first day he goes to the north, to Twin Mountains; the second day to the west--the place actually visited is a shrine to the south on a knoll near the road to the Salt Lake. The third day he goes to the south, Face Mountain, a shrine southeast of Zuñi; the fourth day to the east, a knoll near the Black Rock road. At each of these shrines he offers corn meal and turquoise with prayers for rain and fertility. He offers these in his capacity of priest rather than as warrior.
28. Supernaturals associated in their dual capacity of warriors and rain makers with Sudden thunder storms. They live in springs and have long streaming hair. (Tsik^?ähiya means "quick moving hair.") A dirigible which flew over Zuñi some years ago was identified with K^?älhawani, who books "like an icicle " when he appears to mortals. K^?älhawani is sometimes impersonated in mask with a tablet headdress and long flowing hair reaching to his knees. The third supernatural usually mentioned with Tsik^?ähiya and K^?älhawani is Kupictaiya (cf. Keres Kopictaiya), called by Mrs. Stevenson lightning makers. There is some confusion in the minds of the Zuñi as to whether these are individuals or classes of supernaturals. The latter is more in keeping with Zuñi ideology.]
{p. 665}
30 You who dwell in high places,
For this you live at sacred places
Round about on all the mossy mountains.
My fathers,
To all your ladder descending children
35 You will grant your power.[29]
In order that my children may have strong hearts
It is now your day.
From wherever you stay permanently
Your massed clouds filled with living water, may you send forth.
40 Making your road come forth from
where you stay permanently,
With your rain caressing the earth,
With your terrible lightning,
Make your thunders resound!
45 At Itiwana may you pass me on my road.
When you have passed me on my road,
My mothers,
My children,
All the different kinds of corn,
50 Nourishing themselves with their fathers' waters,
Tenderly will bring forth their young.
When they have finished their roads,
When they are old,
55 My children,
My ladder descending children,
Will bring in their children,
All the different kinds of corn,
Into their houses.
That they may always be the ones toward whom our thoughts bend,
60 For this all my children carefully have reared their young.
All my children
Will make their roads come into their houses.
Staying there permanently,
Your young increasing,
You will always remain.
{p. 667}
100 Even to all those villages
That stand against the place of the setting sun,
Even every little bug,
Even every dirty little bug,
Let me hold them all fast in my hands,
105 Let none of them fall from my grasp--
In order that this may be,
My fathers,
I ask you for life.
May my children's roads all be fulfilled;
May they grow old;
110 May their roads reach all the way to dawn lake;
May their roads be fulfilled;
In order that your thoughts may bend to this,
Your days are made.
Now your days are at an end.
Whatever I have wished
115 I have spoken
All our prayers which we have completed for each other;
Thus I have fulfilled our thoughts.
Eagerly awaiting until it shall be another day,
Until the winter,
120 I shall now pass my time.
My fathers,
Your waters,
Your seeds,
Your riches,
Your power,
Your strong spirit,
All this you will grant us;
May my road be fulfilled,
May I grow old,
Even until I go with strong hands grasping a bent stick,[35]
Thus may I grow old.
My two fathers,
You who dwell in high places[1]
Ma?ase:wi[2]
Uyuye:wi
5 For you it is the new year.
Since it is the new year,
All the beings that dwell in mossy mountains,
The beings who dwell in shady places,
The forest beings,
10 The brush beings,
Oak being
Willow being[3]
Red willow being[3]
lhanilhkowa being[3]
15 Cottonwood being
Taking the straight young shoots of all these,
These we shall make into prayer plumes.
For my fathers,
20 The divine ones,
I have destined these prayer plumes.
When my fathers
The divine ones
Take hold of their prayer plumes,
25 When they clothe themselves with their prayer plumes,
Then all to my children
Long life,
Old age,
All good fortune whatsoever,
30 You will grant;
So that I may raise corn,
So that I may raise beans,
So that I may raise wheat,
So that I may raise squash,
35 So that with all good fortune I may be blessed.
2. The Keresan name for the elder of the two gods of war. His Zuñi name, which is esoteric, is Matsailema. According to Mrs. Stevenson he is the younger brother. Both this name and that of Uyuye:wi were unknown to the interpreter to whom the prayer was read, but her father, who carves the image of the younger brother, knew the names.
3. The identifications are uncertain.]
{p. 669}
Before going on the warpath the bow priests are summoned to their ceremonial house. The chief bow priest addresses them:
Now this many days
Because of the thoughts of the enemy
Our thoughts have been troubled;
5 Our appetite has failed.
This very day
That by which they live,
Turquoise,[4]
To my fathers I have offered
At all their abiding places.
11 Yonder into the enemy's country
We shall take the warpath.
Because of the enemy,
Because of their thoughts,
15 We wish in vain see one another,[5]
We can not see him of whom we think.
Because it is thus,
To be avenged
We have made up our minds.
20 My children,
You shall set your minds to be men.
You shall think to provide yourselves with good weapons.
Then, perhaps, we shall have the good fortune,
To get that which we wish,
25 That for which we ask--
Namely that with the enemies' flocks,
Their clothing,
Their precious stones,
Their good shell beads,
30 That with these our houses may obtain hearts,
For this we have sent forth our prayers.
Waiting anxiously until the appointed time shall come,
Cleansing our hearts,
Cleansing our thoughts,
35 Thus shall we live.
Indeed we shall not be alone.
Because yonder all about
Abide our fathers.
Whenever an enemy is killed the slayer, if not already a member of the bow priesthood or one of the other two warrior societies, the Hunters (Saniak^?äkwe) or the Cactus Society (K?ocikwe), must immediately join the bow priesthood to protect himself from the malevolence of the slain enemy. The initiation takes place in the course of the scalp dance which is held to celebrate the victory. The purpose of the scalp dance is twofold. First, to purify the scalper from the contaminating contact with the dead and make him safe for human association and by placing him under the protection of the war gods, through membership in their cult, the bow priest hood, save him from pursuit by the ghost; the second purpose is to propitiate the dead enemy, strip him of his power for evil, and turn to good account his potentialities as a rain maker. This propitiation of the scalp is primarily the office of the scalp chief, who also retains guardianship of the scalps reposing in the scalp house.
Accompanying these important secret rites of purification and propitiation are the great public festivities. Throughout the twelve days of the ceremony unrestrained merrymaking accompanied by sexual license is indulged in by young and old of both sexes. These three strands run side by side, all culminating in the great ceremonies of the final day.
The order of events in this long and elaborate ritual has been described in the accounts by Mrs. Stevenson[10] and Doctor Parsons[11] with varying emphasis on the different aspects, according to the affiliation of the informants.
For convenience in reading the following prayers the events may be briefly summarized.
The returning war party camps overnight outside the village. At dawn four men chosen to announce their return ride toward the village uttering their war cry. They are met by the scalp chief, who inquires concerning the exploits of the war party.
During the day the scalp chief secretes the scalp at a distance from the village in a diminutive shelter of brush. The scalper and his "elder brother," the member of the bow priesthood who has "caught " the novice, take turns in watching over it. Toward evening they go through a sham conflict and take the scalp, bringing it to a place on the plain where p?ekwin has prepared an altar. Here they are met
After this the altar is demolished and the meal painting obliterated. The sacred bundles are returned to the houses where they are kept. The images of the gods of war are taken to their houses by members of the bow priesthood, and next day carried to appropriate shrines (not the ones that are visited during the winter solstice). Late at night the scalp is removed from the pole by the scalp chief and deposited by him in the scalp house, with special prayers for protection in his dangerous office.
{p. 682}
and offerings of food are thrown about on the ground. During the ceremony of washing, the choir sings new songs made for the occasion and the scalp washer prays:
Now this day
Our sun father,
Having come out standing
To his sacred place,
A little space yet remains
Ere he goes in to sit down at his other sacred place.
Now four times raising our niece,[21]
10 And making her stand up,
Her road going first,
Hither with prayers,
We have made our road come forth.
Here, near by, our fathers,
15 Rain maker bow priests,
Where your watery road comes forth,
Where you are waiting,
We have passed you on your road.
We have offered you plume wands.
20 Taking your plume wands,
With them you will take firm hold
Of the enemy's water-filled covering.
With your fresh water
25 You will sprinkle him.
Then again, if your hands go first,
Our hands following,
We shall meet no evil consequence.[25]
You who are our fathers,
30 Rain maker bow priests,
K^?älhawan:i,
Tsik^?ähaya,
K?upictaya
Beast bow priests,
35 By virtue of your thoughts
The enemy
Reached the end of his life.
When with your clear water
You have sprinkled the enemy,
This many are the days
Since our children
Neglecting their little ones,
Neglecting their wives,
5 Yonder into the enemy's country
Made their road go forth.
Presently, even where the enemy
Stayed peacefully in their huts
Our fathers,
10 The ones who hold the high places,
Having commanded the enemy to be as women,
In a shower of arrows,
A shower of war clubs,
15 With bloody head,
The enemy reached the end of his life.
Our fathers,
Beast bow priests,
In former times the preliminary initiation of small children took place every fourth year. In these years the chief of the cult group in charge of the K^äklo ritual received from the priests at the winter solstice a prayer stick commanding his participation.
The ceremony is held in March or April. Eight days before the actual whipping of the children K^äklo appears to announce the approaching ceremony and command those concerned to prepare for it. In each kiva he intones a long chant describing in great detail the mythological sanction of the, coming ceremony.[1] After visiting all the kivas he departs.
After eight days he comes again. Again he visits each kiva, repeating his chant. At dawn he is ready to depart. As he leaves, the gods who perform the initiation ceremonies appear and enter the village.
The following prayer is spoken by the impersonator of K^äklo at some time during his preparations for his ceremony, probably at the moment of taking out the mask before his second appearance.
This many are the days
Since the moon who is our mother
Yonder in the west a small thing
First became visible.
When she reached maturity
5 Then the one who is my father,
K^äklo, p?ekwin priest,
perpetuating his rite had since the first beginning--
Yonder from his perfect mountain
Made his road come forth.
10 He made his road come hither.
Into Itiwana his road entered,
There, wherever the roads of his children come forth
He made his road enter.
His words came forth.
P?autiwa is the katcina chief at Katcina village. It is he who determines the order of masked rituals and dances, and sends forth masked beings to dance for his daylight children at Zuñi. The great masked ceremonies are held expressly by his order. They can only be held when he commands them at the new year. In folklore he appears frequently in the rôle of the divine lover of mortal maidens.
