Zuni Fetiches Part 4

This is due to the fact that many of the members of the above-mentioned a.s.sociations also belong to other societies, and are required on the exact night of the New Year to perform other religious duties than those connected with the fetich wors.h.i.+p. Hence, the fetiches or G.o.ds of prey have their special New Year's day, called We-ma-a-wa u-pu-k'ia te-wa-ne ("The day of the council of the fetiches").

On this occasion is held the grand council of the fetiches. They are all taken from their place of deposit and arranged, according to species and color, in front of a symbolic slat altar on the floor of the council chamber in a way I have attempted to indicate, as far as possible, by the arrangement of the figures on the plates, the quadrupeds being placed upright, while the Eagles and other winged fetiches are suspended from the rafters by means of cotton cords. Busily engaged in observing other ceremonials and debarred from actual entrance, until my recent initiation into the Priesthood of the Bow, I have unfortunately never witnessed any part of this ceremonial save by stealth, and cannot describe it as a whole. I reserve the right, therefore, to correct any details of the following at some future day.

The ceremonials last throughout the latter two-thirds of a night. Each member on entering approaches the altar, and with prayer-meal in hand addresses a long prayer to the a.s.sembly of fetiches, at the close of which he scatters the prayer-meal over them, breathes on and from his hand, and takes his place in the council. An opening prayer-chant, lasting from one to three hours, is then sung at intervals, in which various members dance to the sound of the constant rattles, imitating at the close of each stanza the cries of the beasts represented by the fetiches.

At the conclusion of the song, the "Keeper of the Deer Medicine," who is master priest of the occasion, leads off in the recitation of a long metrical ritual, in which he is followed by the two warrior priests with shorter recitations, and by a prayer from another priest (of uncertain rank). During these recitations, responses like those of the litany in the Church of England may be heard from the whole a.s.sembly, and at their close, at or after sunrise, all members flock around the altar and repeat, prayer-meal in hand, a concluding invocation. This is followed by a liberal feast, princ.i.p.ally of game, which is brought in and served by the women, with additional recitations and ceremonials. At this feast, portions of each kind of food are taken out by every member for the Prey G.o.ds, which portions are sacrificed by the priests, together with the prayer plume-sticks, several of which are supplied by each member.

CEREMONIALS OF THE HUNT.

Similar midnight ceremonials, but briefer, are observed on the occasion of the great midwinter tribal hunts, the times for which are fixed by the Keeper of the Deer Medicine, the master and warrior priests of the Sa-ni-a-k'ia-kwe; and the religious observances accompanying and following which would form one of the most interesting chapters connected with the fetich wors.h.i.+p of the Zuni's.

These ceremonials and tribal hunts are more and more rarely observed, on account of the scarcity of game and of the death a few years since of the warrior priest above mentioned, without whose a.s.sistance they cannot be performed. This position has been recently refilled, and I hope during the coming winter to be enabled, not only to witness one of these observances, but also to join in it; a privilege which will be granted to me on account of my members.h.i.+p in the order of the Priesthood of the Bow.

Any hunter, provided he be one privileged to partic.i.p.ate in the above described ceremonials--namely, a Prey brother--supplies himself, when preparing for the chase, not only with his weapons, &c., but also with a favorite or appropriate prey fetich. In order to procure the latter he proceeds, sooner or later before starting, to the House of the Deer Medicine (Nal-e-ton 'n-kwn), where the vessel containing the fetiches is brought forth by the Keeper or some subst.i.tute, and placed before him. Pacing in the direction of the region to which belongs the particular fetich which he designs to use, he sprinkles into and over the vessel sacred prayer or medicine meal. Then holding a small quant.i.ty of the meal in his left hand, over the region of his heart, he removes his head-band and utters the following prayer:

Ma: Lu-k'ia yat-ton-ne, hom ta-tchu, hom tsi-ta, tom lithl ha Why! This day, my father, my mother, (to)thee here I

te-kwn-te te-a-tip, o-na el-le-te-k'ia. Hothl yam a-ta-tchu unexpectedly have trail overtaken. Soever for my Fathers (by) road

