{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_19331/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_19331","id":"gutenberg_19331","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19331","summary":null,"tags":["Anthropology","Category: Archaeology & Anthropology","Category: History - Other","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Native America","Navajo Indians -- Rites and ceremonies"],"text":"Ceremonial of Hasjelti Dailjis and Mythical Sand Painting of the Navajo\nIndians\n\n\nby James Stevenson\n\n\n\n\nEdition 1, (September 2006)\n\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\nCONSTRUCTION OF THE MEDICINE LODGE.\nFIRST DAY.\n PERSONATORS OF THE GODS.\nSECOND DAY.\n DESCRIPTION OF THE SWEAT HOUSES.\n SWEAT HOUSES AND MASKS.\n PREPARATION OF THE SACRED REEDS (CIGARETTE) AND PRAYER STICKS.\nTHIRD DAY.\n FIRST CEREMONY.\n SECOND CEREMONY.\n THIRD CEREMONY.\n FOURTH CEREMONY.\nFOURTH DAY.\n FIRST CEREMONY.\n SECOND CEREMONY.\n THIRD CEREMONY.\n FOURTH CEREMONY.\n FIFTH CEREMONY.\n SIXTH CEREMONY.\nFIFTH DAY.\n FIRST CEREMONY.\n SECOND CEREMONY.\n THIRD CEREMONY.\nSIXTH DAY.\nSEVENTH DAY.\nEIGHTH DAY.\nNINTH DAY.\n FIRST CEREMONY.\n SECOND CEREMONY.\n SONG OF THE ETSETHLE.\n PRAYER TO THE ETSETHLE.\n CONCLUSION - THE DANCE.\nMYTHS OF THE NAVAJO.\n CREATION OF THE SUN.\n HASJELTI AND HOSTJOGHON.\n THE FLOATING LOGS.\n NAIYENESGONY AND TOBAIDISCHINNI.\n THE BROTHERS.\n THE OLD MAN AND WOMAN OF THE FIRST WORLD.\n\n\n\n\n\nILLUSTRATIONS\n\n\nFIG. 115. Exterior lodge.\nFIG. 116. Interior lodge.\nFIG. 117. Gaming ring.\nFIG. 118. Sweat house.\nPLATE CXII. A, Rainbow over eastern sweat house; B, Rainbow over western\nsweat house\nPLATE CXIII. Blanket rug and medicine tubes\nPLATE CXIV. Blanket rug and medicine tubes\nPLATE CXV. Masks: 1, Naiyenesyong; 2, 3, Tobaidischinne; 4, 5, Hasjelti;\n6, Hostjoghon; 7, Hostjobokon; 8, Hostjoboard\nPLATE CXVI. Blanket rug and medicine tubes\nPLATE CXVII. 1, Pine boughs on sand bed; 2, Apache basket containing yucca\nsuds lined with corn pollen; 3, Basket of water surface covered with pine\nneedles\nPLATE CXVIII. Blanket rug and medicine tubes and sticks\nPLATE CXIX. Blanket rug and medicine tube\nPLATE CXX. First sand painting\nPLATE CXXI. Second sand painting\nPLATE CXXII. Third sand painting\nPLATE CXXIII. Fourth sand painting\n\n\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION.\n\n\nDuring my visit to the Southwest, in the summer of 1885, it was my good\nfortune to arrive at the Navajo Reservation a few days before the\ncommencement of a Navajo healing ceremonial. Learning of the preparation\nfor this, I decided to remain and observe the ceremony, which was to\ncontinue nine days and nights. The occasion drew to the place some 1,200\nNavajos. The scene of the assemblage was an extensive plateau near the\nmargin of Keam's Canyon, Arizona.\n\nA variety of singular and interesting occurrences attended this great\nevent--mythologic rites, gambling, horse and foot racing, general\nmerriment, and curing the sick, the latter being the prime cause of the\ngathering. A man of distinction in the tribe was threatened with loss of\nvision from inflammation of the eyes, having looked upon certain masks\nwith an irreligious heart. He was rich and had many wealthy relations,\nhence the elaborateness of the ceremony of healing. A celebrated theurgist\nwas solicited to officiate, but much anxiety was felt when it was learned\nthat his wife was pregnant. A superstition prevails among the Navajo that\na man must not look upon a sand painting when his wife is in a state of\ngestation, as it would result in the loss of the life of the child. This\nmedicine man, however, came, feeling that he possessed ample power within\nhimself to avert such calamity by administering to the child immediately\nafter its birth a mixture in water of all the sands used in the painting.\nAs I have given but little time to the study of Navajo mythology, I can\nbut briefly mention such events as I witnessed, and record the myths only\nso far as I was able to collect them hastily. I will first describe the\nceremony of Yebitchai and give then the myths (some complete and others\nincomplete) explanatory of the gods and genii figuring in the Hasjelti\nDailjis (dance of Hasjelti) and in the nine days' ceremonial, and then\nothers independent of these. The ceremony is familiarly called among the\ntribe, \"Yebitchai,\" the word meaning the giant's uncle. The name was\noriginally given to the ceremonial to awe the children who, on the eighth\nday of the ceremony, are initiated into some of its mysteries and then for\nthe first time are informed that the characters appearing in the ceremony\nare not real gods, but only their representatives. There