He appears three times annually at Zuñi--twice during the winter solstice, and at the mola:wia which closes the great masked festival of the late fall. He comes, therefore, at the beginning and end of the year. He is one of the most beautiful of all Zuñi impersonations. The mask is turquoise blue, elaborately adorned with the most precious feathers, in particular the priceless tail feathers of the macaw. He is fully clothed in rich clothing, including four embroidered white cotton blankets and innumerable, strings of the finest turquoise. His gait is slow and stately. He always goes sprinkling corn meal before him. It is altogether an impersonation of the greatest splendor and solemnity.[2]
5. The dead. Sticks are offered to the ancestors, the sun, and the moon.]
{p. 695}
70 With eagle's thin cloud wing,
And with the striped cloud wings
And massed cloud tails
Of all the birds of summer,
With these four times wrapping our plume wands,
75 We gave them human form.
With the flesh of our grandfather,
Giant yucca
Even a roughly made cord,
Even a dirty cord,
80 With this four times encircling the plume wands
We tied it about their bodies;
With water-bringing hanging feathers,
We made them into living beings.
With the flesh of our two mothers,
Black paint woman,
85 Clay woman,
We clothed our plume wands with flesh;
Giving them flesh, we gave them human form.
90 Then our two fathers,
The ones who hold the high places,[6]
Wrapping themselves in their elder brothers' plume wands,
Their elder brothers' prayer feathers,
Their elder brothers' shell beads,
95 They became living beings;
Holding all their world,
Holding all their people fast,
The two sat down quietly.
Then while yet a little space remained
Ere our sun father
Went in to sit down at his sacred place,
Yonder from all directions,
Our fathers, water birds,
105 P?ekwin priests,
By means of their supernatural wisdom
Made their roads come in.[7]
Having brought their roads hither
Thinking, "Let it be here,"
14. P?autiwa comes from the land of summer. Therefore he clothes himself and comes in from the south.
15. He puts on the mask, thereby assuming the form and personality of the god. This power to change one's personality resides in the mask which is the body of the god.
16. The telhna:we or staves of office made by the priests and "finished" with their sacred paint.]
{p. 700}
265 They revealed to me.
Knowing that,
I prayed that throughout the country of the Corn priests
Our earth mother might be wrapped
In four layers of green blanket,
That the land might be full of moss,
Full of flowers
Full of corn pollen--
275 Sending forth prayers that it might be thus,
I offered my fathers' plume wands.
Four times I made my road encircle
The land of the Corn priests
280 Then yonder, wherever the water roads of my kiva children come out,
I laid down plume wands.
Then far off to his own country
My father
285 Made his road go forth
Carrying my fathers' plume wands,
Carrying his prayer meal,
I made his road go forth.
290 Far off at the place of the first beginning
Touching them with my plume wands,
With all the others he will hold discourse.
Our fathers will take hold of our plume wands.
205 Then in that way
Their long life,
Their old age,
They will grant to us.
300 That our roads may reach to where
the life-giving road of our sun
father comes out,
That we may finish our roads--
This they will grant us.
This day in accordance with whatever you wished,
305 Whatever you wished when you appointed me,
I have fulfilled your thoughts.
With thoughts in harmony
May we live together.
{p. 701}
310 For even while I call myself poor,
Somewhere far off
Is one who is my father.
Beseeching the breath of the divine One,
K^?äwulhia P?autiwa,
315 His life giving breath,
His breath of old age
His breath of waters,
His breath of seeds,
His breath of riches,
320 His breath of fecundity,
His breath of power,
His breath of strong spirit,
His breath of all good fortune whatsoever,
Asking for his breath
325 And into my warm body drawing his breath,
I add to your breath
That happily you may always live.
To this end, my fathers,
330 My children:
May you be blessed with light.
During the taboo period of the winter solstice[1] ceremony the priests select men who are to impersonate the priests of the masked gods during the coming year. They are notified of their appointment, and on the final day of the winter solstice are summoned to Hei'?wa kiva to receive their staves of office--the feathered staves which the impersonator of P?autiwa left there the night before.
The men who are chosen must be known to be above reproach men of pure heart and kindly disposition, who will not neglect any of the taboos attaching to their office and who will be diligent in their prayers.
Their duties begin the evening of the day on which they receive their sticks of office. Every day at sunrise they must offer meal to the sun with prayers for their people. They must go out of the village toward the cast for their prayer. Many Zuñis pray each morning, but on priests and impersonators of the gods this observance is obligatory. Every evening after dark they sacrifice food in the river to the west of the village.
On their first evening following their appointment they start their nightly meetings with the trustees of their ritual to learn the long prayers and complicated rites connected with their office. These nightly meetings continue throughout the year until their days are fulfilled in November. The 10 Koyemci meet in the house of their father, the impersonators of the priests of the masked gods--Cula:witsi Sayataca, Hututu, the two Yamuhato meet in the house of the impersonator of Sayataca. The little boy Cula:witsi and his ceremonial father are required to attend only the four nights following the planting at the new moon. The Ca?lako impersonators meet formally only on these four nights each month, but hold informal meetings in between. The first prayer that is learned is the one that accompanies the monthly offerings of prayer sticks.
At each full moon all the impersonators plant together at springs in the mountains south of Zuñi.
On these days they gather early in the morning in their ceremonial houses to make their prayer sticks. Long prayers are recited at the conclusion of their work, Then after a feast they leave for the shrines, which lie to the south at a distance of 4 to 8 miles. The prayer sticks are deposited beside the spring in regular order, and
For five nights following the departure of the Ca?lako gods, dancers from each of the six kivas are supposed to visit all the houses which have entertained the gods. Some of them dance in the plaza during
{p. 705}
the day. Throughout this period the Koyemci remain in strict retreat in the house where they were entertained. At night they dance in their house; during the day they "play" in the plaza and attend any dancers who appear there. These are days of great festivity.
On the fifth evening they eat early and sparingly, and from this time on food and drink are taboo until the following night. Speech also is forbidden them, nor may they appear unmasked. After they enter upon this period the character of their dancing changes, becoming more solemn. They do not indulge in their usual obscenity. On the following morning they come out early and are taken to be washed in the house of the village chief. Here the women give them gifts of food. On coming out, they are taken by men of their fathers' clans to the houses of their fathers' sisters. Here they receive gifts from all members of the fathers' clan. Each impersonator will receive as many as thirty slaughtered sheep, as many baskets of corn or wheat flour, bread, melons, and miscellaneous gifts of clothing, frequently of great value. The gifts are brought to the plaza, where they remain until night. Meanwhile the Koyemci attend upon the various dancers until later at night.
At nightfall the last of the dancers, the Molawia, have departed. Then the Koyemci, in pairs, visit every house in the village to invoke upon it the blessings of the gods. At each house they receive gifts of food from the female inhabitants. Returning to the plaza, they take their prayer sticks out to plant. They return to the house of their father late at night, and removing their masks for the first time all day give them to their father to return to the house where they are kept. When he comes back he thanks his children for their year of work and sets them free. Then for the first time since the preceding evening they drink, and after eating and bathing return to their homes. Their retreat, fifteen days, is the longest in Zuñi ritual.
The following prayers are only a fragment of the whole ritual. In addition to those recorded there are long series of prayers spoken at the time, of appointment to office, for making prayer sticks, for offering corn meal to the sun (different in summer and winter) and food to the ancestors, for untying the knots of the day count, for each stage of dressing for the public ceremony, and for each offering of prayer sticks. In addition, the host and officials of the Katcina society have many long prayers.
Each of the six Ca?lako impersonations has a different chant, and that of the Koyemci is again different.
{p. 706}
And now indeed it is so.
At the New Year
Our fathers
5 Four times prepared their precious plume wands.
With their plume wands they took hold of me.[1]
This many days
Anxiously we have awaited our time.
10 When the moon, who is our mother
Yonder in the west
As a small thing appeared,[2]
Carrying our fathers' precious plume wand,
15 With our own poor plume wand
Fastened to our fathers' plume wand,
At the place called since the first beginning
Snow hanging, or where snow hangs,
20 To our fathers,
Priests of the masked gods,
Cula:witsi, p?ekwin priest,
Sayataca, bow priest,
Hututu, bow priest,
25 Yamuhakto, bow priests,
To all the masked gods,
(Our plume wands we gave.)
Where they were to receive their plume wands,
All happily gathered together,
There we passed them on their roads.
30 This day
We shall give you plume wands.
Keeping your days,
Throughout the cycle of your months,
Throughout the summer,
35 Anxiously we shall await your time.
Our fathers,
Yonder toward the south
Wherever your roads come out,
We have given you plume wands.
4. The place used to be Halon Kwaton. See below.]
{p. 708}
85 When all their days were past,
When their day-count was at an end
Again we prepared plume wands.
Carrying our plume wands
At the place called since the first beginning
90 Rock Face,
We passed our fathers on their roads.
Meeting our fathers,
We gave them plume wands.
Keeping their days
Anxiously waiting
We passed our days.
100 This many are the days--
And when their days were at an end,
Over there, following your springs,
We gave you plume wands.
When all your days are past,
105 Our fathers,
Priests of the masked gods
Bow priests of the masked gods
Cula:witsi p?ekwin priest,
Sayataca bow priest,
110 Hututu bow priest,
Yamuhaktu bow priests,
Ca?lako bow priests,
All the masked gods
There from your home set with mountains,
115 Bringing your waters,
Bringing your seeds,
Bringing all your good fortune,
Our fathers,
You will make your roads come forth.
120 "Yes,[5] now every one of us will come forth.
Our fathers at Itiwana,
We shall pass on their roads.
Let no one be left behind.
All the men,
{p. 710}
And now indeed it has come to pass.
When the sun who is our father
Had yet a little ways to go to reach his left-hand altar,[3]
Our daylight father,
P?ekwin of the Dogwood clan,
Desired the waters, the seeds
Of his fathers,
Priests of the masked gods.
Then our fathers,[4]
Sharing one another's desire, sat down together
In the rain-filled room
Of those that first came into being.[5]
Yonder following all the springs,
They sought those ordained to bring long life to man,[6]
Those that stand upright,
But (like the waters of the world),
Springing from one root, are joined together fast.[7]
At the feet of some fortunate one
Offering prayer meal,
Turquoise, corn pollen,
Breaking the straight young shoots,
With their warm human hands
They held them fast.
Taking the massed cloud robe of their grandfather, turkey man,
Eagle's mist garment,
The thin cloud wings and massed cloud tails
Of all the birds of summer,
With these four times clothing their plume wands,
They made the plume wands into living beings.
With the flesh of their mother,
Cotton woman,
Even a thread badly made,
A soiled cotton thread,[9]
Four times encircling their wand they made their belts;[10]
With rain-bringing prayer feathers
They made them into living beings.
With the flesh of their two mothers,
Black paint woman,
Clay woman,
Clothing their plume wands with flesh,
They made them into living beings.
When they said, "Let it be now,
The ones who are our fathers
Commissioned with prayers
The prayer wands that they had fashioned.
When the sun who is our father,
Had gone in to sit down at his ancient place,[11]
Then over toward the south,
Whence the earth is clothed anew,[12]
Our father, K^?äwulhia P?autiwa,[13]
Perpetuating what had been since the first beginning
Again assumed human form.[14]
Carrying his fathers' finished[15] plume wands
He made his road come hither.
