Zuni Fetiches Part 5

All ye woods that fill (the country) round about me, (do) grasp for me strongly. [This expression beseeches that the logs, sticks, branches, brambles, and vines shall impede the progress of the chased animal.] My fathers, favor me. Grant unto me the light of your favor, do.

The hunter then takes out his fetich, places its nostrils near his lips, breaths deeply from them, as though to inhale the supposed magic breath of the G.o.d of Prey, and puffs long and quite loudly in the general direction whither the tracks tend. He then, utters three or four times a long low cry of, "Hu-u-u-u!" It is supposed that the breath of the G.o.d, breathed in temporarily by the hunter, and breathed outward toward the heart of the pursued animal, will overcome the latter and stiffen his limbs, so that he will fall an easy prey; and that the low roar, as of the beast of prey, will enter his consciousness and frighten him so as to conceal from him the knowledge of any approach.

The hunter then rises, replaces his fetich, and pursues the trail with all possible ardor, until he either strikes the animal down by means of his weapons, or so worries it by long-continued chase that it becomes an easy capture. Before the "breath of life" has left the fallen deer (if it be such), he places its fore feet back of its horns and, grasping its mouth, holds it firmly closed, while he applies his lips to its nostrils and breathes as much wind into them as possible, again inhaling from the lungs of the dying animal into his own. Then letting go he exclaims:

Ha! e-lah-kwa! hom ta-tchu, hom tcha-le. Hom ta ta-sho-na-ne, All! Thanks! my father, my child. To me thou seeds (of earth)

k'ia-she-ma an-ik-tchi-a-nap-tu. Hom ta te-k'o-ha-na, o-ne, yathl water (want) meet (grant) do. To me thou light trail over (favor)

k'ok-s.h.i.+, an-ik-tchi-a-nap-tu.

good meet (grant) do.

FREE TRANSLATION.

Ah! Thanks, my father, my child. Grant unto me the seeds of earth ("daily bread") and the gift of water. Grant unto me the light of thy favor, do.

As soon as the animal is dead he lays open its viscera, cuts through the diaphragm, and makes an incision in the aorta, or in the sac which incloses the heart. He then takes out the prey fetich, breathes on it, and addresses it thus:

Si! Hom ta-tchu, lu-k'ia yat-ton-ne, lithl k'ia-pin-ha-i an k'iah-kwn Si! My father this day here Game animal its life-fluid (blood)

a-k'ia tas i-k'iah-kwi-na, tas i'-ke-i-nan a-k'ia hence thou shalt dampen thyself, thou shalt (thy) hence with, heart with

i'-te-li-a-u-na: add unto:

FREE TRANSLATION.

Si! My father, this day of the blood of a game being thou shalt drink (water thyself). With it thou shalt enlarge (add unto) thy heart:

He then dips the fetich into the blood which the sac still contains, continuing meanwhile the prayer, as follows:

----les-tik-le-a ak'n' ha-i', k'ia-pin-ha-i an k'iah-kwn, likewise cooked being, game being its fluid done raw (of life)

s.h.i.+-i-nan a-k'ia ha's lithl yam i-ke-i-nan i-te-li-a-u-na. flesh hence I shall here my heart add unto (enlarge). with */

FREE TRANSLATION.

--- likewise, I, a "done" being, with the blood, the flesh of a raw being (game animal), shall enlarge (add unto) my heart.

Which finished, he scoops up, with his hand, some of the blood and sips it; then, tearing forth the liver, ravenously devours a part of it, and exclaims, "e-lah-kwa!" (Thanks).

While skinning and quartering the game he takes care to cut out the _tragus_ or little inner lobe of its ear, the clot of blood within the heart (a'-te mul u-li-k'o-na), and to preserve some of the hair.

Before leaving, he forms of these and of the black paint, corn pollen, beads of turkois or turkois dust, and sacred sh.e.l.l or broken sh.e.l.l and coral beads before mentioned, a ball, and on the spot where the animal ceased to breathe he digs a grave, as it were, and deposits therein, with prayer-meal, this strange mixture, meanwhile saying the following prayer:

Si! Lu-k'ia yat-ton-ne, k'ia-pin-ha-i, to-pin-ta yat-ton-ne to-pin-ta Si! This day game being, one day, one raw

teh-thli-na-ne, le-we tom o-ne yathl u-lap-na-k'ia tap-te lu-k'ia night, thus much thy trail over circled about though this (even)

yat-ton-ne te-kwn-te te-a-ti-pa, tom lithl ha an-ah-u'-thla-k'ia.

day (as if) was it thou here I upward pulling unexpectedly embraced.