Ka-ka A'-s.h.i.+-wa-ni, we-ma a-s.h.i.+-wa-ni, K'ia-pin-a-ha-i sacred dance priest-(G.o.ds), Prey priest-(G.o.ds), the G.o.ds animal beings

awen ha lithl yam te-li-ki-na yel-le-te-u-k'o-na theirs I here my sacred things made ready (which) for them (plumes, etc., literally relatives of the species)

te-li-ki-na i-thle-a-nan tom lithl ha o-na el-le-te-k'ia; tom sacred things with (me) unto here I road overtaken; unto bringing thee by (have) thee trail

lithl ha hal-lo-wa-ti-nan thle-a-u tom an te-ap-k'o-nan here I good fortune (ad)dress thy own wherewith (thou hast being)

a'n-ti-shem-an a-k'ia yam a-wi-te-lin tsi-ta, ha lithl wis.h.i.+ng for hence, to my all earth mother I here

te-u-su a-k'ia o-ne yathl kwai-k'ia-na.

(with prayer) hence, trail over go out shall.

(-from), prayer

Le-we u-lokh nan thla-na tom te-ap-k'o-nan sho-hi-ta tom Thus much (of the) great thy wherewith (thou (the) deer thy world hast being)

pi-nan a-k'ia a-u-la-sho. Awen s.h.i.+-nan, awen k'iah-kwn wind by encircle about Their flesh their life fluid breath (of hence wander around. (blood) life)

hothl an-ti-she-man a-k'ia, le-hok te-u-su a k'ia ha o-ne soever wanting hence yonder prayer hence I trail (from me) with

kwai k'ia-na.

go out (shall).

Kwa-i-no-ti-nam hothl yam te-ap-k'o-nan a-k'ia hom ta Without fail where- thy wherewith (thou hence (by) to me thou (unfailingly) soever for me hast being)

ke-tsa-ti-k'ia-na. Hom ta te-k'o-ha-na an-ik tchi-a-tu.

happy (make, do). Unto me thou (the) light meet with (_do_).

FREE TRANSLATION.

Why (of course)--

This day, my father (or, my mother), here I, (as if) unexpectedly, meet thee with whatsoever I have made ready of the sacred things of my fathers, the priest G.o.ds of the sacred dances, the priest G.o.ds of the Prey (beings). These sacred things bringing I have here overtaken thee, and with their good fortune I here address thee. Wis.h.i.+ng for that whereby thou hast being, I shall go forth from here prayerfully upon the trails of my earth-mother.

Throughout the whole of this great country, they whereby thou hast being, the deer, by the command of thy wind of life (breath), wander about. It is wis.h.i.+ng for their flesh and blood that I shall go forth yonder prayerfully out over the trails.

Let it be without fail that thou shall make me happy with that whereby thou hast being. Grant unto me the light of thy favor.

Then scattering forth the prayer-meal in the direction he proposes to take on the hunt, he chooses from the vessel the fetich, and pressing it to or toward his lips breaths from, it and exclaims:

Ha! e-lah-kwa, hom ta-tchu (hom tsi-ta), lu-k'ia yat-ton-ne o-ne Ah! Thanks, my father, (my mother), this day trails

yathl eh-kwe ta-pan ha te-u-su a-k'ia, o-ne yathl kwai-k'ia-na.

over ahead taking I prayer with trails over go out shall.

FREE TRANSLATION.

Ah! Thanks, my father (or, my mother), this day I shall follow (thee) forth over the trails. Prayerfully over the trails I shall go out.

Should a party be going to the hunt together, all repair to the House of the Deer Medicine, repeating, one by one, the above prayers and ceremonial as the fetiches are drawn.

The fetich is then placed in a little crescent-shaped bag of buckskin which the hunter wears suspended over the left breast (or heart) by a buckskin thong, which is tied above the right shoulder. With it he returns home, where he hangs it up in his room and awaits a favorable rain or snow storm, meanwhile, if but a few days elapse, retaining the fetich in his own house. If a hunter be not a member of the orders above mentioned, while he must ask a member to secure a fetich for him, in the manner described, still he is quite as privileged to use it as is the member himself, although his chances for success are not supposed to be so good as those of the proper owner.