Wherever he thought, "Let it be here,"
Into his fathers' rain-filled room,
He made his road to enter.
And when our sun father,
Had yet a little ways to go
To go in to sit down at his ancient place,
Yonder from all sides
11. Sunset.
12. The south wind and the summer birds bring summer from the south.
13. Mrs. Stevenson calls him komosona (head of the masked god cult) of Kolhuwalawa. He is described as "the highest chief." None of the gods can come to Zuñi save by his order. The plans are made at the New Year, when he leaves the crooks for all the dancers.
14. The impersonator dons the mask and becomes the god, and inversely the god assumes human form. As a matter of fact, in the evening the impersonator comes unmasked, the mask having previously been taken to the kiva.
15. Finished with the special paint used by priests, which was brought from the underworld at the time of the emergence.]
{p. 711}
Rain-bringing birds,[16]
P?ekwin, priest
From where he stays quietly,
Made his road come forth.
Making his road come hither,
Into his fathers' rain-filled room,
He made his road to enter.
With his wings,
His fathers' cloud house[17] he fashioned
Their bed of mist[17] he spread out,
Their life-giving road[18] Is of meal he sent forth
Their precious spring[19] he prepared.
When all was ready,
Our father, K^?äwulhia P?autiwa
Reaching his house chiefs,[20]
His p?ekwin
His bow priests,
He made his road to go in.
Following one road,
Sitting down quietly,
A blessed night
The divine ones
With us, their children, came to day.
Next day, when our sun father
Had come out standing to his sacred place,[21]
Saying, "Let it be now.
Over there to the south,
Whence the earth is clothed anew,
Our father, K^?äwulhia P?autiwa,
Perpetuating what had been since the first beginning,
Again assumed human form.
Carrying his waters,
Carrying his seeds,
Carrying his fathers' precious plume wands,
He made his road come forth.
He made his road come hither.
The Country of the Corn priests,
Four times he made his road encircle.[22]
Yonder wherever all his kiva children's rain-filled roads come out[23]
His precious plume wands
He laid down.
Then turning he went back to his own country.
My father picked up the prayer plume,
And with the precious prayer plume
Me he appointed.[24]
The moon, who is our mother,
Yonder in the West waxed large;
And when standing fully grown against the eastern sky,[25]
She made her days,
For my fathers,
Rain maker priests,
Priests of the masked gods.
I fashioned prayer plumes into living beings.
My own common[26] prayer plume,
I fastened to the precious prayer plume of my fathers.
At the place since the first beginning called cotton hanging,
I brought my fathers[27] prayer plumes.
Drawing my prayer plumes toward them,
35. At the full moon.
36. Painted with common paint.
37. His ancestors, the deceased impersonators of Sayataca, and the katcinas.]
{p. 712}
They spoke to those inside the place of our first beginning.[28]
Yonder following all the springs,
On all the mossy mountains,
In all the wooded places,
At the encircling ocean,
With my prayer plumes,
With my sacred meal,
With my sacred words,
They talked to those within.
Winter,
Summer,
Through the cycle of the months,
Though my prayer plumes were but poor ones,
There toward the south,
Wherever my fathers' roads come out[29]
I continued to give them prayer plumes.
And when the cycle of months was at an end
My fathers[30] made their rain roads come in
To their fathers,
Their mothers,
Those that first came into being.
Sharing one another's desire, they sat down together.
With the flesh of their mother,
Cotton woman,
Even a cord badly made,
A soiled cotton cord,
With this four times
They made the day counts[31] into living beings.
Saying, "Let it be now,"
They sent for me.
I came to my fathers,
Where they were waiting for me.
With their day count
They took hold of me fast.
Carrying their day count
I came back to my house.
Saying, "Let it be now,"
And carrying the prayer plumes which
I had prepared,
Yonder to the south
With prayers, I made my road go forth.
To the place ever since the first beginning called "Ants go in,"[32]
My road reached.
There where my fathers' water-filled roads come out,
I gave them plume wands;
I gave them prayer feathers;
There I asked for light for you.
That you may finish your roads,
That you may grow old,
That you may have corn,
That you may have beans,
That you may have squash,
That you may have wheat,
That you may kill game,
That you may be blessed with riches,
For all this I asked.
Then over toward the west[33]
Where the road of my fathers comes in,
I gave them plume wands.
And now, when all of their days were past,
Over toward the west,
35. I. e., dies.
36. The katcinas.
37. Sayatca, the god, represented by komosona.
38 Holding his shoulder and moving him gently to the north, west, south, east, up, and then seating him.
39. Cipololon:e, a common wordplay. Cipololon:e means both mist and smoke, ceremonially. The ordinary word for smoke is lhik^?aian:e. The significance of the rite suffers in translation.
40. Fire. In ritual smoking the cigarette is lighted with live coal from the fireplace.
41. At the end of the cigarette.
42. The common terms for offerings to supernaturals, used especially of offerings of smoke and food.
43 Stevenson and Parsons give different translations (See p. 762).]
{p. 714}
I have continued to offer you prayer plumes.
Now that the cycle of your months is at an end,
Now that the counted number of your days has been told off
Now that this many days
Anxiously we have awaited your day,
Now this day,
We have reached the appointed time.
Now I have passed you on your roads."
Thus I spoke to them.
When I had spoken thus,
Hurriedly, without delay,
My father took hold of me.
From the very soles of my feet
Even to the crown of my head
He clothed me all over with all things needful.
When all this was at an end,
Then also with that which is called my belt,
His prayer meal,
He covered my navel.
With his bundle that covered it all over.
He took hold of me,
His bundle reached all around my body.
When all this was at an end,
Then also the different kinds of seeds four times he placed over my navel.[44]
All different kinds of seeds his bundle contained:
The seeds of the yellow corn,
The seeds of the blue corn,
The seeds of the red corn,
The seeds of the white corn,
The seeds of the speckled corn,
The seeds of the black corn,
And also that by means of which you may have firm flesh,
Namely, the seeds of the sweet corn;
And also those which will be your sweet tasting delicacies,
Namely, all the clans of beans
The yellow beans,
The blue beans,
The red beans,
The white beans,
The spotted beans,
The black beans,
The large beans,
The small beans,
The little gray beans,
The round beans,
The string beans;
Then also those that are called the ancient round things--[45]
The striped squash,
The crooked-neck squash,
The watermelons,
The sweet melons,
And also those which you will use to dip up your clear water,
Namely, the gourds;
And then also the seeds of the piñon tree,
The seeds of the juniper tree,
The seeds of the oak tree,
The seeds of the peach tree,
The seeds of the black wood shrub,
The seeds of the first flowering shrub,
The seeds of the k^?apuli[46] shrub
The seeds of the large yucca,
The seeds of the small yucca,
The seeds of the branched cactus,
The seeds of the brown cactus,
The seeds of the small cactus;
And then also the seeds of the wild grasses,
The evil smelling weeds,[47]
The little grass,
Tecukta,
Kucutsi,
O'co,
Apitalu,
Sutok^a,
Mololok^a,
P?iculiya
Small p?iculiya,
Hamato
Mitalik?o;
And then also the seeds of those that stand in their doorways,[48]
Namely the cat-tails,
The tall flags,
45. Native squashes.
46. An unidentified shrub sometimes used for prayer sticks.
47. None of these have been identified. Many are food plants.
48. The doorways of the rain makers, the springs.]
{p. 715}
The water weeds,
The water cress,
The round-leafed weed;
Across my navel
His bundle reached.
And then also, the yellow clothing bundle[49] of the priest of the north
The blue clothing bundle of the priest of the west,
The red clothing bundle of the priest of the south,
The white clothing bundle of the priest of the east,
The many colored bundle of the priest of the above
The dark colored bundle of the priest of the below;
Across my navel
His bundle reached.
When all this was at an end,
My father spoke to me:
"Thus you will go.
Your daylight fathers,
Your daylight mothers,
Your daylight children
You will pass on their roads.
And wherever you come to rest,
We shall come to you.[50]
Assuredly none of us shall be left behind--
All the men,
Those with snow upon their heads,
With moss on their faces,
With skinny knees, no longer upright, and leaning on canes,
Even all of these;
And furthermore the women,
Even those who are with child,
Carrying one child on the back,
Holding another on a cradle board,
Leading one by the hand,
With yet another going before,
Even all of us,
Our daylight fathers,
Our daylight mothers,
Our children,
We shall pass on their roads."
Thus my father said.
Having spoken thus,
He took hold of me.
Presenting me to all the directions he made me arise.
With his prayer meal
Four times he sprinkled his water filled ladder.
After him,
Four times I sprinkled my prayer meal.
Taking four steps,
Four times striding forward,
Standing, I came out.
[Having come out standing,
Yonder to all directions I looked;[51]
I looked toward the north,
I looked toward the west,
I looked toward the south,
I looked toward the east.
Hither, toward the place of dawn,
I saw four roads going side by side.
Along the middle road,
Four times my prayer meal I sprinkled.
There I made the sound of the water-filled breath of the priest of the north.[52]
Taking four steps,
Four times striding forward,
To the place known since the first beginning as Great Lake,[53]
My road came.
Where my father's road comes out
I stood in the doorway.
That which formed my belt,
My prayer meal,
Four times sprinkling inside,
I opened their curtain of scum.[54]
After that,
Four times sprinkling prayer meal inside
Standing I came in.
When I came in standing,
{p. 716}
My father[55]
Hurrying without delay
Where he had prepared his rain seat,
His prayer meal
Four times he sprinkled.
On the top of my head
His prayer meal
Four times he sprinkled.
After him
Four times sprinkling my prayer meal,
My father's rain seat
I stood beside.
As I stood up beside it
My father took hold of me,
Yonder to all the directions presenting me,
He made me sit down.
Having seated me
The one who is my father
Took the water bringing cigarettes which he had prepared.
Four times drawing it toward him,
He took his grandmother by the hand
And made her sit down in the doorway,
Four times inhaling, he drew the mist through.
With the mist
He added to the hearts of fathers,
Rain maker priests.
Thus it is well; around,
In order that the rain makers may not withhold their misty breath.
With mist he added to their hearts.
When all this was at an end,
My father handed it to me.
Four times inhaling, I drew the mist through.
Into my body drawing the misty breath,
With the mist
I added to the hearts of my fathers.
This is well;
In order that the rain makers may not withhold their misty breath,
With mist I added to their hearts.
When all this was at an end,
We greeted one another with terms of kinship:
Father,
Son; elder brother, younger brother; uncle, nephew; grandfather, grandson; ancestor, descendant.
With these words we greeted one another.
When all this was at an end
My father questioned me:
"Yes, now at this time
You have passed us on our roads.
Surely you will have something to say, some word that is not too long,
If you let us know that,
I shall know it for all time."