is good reason\nfor believing that their ideas in regard to the sand paintings were\nobtained from the Pueblo tribes, who in the past had elaborated sand\npaintings and whose work at present in connection with most of their\nmedicine ceremonies is of no mean order. The Mission Indians of southern\nCalifornia also regard sand paintings as among the important features in\ntheir medicine practices. While the figures of the mythical beings\nrepresented by the Navajo are no doubt of their own conception, yet I\ndiscovered that all their medicine tubes and offerings were similar to\nthose in use by the Zuni. Their presence among the Navajo can be readily\nexplained by the well known fact that it was the custom among Indians of\ndifferent tribes to barter and exchange medicine songs, ceremonies, and\nthe paraphernalia accompanying them. The Zuni and Tusayan claim that the\nNavajo obtained the secrets of the Pueblo medicine by intruding upon their\nceremonials or capturing a pueblo, and that they appropriated whatever\nsuited their fancy.\n\n [Illustration: Figure 115]\n\n FIG. 115. Exterior lodge.\n\n\nMy explanation of the ceremonial described is by authority of the priest\ndoctor who managed the whole affair and who remained with me five days\nafter the ceremonial for this special purpose. Much persuasion was\nrequired to induce him to stay, though he was most anxious that we should\nmake no mistake. He said:\n\n\n My wife may suffer and I should be near her; a father's eyes\n should be the first to look upon his child; it is like sunshine in\n the father's heart; the father also watches his little one to see\n the first signs of understanding, and observes the first steps of\n his child, that too is a bright light in the father's heart, but\n when the little one falls, it strikes the father's heart hard.\n\n\nThe features of this ceremonial which most surprise the white spectator\nare its great elaborateness, the number of its participants and its\nprolongation through many days for the purpose of restoring health to a\nsingle member of the tribe.\n\n\n\n\n\nCONSTRUCTION OF THE MEDICINE LODGE.\n\n\nA rectangular parallelogram was marked off on the ground, and at each\ncorner was firmly planted a forked post extending 10 feet above the\nsurface, and on these were laid 4 horizontal beams, against which rested\npoles thickly set at an angle of about 20 deg., while other poles were placed\nhorizontally across the beams forming a support for the covering. The\npoles around the sides were planted more in an oval than a circle and\nformed an interior space of about 35 by 30 feet in diameter. On the east\nside of the lodge was an entrance supported by stakes and closed with a\nbuffalo robe, and the whole structure was then thickly covered first with\nboughs, then with sand, giving it the appearance of a small earth mound.\n\n [Illustration: Figure 116]\n\n FIG. 116. Interior lodge.\n\n\n\n\n\nFIRST DAY.\n\n\n\n\nPERSONATORS OF THE GODS.\n\n\nThe theurgist or song-priest arrived at noon on the 12th of October, 1885.\nAlmost immediately after his arrival we boldly entered the medicine lodge,\naccompanied by our interpreter, Navajo John, and pleaded our cause. The\nstipulation of the medicine man was that we should make no mistakes and\nthereby offend the gods, and to avoid mistakes we must hear all of his\nsongs and see all of his medicines, and he at once ordered some youths to\nprepare a place for our tent near the lodge. During the afternoon of the\n12th those who were to take part in the ceremonial received orders and\ninstructions from the song-priest. One man went to collect twigs with\nwhich to make twelve rings, each 6 inches in diameter. These rings\nrepresented gaming rings, which are not only used by the Navajo, but are\nthought highly of by the genii of the rocks. (See Fig. 117.) Another man\ngathered willows with which to make the emblem of the concentration of the\nfour winds. The square was made by dressed willows crossed and left\nprojecting at the corners each one inch beyond the next. The corners were\ntied together with white cotton cord, and each corner was ornamented with\nthe under tail feather of the eagle. These articles were laid in a niche\nbehind the theurgist, whose permanent seat was on the west side of the\nlodge facing east. The night ceremony commenced shortly after dark. All\nthose who were to participate were immediate friends and relatives of the\ninvalid excepting the theurgist or song-priest, he being the only one who\nreceived direct compensation for his professional services. The cost of\nsuch a ceremony is no inconsiderable item. Not only the exorbitant fee of\nthe theurgist must be paid, but the entire assemblage must be fed during\nthe nine days' ceremonial at the expense of the invalid, assisted by his\nnear relatives.