During his journey out the hunter picks from the heart of the _yucca_, or Spanish bayonet, a few thin leaves, and, on reaching the point where an animal which he wishes to capture has rested, or whence it has newly taken flight, he deposits, together with sacrifices hereinafter to be mentioned, a spider knot (ho-tsa-na mu kwi-ton-ne), made of four strands of these yucca leaves. This knot must be tied like the ordinary cat-knot, but invariably from right to left, so that the ends of the four strands shall spread out from the center as the legs of a spider from its body. The knot is further characterized by being tied quite awkwardly, as if by a mere child. It is deposited on the spot over which the heart of the animal is supposed to have rested or pa.s.sed. Then a forked twig of cedar is cut and stuck very obliquely into the ground, so that the p.r.o.ngs stand in a direction opposite to that of the course taken by the animal, and immediately in front, as it were, of the fore part of its heart, which is represented as entangled in the knot.

This process, in conjunction with the roar of the animal, which the fetich represents, and which is imitated by the hunter on the conclusion of these various ceremonials, is supposed to limit the power of flight of the animal sought, to confine him within a narrow circle, and, together with an additional ceremonial which is invariably performed, even without the other, is supposed to render it a sure prey. This is performed only after the track has been followed until either the animal is in sight, or a place is discovered where it has lain down. Then, in exactly the spot over which the heart of the animal is supposed to have rested, he deposits a sacrifice of corn pollen (ta-on-ia), sacred black war paint (tsu-ha-pa)--a kind of plumbago, containing s.h.i.+ning particles, and procured by barter from the Ha-va-su-pai (Coconinos), and from sacred mines toward the west--and prayer or sacred meal, made from white seed-corn (emblematic of terrestrial life or of the foods of mankind), fragments of sh.e.l.l, sand from the ocean, and sometimes turkois or green-stone, ground very fine, and invariably carried in pouches by all members of the sacred societies of Zuni. To this mixture sacred sh.e.l.l beads or coral are sometimes added. Then, taking out the fetich, he breathes on it and from it, and exclaims "Si!", which signifies "the time has come," or that everything is in readiness. The exact meaning may, perhaps, be made clearer by an example. When all preparations have been made complete for a ceremonial, the word "Si!", uttered by the master priest of the occasion, is a signal for the commencement of the ceremonials. It is therefore subst.i.tuted for "Ma!", used in the foregoing prayer, whenever any preparations, like sacrifices and ceremonials, precede the prayer.

With this introduction he utters the accompanying prayer:

Lu-k'ia yat ton-ne, hom ta-tchu k'ia-pin ha-i, to-pin-te yat-ton-ne, This day my father game being, one day raw

to-pin-te teh-thli-na-ne, tom an o-ne yathl u-lap-nap-te. Hothl one night thy own trail over round about However (even) though.

yam a-wi-te-lin tsi-tau-an to-pin-te i-te-tchu-na hom ta to me earth mother (with) one step to me thou your

an-k'o-ha-ti-na. Tom an k'iah-kwn an-ti-s.h.i.+-ma-na, tom an shalt grant(favor). Thy own blood wanting, thy own life-fluid

s.h.i.+-i-nan an-ti-s.h.i.+-man a-k'ia tom lithl ha hal-lo-wa-ti-nan flesh wanting, hence to thee, here I good fortunes

a-thle-a-u thla a-thle-a-u. Le-we ta-kuthl po-ti' hom (ad)dress, treasure (ad)dress. Thus much woods round filled to me all the about

an tom ya't-ti-na tsu-ma-k'ie-na. Hom a-ta-tchu, hom ton mine you grasping strong shall. My all-fathers, to me you

an-k'o-ha-ti-na-wa. Hom ton te-k'o-ha-na an-ik-tchi-a-nap-tu.

favor do (all). To me you light (favor) meet with _do_.

FREE TRANSLATION.

Si! This day, my father, thou game animal, even though thy trail one day and one night hast (been made) round about; however, grant unto me one step of my earth-mother. Wanting thy life-blood, wanting thy flesh, hence I here address to thee good fortune, address to thee treasure.