Thus my father spoke.
When he had spoken thus, (I answered)
"Yes, indeed it is so.
Yonder to the south,
Following wherever your roads come out,
I have been bringing you prayer sticks,
I have been bringing you prayer feathers.
Now this day,
Having reached the appointed time,
I have passed you on your roads."
"Is that so. With plain words you have come to us.
We are clothed with your prayer sticks;
We hold your prayer meal;
With your prayer plumes in our hair we are sitting in here waiting.
Here where we are just standing
Where we are just sitting on our haunches,
You have come to us.
When the sun who is our father
Has yet a little ways to go,
Before he goes in to sit down at his sacred place,
Nearby your daylight fathers,
Your daylight mothers,
Your children,
You will pass on their roads.
Wherever you come to rest,
All together we shall come to you. All the men,
Those with snow upon their heads, with moss upon their faces,
With skinny knees,
No longer upright but leaning on canes;
And the women,
Even those who are with child,
Carrying one upon the back,
Holding another on the cradle board,
57. The middle; i. e., Zuñi. The word in common use is ci'wina:kwi.
58. The outer ladder. Sayataca still enters through the roof. None of the prayers make any mention of the planting of prayer sticks in the six permanent excavations in the street of the village. In 1927 these were visited in the following order: T?ek^?alhnawa, o'na:wa, pa'lhtowa, tsi'a?a:wa, hek^?äpawa, te'?witolha'na. Their house was in the large plaza. In these excavations Cu'la:witsi, Sa'yataca and Hu':tutu deposit telikina t?sume (strong prayer sticks) to the Uwanami of the six regions. They are colored with the appropriate colors.
59. He deposits a double prayer stick just inside the threshold of the door, where every one passes. This was formerly planted under the ladder. Like those placed in the roof, these are colored blue and yellow and are male and female, respectively.
60. That is, die before their time.
61. K?äcima t?apela is an archaic expression for a load of firewood made by laying short sticks across two long poles.]
{p. 718}
Four times he threw prayer meal upward.
Then after him,
My prayer meal
Sprinkling before me,
Where my father's water-filled road ascends
I made my road ascend.
The one who is my father
Four times sprinkled prayer meal before him.
After him
Four times sprinkling prayer meal before me,
Standing, I came in.
As standing I came in
I could scarcely see all my fathers,
So full was his house.
Then my father's rain-filled room
I rooted at the north,[62]
I rooted at the west,
I rooted at the south,
I rooted at the east,
I rooted above,
Then in the middle of my father's roof,[63]
With two plume wands joined together,
I consecrated his roof.
This is well;
In order that my father's offspring may increase,
I consecrated the center of his roof.
And then also, the center of my father's floor,
With seeds of all kinds,
I consecrated the center of his floor.[64]
This is well;
In order that my father's fourth room
May be bursting with corn,
That even in his doorway,
The shelled corn may be scattered before the door,
The beans may be scattered before the door,
That his house may be full of little boys,
And little girls,
And people grown to maturity;
That in his house
Children may jostle one another in the doorway,
In order that it may be thus,
I have consecrated the rain-filled room
Of my daylight father,
My daylight mother.
When all this was at an end,
The one who is my father[65]
Four times sprinkled prayer meal
Where he had prepared my seat.
Following him,
Four times sprinkling prayer meal before me,
Where my father had prepared my seat,
I stood beside it.
My father took hold of me.
Presenting me to all the directions, he made me sit down.
After my father had seated me,
The rain invoking cigarette which he had prepared
My father drew toward him.
He took his grandmother by the hand
And made her sit in the doorway.
Having seated her in the doorway,
Four times inhaling he made the mist pass through;
Into his body
He drew the misty breath.
With the mist he added to the hearts of his fathers.
This is well:
That the rain makers may not withhold their misty breath,
With mist
He added to the hearts of his fathers.
He handed it to me.
Four times inhaling I made the mist pass through;
64. The seeds are deposited in a permanent excavation carefully concealed. Sometimes at the winter solstice articles of clay are deposited in this excavation.
65 P?ekwin seats the personators in the Sayataca house, and they smoke with the priests. (See M. C. Stevenson.)]
{p. 719}
Into my warm body
I drew the misty breath.
With mist I added to the hearts of my fathers.
This is well:
That the rain makers may not with hold their misty breath,
With mist I added to their hearts.
When all this was at an end,
We greeted one another with terms of kinship:
Father,
Son, elder brother, Younger brother; uncle, nephew; grandfather, grandson; ancestor, descendant.
With this many words we greeted one another.
When all this was at an end,
My daylight father questioned me:[66]
"Yes, now indeed
You have passed us on our roads,
The one whom all our fathers,
Desiring something,
Appointed at the New Year.
Yonder to the south
Wherever emerge the precious roads of our fathers,
Rain maker priests,
Rain maker P?ekwins,
Rain maker bow priests.
With your prayer plumes-poorly made though they were,
You have asked for light for us.
Now this day, the appointed time has come."
Thus my father said to me.
Now our fathers,
Cula:witsi, p?ekwin priest,[67]
Sayataca, bow priest,[68]
Hututu, bow priest,
The two Yamuhakto, bow priests,
Perpetuating their rite,
Have once more assumed human form.
Their seeds,
Their riches,
Their fecundity,
The seeds of the yellow corn,
The seeds of the blue corn,
The seeds of the red corn,
The seeds of the white corn,
The seeds of the speckled corn,
The seeds of the black corn,
The seeds of the sweet corn,
All the clans of beans,
All the ancient round things,
The seeds of all the different trees,
The seeds of all the wild weeds,
I carry over my navel.
Those which we brought,
These seeds we now leave here
In the rain-filled rooms
Of our daylight fathers,
Our daylight mothers.
When in the spring,
Your earth mother is enriched with living waters,
Then in all your water-filled fields,
These, with which you will renew yourselves,
Your mothers,
All the different kinds of corn,
Within your earth mother
You will lay down.
With our earth mother's living waters
They will once more become living beings.
Into the daylight of our sun father
They will come out standing.
They will stand holding out their hand to all the directions,
Calling for water.
And from somewhere,
Our fathers with their fresh water
Will come to them.
Their fresh waters
They will drink in.
They will clasp their children in their arms;
Their young will finish their roads.
Into your house,
You will bring them,
To be your beloved ones.
In order that you may live thus,
In the rain-filled rooms
Of our daylight fathers,
71. The syntax of this passage is obscure. The reference is to the complete identification of the god with the impersonator.
72. O'naya:nak^a, literally, road finishing.
73. T?e'apk?unan:e, a word difficult to render into English. It includes children, domesticated animals, and game.
74. I'yanik^inawa, literally, "call one another by terms of relationship." The impersonator remains a "child" of the house he has dedicated and calls the host and hostess father and mother.]
{p. 721}
May you be blessed with light;
May your roads be fulfilled;
May you grow old;
May you be blessed in the chase;
To where the life-giving road of your sun father comes out
May your roads reach;
May your roads all be fulfilled.
And now indeed it has come to pass
This past day,
I stood beside the water-filled ladder
Of my daylight fathers,
My daylight mothers,
My daylight children.
8 We who had stood there,
In the rain-filled room
Of our daylight fathers,
Staying quietly we came to day.
12 Now our dawn fathers,
Dawn old men,
Dawn youths,
Dawn boys,
Dawn old women,
Dawn matrons,
Dawn maidens,
Dawn girls,
87. The choir of the medicine society that sang for them.
88. The spring at which kohai to was made in 1927.]
{p. 759}
90 The top of my head
Four times he sprinkled.
Where his seat was laid
He took hold of me.
Presenting me to all the directions,
He made me sit down.
95 Taking his grandson,
Reed youth,
Within his body,
Four times he bored a hole going through.
Four times drawing toward him his bag of native tobacco.
100 He put his hand in.
Into the palm of his hand
Four times he measured out tobacco.
Into his body,
Four times he stuffed the mist.
105 He took his grandmother by the hand,
Four times inhaling he drew the mist through;
Into his body
He drew the misty breath,
Yonder on all sides
110 With mist he added to the hearts of his fathers.
He handed it to me.
Four times inhaling I made the mist pass through.
Into my body
I drew the mist.
115 Yonder on all sides.
With mist I added to the hearts of my fathers.
This is well:
120 That the rain makers may not withhold their misty breath,
With mist I added to their hearts.
When all this was at an end,
Then we greeted one another with terms of kinship:
Father, son; elder brother, younger brother; uncle, nephew; grandfather, grandson, ancestor, descendant,
{p. 760}
125 With this many words we greeted one another.
When all this was at an end
My father questioned me:
Indeed now it seems you will have something to say, some word that is not too long
130 So finally, if you let me know it,
I shall know it for all time."
Thus my fathers spoke.
135 "Yes indeed it is so.
There to the south,
Following where my fathers' watery roads come forth
I have been asking for light for you.
140 Yesterday we reached the appointed time.
Perpetuating the rite of the one who is our father,
Sayataca, bow priest,
And once more giving him human form
145 I came out standing.
I looked to the north,
I looked to the west,
I looked to the south,
I looked to the east,
150 Hither, toward the place of dawn,
I saw four road going side by side.
Along the middle road.
Four times I sprinkled prayer meal.
155 Then I made the sound of the water-filled breath of the rain maker priest of the north.
Taking four steps,
Four times striding forward,
The water filled woodpile
Of my daylight father
160 I stood beside.
My father
Four times sprinkled my head with prayer meal.
{p. 761}
166 His rain filled woodpile,
He sprinkled with meal.
After him,
170 I sprinkled my prayer meal on it.
This night
The thoughts of all my fathers,
Whatever they wished
When they appointed me with their precious plume wand,
I have fulfilled.
The breath of my father,
Sayataca, bow priest,
180 His life-giving breath
His breath of old age
His breath of waters,
His breath of fecundity,
His breath of seeds,
185 His breath of riches,
His breath of power,
His breath of strong spirit,
His breath of all good fortune whatsoever,--
Asking for his breath,
190 And into my body
Drawing his breath.
I add to your breath now.
And furthermore, the yellow clothing bundle of the priest of the north,
The blue clothing bundle of the priest of the west,
195 The red clothing bundle of the priest of the south,
The white clothing bundle of the priest of the east,
The many colored clothing bundle of the priest of the above,
The dark colored clothing bundle of the priest of the below,
All kinds of good fortune whatsoever,--
200 Asking for the breath of these,
And into my warm body
Inhaling their breath,
I add to your breath.
To this end, my children:
205 May you be blessed with light;
May your roads be fulfilled;
May you grow old;
Yonder to where the road of your sun father comes out,
{p. 762}
210 May your roads reach
Together may your roads be fulfilled.
Host:[92] Father!
Ca?lako: Son!
Host: Elder brother!
Ca?lako: Younger brother!