\n\n [Illustration: Figure 117]\n\n FIG. 117. Gaming ring.\n\n\nA bright fire burned in the lodge, and shortly after dark the invalid\nappeared and sat upon a blanket, which was placed in front of the\nsong-priest. Previously, however, three men had prepared themselves to\npersonate the gods--Hasjelti, Hostjoghon, and Hostjobokon--and one to\npersonate the goddess, Hostjoboard. They left the lodge, carrying their\nmasks in their hands, went a short distance away and put on their masks.\nThen Hasjelti and Hostjoghon returned to the lodge, and Hasjelti, amid\nhoots, \"hu-hoo-hu-huh!\" placed the square which he carried over the\ninvalid's head, and Hostjoghon shook two eagle wands, one in each hand, on\neach side of the invalid's head and body, then over his head, meanwhile\nhooting in his peculiar way, \"hu-u-u-u-uh!\" He then followed Hasjelti out\nof the lodge. The men representing Hostjobokon and Hostjoboard came in\nalternately. Hostjobokon took one of the rings which had been made during\nthe afternoon, and now lay upon the blanket to the right of the invalid,\nand placed it against the soles of the feet of the invalid, who was\nsitting with knees drawn up, and then against his knees, palms, breast,\neach scapula, and top of his head; then over his mouth. While touching the\ndifferent parts of the body the ring was held with both hands, but when\nplaced to the mouth of the invalid it was taken in the left hand. The ring\nwas made of a reed, the ends of which were secured by a long string\nwrapped over the ring like a slipnoose. When the ring was placed over the\nmouth of the invalid the string was pulled and the ring dropped and rolled\nout of the lodge, the long tail of white cotton yarn, with eagle plume\nattached to the end, extending far behind. Hoslgoboard repeated this\nceremony with a second ring, and so did Hostjobokon and Hostjoboard\nalternately, until the twelve rings were disposed of. Three of the rings\nwere afterward taken to the east, three to the south, three to the west,\nand three to the north, and deposited at the base of pinon trees. The\nrings were placed over the invalid's mouth to give him strength, cause him\nto talk with one tongue, and to have a good mind and heart. The other\nportions of the body were touched with them for physical benefit. When the\nrings had all been rolled out of the lodge Hasjelti entered, followed by\nHostjoghon. He passed the square (the concentrated winds) four times over\nthe head of the invalid during his hoots. Hostjoghon then waved his turkey\nwands about the head and body of the invalid, and the first day's ceremony\nwas at an end.\n\n\n\n\n\nSECOND DAY.\n\n\n\n\nDESCRIPTION OF THE SWEAT HOUSES.\n\n\nThe construction of the first sweat house, or tachi, was begun at dawn.\nFour of these houses were built on four consecutive mornings, each one\nlocated about 400 feet distant from the great central medicine lodge,\ntoward the four cardinal points, and all facing to the east. The first one\nbuilt was east of the lodge. A description of the construction of this\nparticular one will answer for all, but the ceremonies differ in detail.\n\nFour upright poles, forked at the upper ends, were placed at the four\ncardinal points within an area designated as the base of the house, the\nforked ends resting against each other, a circular excavation some 6 feet\nin diameter and 1 foot in depth having first been made. Between the\nuprights smaller poles were laid; on the poles pinon boughs, sage and\n_Bigelovia Douglasii_ (a kind of sage brush) were placed as a thatch; all\nbeing laid sufficiently compact to prevent the sand placed over the top\nfrom sifting through. The doorway, on the east side of the house, was\nabout 2-1/2 feet high and 20 inches wide. Highly polished sticks (the same\nas those employed in blanket weaving) were used to render the sand\ncovering of the structure smooth. The sweat houses to the east and west\nhad the rainbow painted over them. Those to the north and south were\ndevoid of such decoration, because the song priest seldom completes his\nmedicine in one ceremonial; and he chose to omit the songs which would be\nrequired if the bow ornamented the north and south sweat houses. Under the\ndirection of the priest of the sweat house, who received instruction from\nthe song priest, three young men painted the rainbow, one the head and\nbody, another the skirt and legs, while the third painted the bow. The\nhead of this goddess was to the north, the bow extending over the\nstructure. The colors used were made from ground pigments sprinkled on\nwith the thumb and forefinger. Whenever a pinch of the dry paint was taken\nfrom the pieces of bark which served as paint cups, the artist breathed\nupon the hand before sprinkling the paint. This, however, had no religious\nsignificance, but was merely to clear the finger and thumb of any\nsuperfluous sand. The colors used in decoration were yellow, red, and\nwhite from sandstones, black from charcoal, and a grayish blue, formed of\nwhite sand and charcoal, with a very small quantity of yellow and red\nsands. (See Fig. 118.) The decorators were carefully watched by the song\npriest.