Tom lithl ha ha'l-lo-a-ti-nan thle-a-u. Tom lithl ha To thee here, I good fortune address To thee here I

o-ne-an thle-a-u. Tom lithl ha thla thle-a-u. Yam corn pollen address. To thee here I treasure address. By thy the yellow

an-i-kwan-a-k'ia ha'l-lo-wa-ti-nan, o-ne-an, thla knowledge-hence good fortune, the yellow, treasure

i-thle-a-u-na ta thli-mon ha-i i-ya-k'ia-nan hom an (thyself) shall dress thou new being making shall be my own (thyself)

te u-su=pe-nan a-k'ia ta ya'-shu-a i-tu loh k'ia-na.

prayer-speech hence thou conversing come and go (shall).

with,

K'ia-pin-a-ha-i a-te-kwi a-k'ia. Kwa hom i'-no-ti-nam tun Game beings relative to with. Not mine fail to raw animals in the direction of a-k'ia tom lithl ha ha'l-lo-wa-ti-nan, o-ne-an, thla, hence, to thee here I good fortune, the yellow, treasure

a-thle-a-k'ia. Hom ta te-k'o-ha-na an'-ik-tchi-a-nap-tu. O-ne (have) all To me thou light grant (meet) do. Trail addressed.

yathl k'ok-s.h.i.+ hom ta tchaw' il-lu'p o-na ya-k'ia-nap-tu.

over good to me thou children together with, finish, _do_.

trail

FREE TRANSLATION.

Si! This day, game animal, even though, for a day and a night, thy trail above (the earth) circled about--this day it has come to pa.s.s that I have embraced thee upward (from it). To thee here I address good fortune. To thee here I address the (sacred) pollen. To thee here I address treasure. By thy (magic) knowledge dressing thyself with this good fortune, with this yellow, with this treasure, do thou, in becoming a new being, converse with (or, of) my prayer as you wander to and fro.

That I may become unfailing toward the Game animals all, I have here addressed unto thee good fortune, the yellow and treasure.

Grant unto me the light of thy favor.

Grant unto me a good (journey) over the trail of life, and, together with children, make the road of my existence, do.

During the performance of these ceremonials the fetich is usually placed in a convenient spot to dry, and at their conclusion, with a blessing, it is replaced in the pouch. The hunter either seeks further for game, or making a pack of his game in its own skin by tying the legs together and crossing them over his forehead like a burden strap, returns home and deposits it either at the door or just within. The women then come, and, breathing from the nostrils, take the dead animal to the center of the room, where, placing its head toward the East, they lay on either side of its body next to the heart an ear of corn (significant of renewed life), and say prayers, which, though short, are not less interesting and ill.u.s.trative of the subject than those already given, but which, unfortunately, I cannot produce word for word.

The fetich is returned to the Keeper of the Deer Medicine with thanksgiving and a prayer, not unlike that uttered on taking it forth, but which also I am unable to reproduce. It contains a sentence consigning the fetich to its house with its relatives, speaking of its quenched thirst, satisfied hunger, and the prospects of future conquests, etc.

THEIR POWER.

It is believed that without recourse to these fetiches or to prayers and other inducements toward the game animals, especially the deer tribe, it would be useless to attempt the chase. Untrammeled by the Medicine of the Deer, the powers of the fetiches, or the animals of prey represented, the larger game is unconquerable; and no man, however great his endurance, is accounted able to overtake or to weary them. It thus happens that few hunters venture forth without a fetich, even though they belong to none of the members.h.i.+ps heretofore mentioned. Indeed, the wearing of these fetiches becomes almost as universal as is the wearing of amulets and "Medicines" among other nations and Indian tribes; since they are supposed to bring to their rightful possessors or holders, not only success in the chase and in war (in the case of the Warriors or Priests of the Bow), but also good fortune in other matters.

The successful hunter is typical of possession, since the products of his chase yield him food, apparel, ornament, and distinction. It is therefore argued with strange logic that, even though one may not be a hunter, there must exist a connection between the possessions of the hunter and the possessions of that one, and that princ.i.p.ally through the fetiches. A man therefore counts it the greatest of good fortune when he happens to find either a natural or artificial object resembling one of the animals of prey. He presents it to a proper member of the Prey Brotherhood, together with the appropriate flint arrow-point and the desirable amount of ornaments (thla-a) for dressing (thle-a-k'ia-na) and finis.h.i.+ng (i-ya-k'ia-na), as soon as possible.

PREY G.o.dS OF THE PRIESTHOOD OF THE BOW.