5 Host: Uncle!
Ca?lako: Nephew!
Host: Grandfather!
Ca?lako: Grandson!
Host: Great-grandfather!
10 Ca?lako: Great-grandson!
Host:
This night
The ones who are our fathers
Masked god priests,
All the masked gods.
15 At their precious mountain,
Their precious lake,
Perpetuating what has been since the first beginning,
Have assumed human form.
Carrying your waters,
20 Carrying your seeds,
Making your roads come forth.
Making your roads come hither,
You have passed us on our roads
This night.
25 We see you,
From the soles of your feet
Even to the crowns of your heads,
Clothed in all fine things
You have passed us on our roads.
30 Looking at you
We know you have passed us on our roads.
Surely because you have some thing to say, some word that is not too long,
You have passed us on our roads.
If you let us know that
35 Thinking of that, we shall always live,
Is it not so?
Guests: It is so.
Ca?lako:
Now, indeed, it has come to pass.
At the New Year
All my fathers[92]
Prepared precious plume wands.
5 When they were ready
With sacred words,
They commissioned them,
When our sun father
Had gone in to sit down at his ancient place,
10 After a blessed night
They came to day.
Next day
When our sun father
15 Coming out standing to his ancient place,
Passed us on our roads,
Then our fathers
Four times drew toward them
The plume wands commissioned with their prayers.
20 The one who is our father,
K^?äwulia P?autiwa,
With their plume wands.
Four times they held fast.
Saying, "Let it be now."
25 Carrying his fathers' plume wands,
He made his road come forth.
Over to the south
He made his road go.
30 Thinking, "Let it be here,"
Perpetuating what has been since the first beginning,
Once more he assumed human form.
Carrying his father's plume wands
35 He made his road come forth.
Into Itiwana
He made his road enter.
Four times he made his road go round,
Then into Itiwana
1. Painted with ordinary paint.
2. At springs.]
{p. 766}
110 Cotton woman,
Even a roughly made cotton thread,
A soiled cotton thread,
And with beads,
Even if only a single bead
Borrowed somewheres from among all the village branches,[3]
And with the pollen of their fathers,
Their mothers,
Their children,
120 The different kinds of corn,
And with turquoise,
Keeping it in their hearts,
They gave their day count human form.
Then our fathers,
125 Sayataca, bow priest,
Molanhakto,[4] house chief priest,
Passed their fathers on their road.
The day count to which they had given human form,
130 Four times drawing toward them,
With their day count
They took firm hold of their fathers.
Carrying the day count,
135 They made their roads come forth.
To their houses
Their roads reached.
Saying, "Let it be now,"
Carrying the plume wands which they had prepared,
140 Carrying their father's day count,
They made their roads go forth.
There to the south,
We made our roads go.
145 At the place called since the first beginning
Ants-go-in[5]
We passed our fathers on their roads.
4. "Carrying squash (round things) on the head," the father of the Koyemci. The name is characteristically ambiguous, referring both to the knobs on the mask and the squash seeds in the knobs. All the Koyemci are called Molanhaktu in songs and prayers. Koyemci is merely a nickname. They are distinguished by name, Molanhaktu a wan atcu, molanhaktu a wan pekwin, molanhaktu ocotsi, etc.
5. The ceremony no longer takes place at this spring, which is at the foot of Corn Mountain, and at the base of the K^äkima, but at Ayayakya, on the west side of K^äkima Canyon. (Seep. 712 for the names of the springs visited.)]
{p. 767}
150 There we gave them our father's plume wands;
There with our father's day count
We counted the sequence of the days.
This many days,
155 Anxiously we have awaited the time.
Yonder to the west
We gave our fathers plume wands.
160 When the number of their days was at an end
For that which was soon to be
We again prepared plume wands.
When our plume wands were ready,
There to the west,
At the place called since the first beginning
165 Village of the masked gods,[7]
Where the gray mountain stands,
And the blue mountain,
Where their altar stands above,
Where their altar lies beneath,
170 Where our fathers abide,
We met them on their roads.
Where their water filled doorway opens outward,
We stood in the doorway.
175 There where our fathers' road comes out,
At their water-filled woodpile,
Four times we sprinkled prayer meal inside.
180 Four times stepping down
Standing we came in.
Coming in standing,
There our fathers,
(Our ancestors) rain old men,
185 We passed on their roads.
(Our ancestors) rain old women
We passed on their roads.
We saw them.
Not one of them was missing;
{p. 768}
190 At the blessed place where they were all gathered together,
We saw them.
Then with our prayer meal
Four times we sprinkled the tops of their heads.
195 This we did to all.
When this was at an end,
The one who is our father,
Overhearing us,
Prepared rain seats for us.
200 His prayer meal
Four times he sprinkled upon us.
Following him
Our father's rain seats
We stood beside.
205 Then the one who is our father
Took hold of us.
Presenting us to all the directions he made us sit down.
We sat quietly;
We waited for his words.
210 Our father four times drew toward him
The rain cigarette which he had prepared.
Taking his grandmother by the hand,
He made her sit in the doorway.
215 Four times the mist passed through.
With the mist,
We added to the hearts of our fathers,
Our beloved ones of all the directions,
Asking for the waters
Of our fathers of all the directions
When all this was at an end,
Into our bodies
We drew the misty breath.
225 Drawing in our breath
With the terms of kinship
We greeted one another:
Father, son; elder brother, younger brother; uncle, nephew; grandfather, grandson; great-grandfather, great-grandson,
Thus we greeted one another.
{p. 769}
When all this was at an end,
230 The one who is my father
Questioned me:
"Yes, now, even now,
You have passed us on our roads.
Surely because of some words of our fathers,
Spoken at the New Year,
235 Because of some words of importance, some word that is not too long,
You have passed us on our roads.
So finally, if you let us know that,
Thinking always of that,
We shall pass our days."
240 Thus our father spoke to us, did he not?[8]
--Even so.--
"Yes, indeed it is true.
This many days
Throughout the winter,
245 Throughout the summer,
There to the south,
We brought you plume wands,
Wherever your roads come out,
Though our plume wands were but poorly made,
250 We brought you plume wands,
We brought you prayer feathers,
We brought you rain cigarettes.
When all this was at an end,
Now for that which is soon to be
255 We have passed you on your roads."
Thus we said to our father, did we not?
--Even so.--
When we had spoken thus
(Our father spoke.)
260 "Indeed, these are your days.
Now that we have remembered your days
You have come to us,
My two children."
Saying this,
Our father took hold of us.
From the soles of our feet
To the crowns of our heads,
{p. 770}
Clothing us with all things needful,
270 He made us ready.
When he had made us ready Four times
With our cover of thin clouds[9] he fitted us.
When he had reached the end, (he spoke):
275 "This is all.
With plain words
You have passed us on our road.
When our sun father
Has gone in to sit down at his ancient place,
And when our night fathers,
Our mothers,
Over their ancient place,
Have raised their dark curtain,
285 All together
Our daylight fathers,
Our mothers,
Our children,
We shall pass on their roads."
290 Thus our father spoke to us,
Did he not?
--Even so.--
"Yonder, our daylight fathers,
Our children,
All of us shall pass on their roads."
Thus our father said to us.
Now that we four times have gone ahead
Our fathers,
Even those with snow upon their heads,
300 With moss upon their faces,
No longer upright but leaning on canes,
Even all of them
305 Will pass us on our roads.
And furthermore the women,
Even those who are with child,
Holding another on the cradle,
With another going before
{p. 772}
350 The other Water-cress spring,
Dripping spring,
Bending grass,
Ashes spring,
Cat tail spring,
355 Rainbow spring,
Ca?lako place,
Snow hanging,
Rock wedge,
Painted rock,
360 Poison weed spring,
Mesa wall spring,
Toloknana,
Evil smelling water,
Sack of flour hanging,
365 Bluebird place,
Where ants go in,
White rocks sitting,
Where the masked dancers come out,
Sulphur spring, otherwise called hepatina,
(At all these places),
370 We passed our fathers on their roads.
Wherever their rain-filled door was open outward,
Where their roads come out,
Four times we gave them prayer meal.
Yonder toward all directions we looked,
Hither, toward Halona Itiwana,
Our daylight fathers' fourfold road we saw.
380 And now, at last, it seems,
Here we shall take our road,
Thus we said too one another.
Along the middle road four times sprinkling prayer meal before us
Hither we took our way.
385 Our daylight fathers'
Our daylight mothers' watery roads coming out,
We saw.
Sprinkling prayer meal
Where come forth the watery roads
Of our daylight fathers,
We sat down in the doorway,[12]
Four times rising
We came in.
{p. 774}
430 Then we made an end of this.
Now that this is at an end,
The ones who are our fathers
From their abode set with mountains,
Set with lakes,
435 Making their roads come forth,
Making their roads come hither,
They have passed you on your roads.
This night,
Bringing a their good fortune,
440 They have passed you on your roads.
Their seeds of corn: the yellow ones,
The blue ones,
The red ones,
The white ones,
445 The speckled ones,
The black ones,
The sweet corn seeds;
All the different clans of beans,
The yellow beans,
450 The blue beans,
The red beans,
The white beans,
The many colored beans,
The black beans,
The string beans,
The small beans,
The little spotted beans,
All the different tiny beans;
With all these seeds bundled about our waists,
460 We have passed you on your roads.
And then also the seeds of all the forest trees:
The seeds of the piñon tree,
The seeds of the oak tree,
The seeds of the first-flowering shrub,
465 The seeds of all the small shrubs;
And then all the ancient round ones:
The striped squash,
The crooked-neck squash,
The watermelons,
470 The sweet melons,
The gourds;
The seeds of the large yucca,
The seeds of the small yucca,
The seeds of the cactus,
{p. 775}
475 All of these.
With these tied about our waists,
Provided with this bundle over our navels,
We have passed you on your roads.
For you we leave these seeds.
480 This is all.
Thus with plain words
We have passed you on your roads.
Here for you we leave these seeds.
When in the spring,
Your earth mother is wet,
In your earth mother
You will bury these seeds.
Carefully they will bring forth their young.
Bringing them back,
490 Toward this your thoughts will bend.
And henceforth, as kindred,
Talking kindly to one another,
We shall always live.[16]
And now indeed it has come to pass.
The thoughts of our fathers,
Who at the New Year
With precious plume wands appointed us--
Their thoughts we now have fulfilled.
500 Always with one thought
We shall live.
This is all.
Thus with plain words
We have passed you on your roads.
505 This our father's waters,
His seeds,
His riches,
His power,
510 His strong spirit,
All his good fortune whatsoever,
We shall give to you.
To the end, my fathers,
My children,
515 Verily, so long as we enjoy the light of day,
We shall greet one another as kindred.
The female head of the house washes the head of the Ca?lako impersonator at the close of the all-night ceremonies, at about 8 o'clock in the morning. The other women present sprinkle water on his head.