\n\n [Illustration: Figure 118]\n\n FIG. 118. Sweat house.\n\n\nUpon the completion of the rainbow the song priest returned to the\nmedicine lodge, but soon reappeared bearing a basket of twelve turkey\nwands, and these he planted around the base of the sweat house on a line\nof meal he had previously sprinkled. There was a fire some 20 feet from\nthe house, in which stones were heated. These stones were placed in the\nsweat house on the south side, and upon them was thrown an armful of white\nsage and _Bigelovia Douglasii_. A few pine boughs were laid by the side of\nthe stones for the invalid to sit upon. The entrance to the sweat house\nwas then covered with a black and white striped blanket upon which were\nplaced two large Coconino buckskins one upon the other, and upon them a\ndouble piece of white cotton. The buckskins represented daylight, or the\ntwilight that comes just at the dawn of day. The invalid for whom this\nceremony was held took off all his clothing except the breech cloth, and\nsat on the outside by the entrance of the sweat house amid the din of\nrattle and song, the theurgist being the only one who had a rattle. The\ninvalid propelled himself into the house feet foremost, the covering of\nthe sweat house having been raised for this purpose. After entering it, he\nrid himself of his breechcloth and the coverings were immediately dropped.\nThe song continued 5 minutes, when all stopped for a moment and then\nrecommenced.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n RAINBOW OVER SWEAT HOUSE.\n\n\nDuring the song the theurgist mixed various herbs in a gourd over which he\npoured water. After chanting some twenty minutes he advanced to the\nentrance of the house, taking the medicine gourd with him, and, after\npouring some of its contents on the heated stones, took his seat and\njoined in the chanting. After another twenty minutes Hasjelti and\nHostjoghon appeared. A Navajo blanket had previously been placed on the\nground at the south side of the entrance. Hasjelti lifted the coverings\nfrom the entrance, and the patient, having first donned his breech cloth,\ncame out and sat on the blanket. Hasjelti rubbed the invalid with the horn\nof a mountain sheep held in the left hand, and in the right hand a piece\nof hide, about 10 inches long and 4 wide, from between the eyes of the\nsheep. The hide was held flatly against the palm of the hand, and in this\nway the god rubbed the breast of the invalid, while he rubbed his back\nwith the horn, occasionally alternating his hands. Hostjoghon put the\ninvalid through the same manipulation. The gods then gave him drink four\ntimes from the gourd containing medicine water composed of finely-chopped\nherbs and water, they having first taken a draught of the mixture. The\nsoles of the feet, palms, breast, back, shoulders, and top of the head of\nthe invalid were touched with medicine water, and the gods suddenly\ndisappeared. The patient arose and bathed himself with the remainder of\nthe medicine water and put on his clothing. The coverings of the entrance,\nwhich were gifts to the song priest from the invalid, were gathered\ntogether by the song priest and carried by an attendant to the medicine\nlodge. An attendant erased the rainbow by sweeping his hand from the feet\nto the head, drawing the sands with him, which were gathered into a\nblanket and carried to the north and deposited at the base of a pinon\ntree. The song priest placed the wands in a basket, and thus, preceded by\nthe invalid, carried them in both hands to the medicine lodge singing a\nlow chant. The sweat house was not carelessly torn down, but was taken\ndown after a prescribed form. Four men commenced at the sides toward the\ncardinal points, and with both hands scraped the sand from the boughs.