This day,
My two children,
With our clear water
We shall hold you fast.
5 My child,
In order that your road may be fulfilled,
Reaching yonder to where the road of our sun father comes out,
For this with our clear water,
10 We hold you fast.
Somehow because of the thoughts of our fathers,
The ones who appointed you with their plume wand,
15 Throughout the winter,
Throughout the summer,
Yonder to the south
Wherever the roads of our fathers come out,
20 With your plume wands
You have asked continually for life for us.
This day
You have fulfilled their thoughts.
With our waters
We hold you fast.
Our child,
Always talking together kindly,
So long as we still can see one another,
That thus our roads may be fulfilled
30 For this, with our waters
We have bound you fast.
The Koyemci are actually bathed in the house of the priests, and each receives a gift of food from each of the women who participate in the ceremony, the wives and daughters of priests of the council. Later at the houses of their "aunts" they are also "washed." Here the rite is entirely symbolic. Corn meal is sprinkled on the head and gifts are presented. This, too, is called "washing." Ritual washing of the head is always the function of the paternal aunt.
The wives of the priests:
This day, my fathers,
Mo'lanhakto, priests
You have passed us on our roads.
With our clear water
We hold you fast.
My children,
May your roads reach to Dawn Lake,
May your roads be fulfilled;
May you grow old.
In order that you may grow old,
With our clear water
We have bound you fast.
In the ancestral house of his father, meal is sprinkled on his head by his paternal aunt and all the women of his father's clan with the following prayer. The two women's prayers are characteristically brief.
My father,
This day,
With our clear water
We have held you fast.
May your road reach to Dawn Lake
May your road be fulfilled,
May you grow old.
{p. 778}
His father's brother hands him a bundle of prayer sticks made for him by male members of the clan.
The uncle:
This many are the days
Since our fathers,
Priests of the masked gods,
Cula:witsi, p?ekwin, priest
5 Sayataca, bow priest,
Hututu, bow priest,
Yamuhaktu, bow priests,
Ca?lako, bow priests,
All the masked gods
10 Made their roads come hither.
Wherever perfect plume wands had been left for them,
They made their roads ascend.
Sitting down quietly they came to day.
Next day,
15 Laying down all their gifts
Their seeds,
Their riches,
All that they had brought tied about their waists
20 Back to their own country
They took their way.
Leaving their children[18] to stay quietly
They took their way.
25 And wherever plume wands had been left for them
Their children
With their words issuing forth,
With their sighing breath,
Stayed in our houses.
All their days being past
30 This day
For the one who is our father,
Molanhakto,
We have prepared plume wands.
35 Our children,
Whoever of them wished to grow old,
Upon the plume wands which they had prepared
Breathed their sacred words.
Here to our house
The Koyemci remain all day in the plaza in attendance on the various sets of dancers. At nightfall the last of the dancers, the Molawia, have departed. Then the Koyemci in pairs visit every house in the village, to invoke upon it the blessings of the gods. At each house they receive gifts of food from the female inhabitants. Returning to the plaza, they take their prayer sticks out to plant. They return to the house of their father late at night, and removing their masks for the first time all day give them to their father to return to the house where they are kept. When he comes back, he thanks his children for their year of work, and sets them free. Then for the first time since the preceding evening they drink, and after eating and bathing, return to their homes. Their retreat, fifteen days, is the longest in Zuñi ritual. The following is the prayer of the father of the Koyemci, setting them free.
This many are the days,
My children,
Since with their plume wand they appointed us.
5 Throughout the winter,
And the summer
Anxiously we have awaited our time.
Hither toward the south
We have given our fathers plume wands.
For all our ladder descending children
We have been asking for life.
{p. 781}
15 Now we have reached the appointed time.
This night
We have fulfilled the thoughts of our fathers.
Always with one thought
20 We shall live.
My children,
This night
Your children
Your families,
Happily you will pass on their roads.
Happily we shall always live.
Even though we say we have fulfilled their thoughts
No indeed
30 Anxiously awaiting until we shall again come to our appointed time
We shall live henceforth.
My children,
Thus I have finished my words for you.
35 To this end, my children:
May you now go happily to your children.
40 Asking for life from my fathers
Yonder on all sides,
Asking for my fathers' life-giving breath,
Their breath of old age,
And into my warm body,
Drawing their breath,
I add to your breath.
To this end, my children
May your roads be fulfilled;
May you grow old;
May you be blessed with life.
The Great Fire Society convenes for the first time in November at the full moon. Before sunset the male members assemble at their ceremonial house. The women bring food to the house and leave their sacred corn fetishes to be placed on the altar. The tablet altar has been set up against the west wall of the room. At sunset the choir begins to sing very softly a set of eight songs known as "For Pouring in the Water." At the beginning of the fourth song two men go out to offer food in the river. The society pekwin rises and makes the meal painting and sets up the corn fetishes. At the fifth song the society chief takes the bowl for the medicine water, at the sixth he mixes the medicine, at the seventh he puts in sacred colored pebbles, during the eighth he "smokes" the altar. The following prayer is spoken in a low voice by the society chief while performing these rites.
The procedure is followed whenever the society altar is set up. It is followed by a rite of exorcism which leads into the main body of the ceremony. It is about the same for all societies. The peculiar style of the following prayer may be due to the fact that it is accompanied by song.
This many are the days
Since our moon mother
Yonder in the west,
As a small thing became visible.
Now yonder in the west,
Standing fully grown against the sky
She makes her days.
Our spring children,'
Whoever wished to grow old,
Carrying prayer meal,
Carrying shells,
Yonder, with prayers,
One by one they made their roads go forth.
Yonder they met those
Who since the first beginning
Have been given the world,[2]
The forests,
The brush.
At the feet of some lucky one
Offering prayer meal,
Shell,
Among their finger tips,
They looked about.
Breaking off the young shoots
Of some fortunate one,
And drawing them toward them,
These very ones who stayed there quietly,
Bearing their long life,
Bearing their old age,
He brought back.
Into the rain filled rooms
Of his daylight fathers,[3]
His mothers,
His children,
He made their roads come in.
This many days the divine one[4]
2. The shrubs whose wood is used for prayer sticks.
3. That is, human. The ceremonial room of the society.
4. K^?äpin a:'ho?i, literally "raw persons," as distinct from the "daylight people" "who are cooked" through having been born on a bed of warm sand.]
{p. 783}
Have remained with us their children.
Now this very day
For the rite of our fathers,
Beast priests,[5]
We have prepared plume wands.
When yet a little space remained,
Ere our sun father
Went in to sit down at his sacred place[6]
Coming to my earth mother,
Have I offered plume wands to my fathers,
And returned to my house.
Then yonder from all sides
Those who are my fathers,
The divine ones,[7]
With none among them lacking,
Will make their roads come forth,
Hither they will come.
Then having made my fathers' massed cloud house,[8]
Having spread out their mist blanket,
Having sent forth their life giving road,
Having laid down their rainbow bow,
Having laid down their lightning arrow,
I shall sit down quietly.
I shall set down my white shell bowl.[9]
Then from afar on all sides
You, my fathers,
Will come.
Yonder from the north,
The rain maker priests,[10]
Bringing their waters,
Will make their roads come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times they will make their road come in.
Yonder from the west
The rain maker priests,
Bringing their waters,
Will make their roads come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times they will make their road come in.
Yonder from the south,
The rain maker priests,
Bringing their waters,
Will make their roads come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times they will make their road come in.
Yonder from the east
The rain maker priests,
Bringing their waters,
Will make their roads come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl.
Four times they will make their roads come in.
Yonder from the above
The rain maker priests,
Bringing their waters,
Will make their roads come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times they will make their roads come in.
Yonder from below
The rain maker priests,
Bringing their waters,
Will make their roads come in.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times they will make their roads come in.
When you have all sat down quietly
Our young ones[11]
Will refresh themselves with your waters.
Then to dawn lake reaching,
Their roads will be fulfilled.
And furthermore, yonder in the north,
You who are my father,
Mountain lion,[12]
9. For mixing the medicine water.
10. U'wanami--during this invocation he pours the water with a gourd, four gourds of water.
11. T?e'apk?una:we--children, also domesticated and game animals. The word is used as a general term for fecundity. Here specifically the members of the society.
12. He now invokes in turn the beast gods of the six directions, meanwhile addling pulverized roots with medicinal properties.]
{p. 784}
You are life-giving society chief;
Bringing your medicine,
You will make your road come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times making your road come in,
Watch over my spring.
When you sit down quietly
We shall be one person.[13]
And, furthermore, yonder in the west
You who are my father, bear,
You are life-giving society chief;
Bringing your medicine,
You will make your road come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times making your road come in,
Watch over my spring.
When you sit down quietly
We shall be one person.
And, furthermore, yonder in the south
You who are my father, badger,
You are life-giving society chief;
Bringing your medicine,
You will make your road come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times making your road come in,
Watch over my spring.
When you sit down quietly
We shall be one person.
And, furthermore, yonder in the east
You who are my father, wolf,
You are life-giving society chief;
Bringing your medicine,
You will make your road come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times making your road come in,
Watch over my spring.
When you sit down quietly,
We shall be one person.
And furthermore, yonder above
You who are my father, knife-wing,
You are life-giving society chief.
Bringing your medicine,
You will make your road come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times making your road come in,
Watch over my spring.
When you sit down quietly
We shall be one person.
And furthermore, yonder below
You who are my father, gopher,
You are life-giving society chief.
Bringing your medicine,
You will make your road come hither.
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times making your road come in,
Watch over my spring.
When you sit down quietly
We shall be one person.
And furthermore, yonder in the north
On all the mossy mountains,
On the tops of the mountains,
And along their slopes,
Where the ravines open out,
You hold the world in your keeping;
Ancient yellow stone,[14]
You will make your road come hither
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times making your road come in,
You will sit down quietly.
Then with your living waters
Our young ones will nourish themselves;
Reaching to Dawn Lake
Their roads will be fulfilled.
And furthermore, yonder in the west
On all the mossy mountains,
On the tops of the mountains,
And along their slopes,
Wherever the ravines open out,
You hold the world in your keeping;
Ancient blue stone,
You will make your road come hither
Where lies my white shell bowl,
Four times making your road come in
You will sit down quietly.
Then with your living waters
Our young ones will nourish themselves;
Reaching to Dawn Lake
Their roads will be fulfilled.
When anyone is sick and it is decided to call a shaman to cure him, the family decide whether or not they consider the case sufficiently serious to warrant summoning one of the societies to come as an organization to perform its curing ritual. This is done only when they believe death is threatened and it is felt that the full power of the society is needed to save the patient's life. In such cases the patient is given to the society, and the family undertakes to see that he is initiated within a reasonable time. This is a last resort, since the expense of initiation is very great.
In less serious cases a shaman is summoned to practice as an individual. In such a case the shaman may ask assistance of some colleague who owns an especially potent song or medicine, but the society as a whole does not participate, nor is the patient initiated. However, at the following New Year he goes to the house of the society with which his doctor is affiliated and his head is washed at their altar,
{p. 792}
and he becomes their "child." Each year at the winter solstice his society father, the shaman, makes a prayer stick for him to plant.
Before the physician is summoned the patient's relatives decide what they will offer him for his services. The gift is held ready. Then the patient's father or some other mature male relative prepares prayer meal, which he wraps in a corn husk. Into this he puts some bit of the gift for the physician--a thread from a robe, or a bit of the fringe if it is a shawl. This is for the Beast Gods, their "clothing." With this he goes to the house of the shaman. The two men sit down, remove their headbands and moccasins, clasping hands over the package of meal. The patient's father repeats the following prayer, to which the shaman replies in like spirit:[16]
This day,
Because of the ill will of the foolish ones,[17]
Our child wears out his spirit.
5 Among all our fathers,
Life-giving priests,[18]
Life-giving p?ekwins,
Life-giving bow priests,
We have looked about.
10 When all unexpectedly,
The divine ones chose you
We, in the daylight
Also chose you.
15 Now that we have let you know of it,
Yonder in their house,[19]
The divine ones have passed you on your road,
With the roads of the divine ones going ahead,
20 Into our house
You will make your road enter.
Having sat down quietly,
This day,
With the flesh of the white corn,
25 Prayer meal,
With ground shell,
We have taken firm hold of our fathers,
Life-giving priests;
With prayer meal held in the hollow of the left hand[20]
If the patient has been given to the society he is expected to complete his initiation as soon as economic obligations permit. Should he fail in this he is troubled with bad dreams as a warning of the fate that will overtake him. Initiation is in no sense a propitiatory rite; it is, rather, an access to power. The preliminary ceremonies held at his sick bed secured him a stay, but in order finally to triumph over the disease, the patient must place himself under the protection of the Beast Gods and receive from them a new heart. Should he not do this, he will be troubled in spirit until he sickens and dies. Worry is the most serious of all illnesses, it is the sickness of the spirit caused by supernatural agencies.
Frequently many years elapse before a man is in a position to meet the expenses of initiation. Whenever he is ready his family notify the society father, who is the man who received him as a patient. At the first fall meeting of the society the date for the initiation is set at the full moon of the month at which that society customarily initiates.
Four days before the full moon the ceremonial father goes after sunset to the house of the novice to notify him that the initiation ceremonies are about to begin. Here the boy's family are assembled and waiting for him. After formal greetings are exchanged, the man sits down, removes his head band and moccasins and prays.[24a]
24a. Dictated by a member of the Great Fire Society, a man who has initiated many children into his Society.]
{p. 796}
This many are the days
Since some evil thing
Made our child sick.
His breath failed.
5 Because of this from among all our fathers,
Life-giving priests,
Life-giving p?ekwins,
Life-giving bow priests;
All the society priests,
10 Society p?ekwins,
Society bow priests,
Unexpectedly
The divine ones chose me.
15 Their daylight children
Revealed themselves to you,
And choosing me,
You let me know.
Taking prayer meal,
20 Far off to the east,
With prayers, I made my road go forth.
Where our fathers' road comes in[25]
25 I passed them on their road.
Standing facing them,
I offered them prayer meal.
The divine ones' road preceded;
30 Their road preceding,
Following them
Hither with prayers.
We brought our roads
35 Into their daylight children's rain filled rooms,[26]
The divine ones brought their road.
They sat down quietly
And we of the daylight
40 Met one another.
Our prayer meal,
Shells,[27]
Riches,
On which I had breathed our prayers,
29 The four days during which the society holds its ceremonies of curing in the home of the patient. Only the officers and possessors of esoteric knowledge are present. The sacred paraphernalia of the society is set up, songs are sung, the Beast Gods are invoked, and finally the agency of sickness is withdrawn from the patient. The ceremonies are held for four consecutive nights, and last from midnight until dawn.
30 The days of waiting until the novice was ready to assume his obligations.
31 The time is now approaching the full moon. The ceremonies of initiation will begin with the making of prayer sticks by all members of the society on the day following the visit of the father to the home of the novice.]
{p. 798}
80 One by one shall make their roads go forth.[32]
Yonder where they have stood since the first beginning
Our fathers,
The forest,
The brush,
Those who have been given domain
85 Yonder on all the mossy mountains,
There we passed them on their roads.
At the feet of some lucky one,
90 Offering prayer meal,
Shells,
Corn pollen,
Even among their sharp fingers
We looked about.
95 Breaking off the straight green shoots of some lucky one,
We drew them toward us.
Even those standing there quietly,
Holding their long life,
100 Their old age,
Their waters,
Their seeds,
The divine ones made their roads come hither.
Near by into the house of our fathers,
105 Our mothers,
The clan of the sun,[33]
Into their house the divine ones
brought their road
110 And there sat down quietly.
This many days,
Anxiously waiting
With us, their children, they passed their days.
And now that their appointed time had come,
On the following morning the members of the society make prayer sticks at their society house. They plant late in the afternoon and go into retreat in their ceremonial room. The novice has prayer sticks made by his ceremonial father, with whom he goes to plant at Badger Place. He observes a strict retreat in his own house. Each night he is brought to the society room to practice dancing and to be purified for his initiation.
Each member of the society makes prayer sticks for the novice to plant the last day. His father prepares his mi?le, the feathered ear of corn which will be his personal fetish, his medicine bag, and the eagle feathers that form part of his regalia. He makes or purchases the hand-woven blue breechcloth which forms his ceremonial costume. At the boy's house preparations for the feast are under way.
On the fourth night he is summoned by his father. At the society house he is clothed and his face and body are painted with sacred paint. Then he is brought into the ceremonial room to meet his fathers, the Beast Gods. He dances all night with two women of the clan of his ceremonial father. At dawn the two women wash his head at the altar, while the choir calls his new name. At the conclusion of this the ceremonial father hands the boy the medicine bag, eagle feathers, four ears of corn which have been lying on the altar, the mi?le, and the bundle of prayer sticks. They clasp bands over these sacred objects while the father repeats a long prayer, reviewing the events which have led up to this moment. At the conclusion all inhale the blessing of the newly consecrated mi?le.
The boy takes his sacred possession to his house and returns to the society room, where his relatives serve a sumptuous feast. About noon he goes with his ceremonial father and the head of the society to a shrine on Badger Place where be plants the bundle of prayer sticks. Then for four days he must abstain from animal food in addition to the usual requirements of sexual continence and gentleness. On the fourth morning his father takes him out toward the east and removes from his hair the downy feather which he has worn as a pledge of his abstinence. He takes the boy to his house, where his head is washed by his wife. On this day there are elaborate exchanges of
42. With the package of meal received from the patient's family, the shaman goes to the east to pray for divine help.
43. The first visit to the patient.]
{p. 804}
With shells,
With rich clothing
We held one another fast.
Taking my child's prayer meal,
His shells,
His rich clothing,
Yonder toward the east,
With prayers I made my road go forth.[44]
Where the life-giving road of my fathers comes in,
I passed them on their road.
With my child's prayer meal,
With his shells,
With his rich clothing
For my child
I asked for life.
Then I returned to my own house.
As the sacred words of the divine ones circulated,[45]
We in the daylight,
Letting one another know,
Anxiously waiting we came to evening.
Following after those whom our thoughts embrace,[46]
The ones who were to have their days,
Male willow,
Female willow,
Breaking off straight young shoots,
Of whichever ones were lucky,
And drawing them toward us,
With our warm human hands
We held them fast.
With the massed cloud robe of our grandfather,
Male turkey,
With eagle's mist garment,
With the striped cloud wings
And massed cloud tails
Of all the birds of summer,
Four times with these wrapping the plume wands
We gave them human form;
With our mother,
Cotton woman,
Even a roughly spun cotton thread,
Four times encircling them and tying it around,
With a rain-bringing hair feather,
We gave them human form;
With the flesh of our two mothers,
Black paint woman,
Clay woman,
Clothing their plume wands with their flesh,
We gave them human form;
With the mucous of our fathers,[47]
Life-giving priests,
We gave them human form.
Saying, "Let it be now,"
And taking our plume wands,
The divine ones leading,
We following at their backs,
Hither with prayers
We brought our roads.
Into the rain-filled rooms
Of our daylight children[48]
The divine ones entered;
With their hands
They removed the source of sickness from our child,
The one who had been suffering from some evil sickness.
Then our child
With his spittle
Finished their plume wands.
Taking the plume wand,
After having removed the sickness from our child,
The one who had been suffering with some evil sickness,
Taking the plume wand,
We made our road go forth.
Saying, "Let it be here,"
I met those who are our fathers,
Life-giving priests,
Life-giving p?ekwins,
Life-giving bow priests;
And furthermore our ancestors,
Those who here belonged to societies,
Those who were society chiefs,
Those who were society p?ekwins,
45. He notifies important members of the society that the society has been summoned to cure, while at the same time the supernaturals assemble.
46. Heads of the society go after willow sticks of which to make prayer sticks. In the text of the following passage all pronouns are omitted, implying a third person subject. They have been restored in the translation in the interest of intelligibility. Such changes of person are characteristic.
47. Medicine roots which are used on prayer sticks for special occasions. The use of these medicines, the way of making these prayer sticks, arid the prayers which give them power are some of the most carefully guarded secrets in Zuñi ritual.
48. The second visit to the patient The physician rubs his body with the medicated prayer stick. The physician takes it out immediately.]
{p. 805}
Those who were society bow priests,
Those who with thoughts embracing,
Held in their keeping our world;
And furthermore our ancestors,
Those who had knowledge of how to care for us,
And the Beast Priests.
Where they were all fittingly gathered together,
None being absent,
There I passed them on their roads.
I gave them the plume wands.
My fathers took firm hold of my plume wands.
Yonder at the place of their first beginning,
At Cipapolima,
While Iyatiku Poceyanki[49]
By means of my plume wands sent
Word about,
Anxiously waiting
They came to evening.
When our sun father
Had gone in standing to his sacred place,
And our night fathers,
Our night mothers,
Coming out rising to their sacred place,
Passed us on our roads,
Saying, "Let it be now,"
Our father,
Our mother,
The perfectly robed ones[50]
Both of them we made arise.
They leading,
Near by into the rain-filled rooms of our daylight fathers,
Our roads entered.[51]
Sitting down quietly,
Again for the second time
Taking our child's prayer meal,
And giving it to our fathers,
Here in the hollow of their life-giving left hand,
The prayer meal,
The shell giving to them,
We held one another fast.
Saying, "Let it be now,"
Our father,
Our mother,
The perfectly robed,
We made arise.
With these leading,
Far off to the east,
With prayers we made our road forth.[52]
Where our fathers' life-giving road comes in,
We passed them on their roads.
Standing face to face
Our child's prayer meal,
His shells,
We gave to our fathers.
And adding my own words
In accordance with whatever had already been said to make the prayer meal a being potent in prayer,
I asked for life for my child.
There we met our fathers,
Life-giving priests;
And furthermore, our ancestors,
Those who here belonged to societies
The ones who had attained the far off place of waters;
And furthermore our relatives,
Those who used to know how to care for us;
Where none were missing
But where all abide holding their long life,
Holding their old age,
We passed them on their roads;
All the Beast Priests
Holding their weapons[53]
We met;
With these all leading,
We following at their backs,
Hither with prayers we came.[54]
Into their daylight children's water-filled rooms,
Their seed-filled rooms,
The divine ones entered.
After they had sat down quietly
We, the daylight people,
50. The mi?le "and something else." What, could not be learned.
51. The first night visit to the patient.
52. He goes out with corn meal for the second time to pray for divine help.
53. Sa'wanik^ä, any weapon including the claws of animals, and, abstractly, power.
54. He returns to the house of the patient.]
{p. 806}
Met one another.
Sitting down quietly,
Our fathers, life-giving priests,
Built[55] with their hand their massed cloud house,
Spread out their mist blanket,
Sent forth their life-giving road,
Prepared their perfect spring.
Sitting down quietly,
These, the divine ones,
Looked over their child.
Then also these same ones
Let their hands go first,
Their breath go first
While our hands followed.
For among all the corn priests' ladder descending children,
Among all the little boys and little girls,
And those whose roads go ahead,[56]
Was one, who even though a valuable person,
Because he became angry over some thing,
Used his power to harm our child.
The power of this foolish one,
Our fathers, the divine ones,
The Beast Priests,
Brought forth standing
Into the daylight of our sun father.[57]
Then with his fathers' water of life,
With their flesh,[58]
Our child nourished himself.
When the day had advanced a little,
When the night had advanced a little,
Our child's sickness grew less,
His breath became better.
That his road may be fulfilled
Reaching to where the road of his sun father comes out,
That he may stand firmly upon his earth mother,
Hoping for this we shall live.
When he said, let it be now,[59]
And after our moon mother,
Yonder in the west still small,
Had first appeared,
And when a little space yet remained
Until, standing against the eastern sky,
She should come to maturity.
At that time our spring children,[60]
Whoever of them had thought to grow old,
Taking prayer meal,
Taking shells,
Taking corn pollen,
Made their roads go forth.
Wherever they met their fathers of the bush,
At the feet of the lucky one
Prayer meal, shell,
Corn pollen,
They offered.
Breaking off the straight young shoots
Which they drew toward them,
With their warm human hands,
They held them fast.
With the massed cloud robe of our grandfather,
Male turkey,
Eagle's mist garment,
And the striped cloud wings
And massed cloud tails
Of all the birds of summer,
With these four times wrapping their plume wands,
They gave their plume wands human form.
With the one who is our mother,
Cotton woman,
Even a roughly spun cotton thread,
Four times encircling the plume wand
And tying it around,
And with a rain-bringing hair feather,
They gave their plume wands human form.
With the flesh of our two mothers,
Black paint woman,
Clay woman,
Clothing their plume wands with flesh,
They gave their plume wands human form.
Saying, "Let it be now,"
And taking our plume wands,
69. Unidentified constellation.]
At the winter solstice all the societies observe retreats. After the images of the war god have gone into the kiva on the night before the first great prayer stick planting they hold late meetings at which special prayers are said for rain. There are special and very secret songs that are sung on this night only. They do not go into retreat formally until the next night. Three nights are spent mainly in preparation
{p. 828}
for the great ceremony of the last night at which the sick are cured. On this night the beast gods are present in all the society houses, and take possession of those who have the secret knowledge of how to invoke them.
The following prayers purport to be those spoken by the heads of the Cuma:kwe and Ant Societies, respectively, at some time during this four-day retreat. The man who dictated it was not a member of either society and did not state the precise use of the prayers. Nor were my other informants familiar with them. Such prayers might be used on any one of a great number of occasions.
My life-giving fathers,
At the place called since the first beginning Tcipia,
You dwell.
Where the deer stands,
5 At Dry place you dwell.
My fathers,
Life-giving priests, there you dwell.
This day,
Here at Itiwana,
10 Our daylight fathers,
Our mothers,
Our children,
In their inner rooms
For their fathers,
15 Life-giving priests,
Perpetuating the rite handed down since the first beginning,
Have spread out your cloud blanket,
Your life-giving road they have made.
20 Your spring they have made.
Perpetuating the rite handed down since the first beginning
You have sat down quietly before it;
At your back,
At your feet,
25 We shall sit down beside you.
Desiring your waters,
Your seeds,
Your riches,
Your long life,
30 Your old age,
Desiring these, I set you down
quietly.
As you sit here quietly
As I wish, according to my words,
You will take us to be your children,
{p. 829}
35 So that all my children
May be saved.
All will be happy.
Safely they will bring forth their young.
So that all my children may finish their roads,
So that they may grow old,
40 So that you may bless us with life,
So that none of my spring children
May be left standing outside.
So that you may protect us (I have done this).
May our roads be fulfilled;
45 May we grow old;
May our roads reach to dawn lake;
May we grow old;
May you bless us with life.
At the place of the first beginning,
Ci'papolima,
Life-giving priests, abide.
My fathers,
5 Beast priests,
Mountain lion,
Bear,
Badger,
Wolf,
10 My father above,
Knife wing,
Shrew,
My fathers,
Over all this great world you go about.
15 Rattlesnake yellow,
Blue,
Red,
White,
Many colored,
20 Black.
Here at the place of your first beginning,
Ci'papolima,
In your inner room, you live.
Your massed cloud blanket is spread out.
{p. 830}
25 Your life-giving road goes forth.
None of you are missing,
But all stay quietly.
Perpetuating your rite according the first beginning,
You live.
30 My fathers,
Life-giving priest,
With none missing, you live.
Yonder my sacred word will reach.
35 To you I speak my sacred words.
My fathers,
Life-giving priest,
Perpetuating your rite according to the first beginning,
You live.
40 Here at Itiwana, we live.
Here in the daylight we live.
My fathers,
Life-giving priest,
45 Where none are missing,
You live.
Listen to my sacred words.
There you live.
To you I speak.
Mindful of my words,
50 My country,
Itiwana,
Cover with your clouds,
Cover with your rains,
55 All of your children preserve.
Reaching to Dawn Lake,
May our roads be fulfilled.
May we grow old
60 May our peoples' roads all be fulfilled.
May they be preserved,
The expedition for gathering medicine roots camps the first night about sixteen miles east of Zuñi. Before eating, the customary offerings of food are set aside. After singing four songs, the head of the expedition prays:
Now this night,
Our night fathers.
Our mothers,
{p. 831}
5 Rising a little, have come standing to their sacred place.
The song sequence of our fathers
You have heard.
You who are our fathers,
10 Beast bow priests,
Your hand leading,
Our hands following,
Desiring your medicine,
Hither we take our roads.
15 Do not think to withhold it from us because of something,
For verily,
Desiring my fathers' flesh,
That by which my children may fulfill their thoughts,
20 To-morrow, throughout a good day,
A beautiful day,
With us your children
You will come to evening.
25 And when that day shall have passed,
Anxiously waiting,
We shall pass our days.
He takes the offering, burns it at a little distance from camp, and sitting down, waits for some omen.
Now this night
Our night fathers,
30 Our mothers,
Rising a little have come standing to their sacred place.
Bringing food
Hither with prayers
35 We made our road come forth.
Wherever, thinking "Let it be here,"
Our earth mother,
We passed on her road.
Sitting down on the bare ground,
(We came to you,)
40 Our ancestors,
The ones who here used to belong to societies,
The ones who used to understand medicine,
You who now have attained the
far off place of waters;
{p. 832}
Having passed you on your roads,
45 We shall add to your hearts.
Adding to your hearts
Your long life,
Your old age,
Your waters,
50 Your seeds,
Your medicine
You will grant to us,
How the days will be
You will make known to us.
55 Knowing that, we shall live.
After praying, he waits for an omen. Next day they look for the plants. A young man going for the first time gives his ceremonial father a package of prayer meal, saying:
Now this day,
Our sun father
60 Having come out standing to his sacred place,
And having yet a little ways to go,
To go in to sit down at his other sacred place,
Bringing prayer meal which I have prepared,
65 Here near by,
At the very edge of the wilderness,
I have passed you on your road.
Desiring our fathers' medicine
We hold one another fast.
Desiring the medicine of our ancestors,
The ones who here belonged to societies,
The ones who used to understand medicine,
The beast priests.
75 Desiring their medicines,
With prayer meal,
With shells,
With rich clothing,
We hold one another fast.
80 My father,
You will cleanse your thoughts,
You will cleanse your heart,
So that somehow we may be the
children of the divine ones.
{p. 833}
85 Perhaps, if we are fortunate,
Because of our thoughts
Our spring children may multiply.[70]
Among all the little boys
And all the little girls,
90 And those whose roads go ahead,
Our spring children have multiplied.
In order that this toward which our thoughts bend may be accomplished,
Desiring our fathers' medicine,
95 We have made our roads come hither.
My father,
For you I have finished all these words.
Even while I call myself poor,
Yonder on all sides
From those whom my thoughts embrace,
100 I shall ask for light;
I shall add to your breath.
Asking for the breath of the priest of the north,
The priest of the west,
The priest of the south,
105 The priest of the east,
The priest of above,
The priest of below.
Asking for their life-giving breath,
Their breath of old age,
110 Their breath of waters,
Their breath of seeds,
Their breath of fecundity,
Their breath of riches,
Their breath of strong spirit,
115 Their breath of power,
Their breath of all good fortune whereof they are possessed--
Asking for this,
Into my warm body
I shall draw their breath.
120 In order that our roads may reach
To where the road of our sun father comes out,
In order that we may finish our roads,
For this I add to your breath.
To this end, my father,
When a hunter sees deer tracks he crouches down in the trail and offers prayer meal to the deer, with the request that he may reveal himself. The following text is taken from a folk We in which success in hunting is the test imposed on suitors. Several suitors fail because they neglect to offer prayer meal to the prey.
This day
He who holds our roads,
Our sun father,
Has come out standing to his sacred place.
Now that he has passed us on our roads,
Here we pass you on your road.
Divine one,
The flesh of the white corn,
Prayer meal,
Shell,
Corn pollen,
Here I offer to you.
With your wisdom
Taking the prayer meal,
The shell,
The corn pollen,
This day,
My fathers,
My mothers,
In some little hollow,
In some low brush,
You will reveal yourselves to me.
Then with your flesh,
With your living waters,
May I sate myself. In order that this may be
Here I offer your prayer meal.
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