\nWhen this was all removed the boughs were carefully gathered and conveyed\nto a pinon tree some 50 feet distant and fastened horizontally in its\nbranches about 2 feet above the ground. The heated stones from the\ninterior of the sweat house were laid on the boughs; the upright logs\nwhich formed the frame work of the house were carried to a pinon tree, a\nfew feet from the tree in which the boughs and heated stones were placed,\nand arranged crosswise in the tree, and on these logs corn meal was\nsprinkled and on the meal a medicine tube (cigarette) was deposited. The\ntube was about 2 inches long and one third of an inch in diameter, and it\ncontained a ball composed of down from several varieties of small birds,\nsacred tobacco, and corn pollen. It was an offering to Hasjelti. Meal was\nsprinkled on the tube. The ground on which the house had stood was\nsmoothed over, the ashes from the fire carefully swept away, and thus all\ntraces of the ceremony were removed. The invalid upon entering the lodge\ntook his seat on the west side facing east. The song priest continued his\nchant. He took from the meal bag some sacred meal and placed it to the\nsoles of the feet of the invalid and on his palms, knees, breast, back,\nshoulders, and head. At the conclusion of this ceremony all indulged in a\nrest for an hour or more. The bark cups which contained the colored sands\nfor decorating were placed in the medicine lodge north of the door.\n\n\n\n\nSWEAT HOUSES AND MASKS.\n\n\nThe deer skins which hang over the entrance of the sweat houses (a\ndifferent skin being used for each sweat house) must be from animals which\nhave been killed by being smothered. The deer is run down and secured by\nropes or otherwise. Corn pollen is then put into the mouth of the deer and\nthe hands are held over the mouth and nostrils until life is extinct. The\nanimal now being placed upon his back, a line is drawn with corn pollen,\nover the mouth, down the breast and belly to the tail. The line is then\ndrawn from the right hoof to the right foreleg to the breast line. The\nsame is done on the left fore leg and the two hind legs. The knife is then\npassed over this line and the deer is flayed. Skins procured in this way\nare worth, among the Navajo, $50 each. Masks are made of skins prepared in\nthe same manner. If made of skins of deer that have been shot the wearer\nwould die of fever.\n\nBuckskin over the entrance to an eastern sweat house denotes dawn; over a\nsouthern, denotes red of morning; over a western, sunset; over a northern,\nnight.\n\n\n\n\nPREPARATION OF THE SACRED REEDS (CIGARETTE) AND PRAYER STICKS.\n\n\nBefore noon two sheepskins were spread one upon the other before the\nsong-priest. Upon these was laid a blanket, and on the blanket pieces of\ncotton. These rugs extended north and south. The theurgist then produced a\nlarge medicine bag, from which a reed was selected. The reed was rubbed\nwith a polishing stone, or, more accurately speaking, the polishing stone\nwas rubbed with the reed, as the reed was held in the right hand and\nrubbed against the stone, which was held in the left. It was then rubbed\nwith finely broken native tobacco, and afterwards was divided into four\npieces, the length of each piece being equal to the width of the first\nthree fingers. The reeds were cut with a stone knife some 3-1/2 inches\nlong. An attendant then colored the tubes. The first reed was painted\nblue, the second black, the third blue, and the fourth black. Through all\nthese, slender sticks of yucca had been run to serve as handles while\npainting the tubes and also to support the tubes while the paint was\ndrying. The attendant who cut the reeds sat left of the song-priest,\nfacing east; a stone containing the paints was placed to the north of the\nrug; and upon the end of the stone next to himself the reed-cutter\ndeposited a bit of finely broken tobacco. In cutting the reeds\noccasionally a bit splintered off; these scraps were placed by the side of\nthe tobacco on the northeast end of the rug.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\nThe attendant who colored the reeds sat facing west; and as each reed was\ncolored it was placed on the rug, the yucca end being laid on a slender\nstick which ran horizontally. The first reed painted was laid to the\nnorth. Three dots were put upon each blue reed to represent eyes and\nmouth; two lines encircled the black reeds. Four bits of soiled cotton\ncloth were deposited in line on the east of the rug. The three attendants\nunder the direction of the song-priest took from the medicine bag, first\ntwo feathers from the Arctic blue bird (_Sialia arctica_), which he placed\nwest of the bit of cloth that lay at the north end of the rug; he placed\ntwo more of the same feathers below the second piece of cloth; two under\nthe third, and two below the fourth, their tips pointing east. Then upon\neach of these feathers he placed an under tail-feather of the eagle. The\nfirst one was laid on the two feathers at the north end of the rug; again\nan under tail-feather of the turkey was placed on each pile, beginning\nwith that of the north. Then upon each of these was placed a hair from the\nbeard of the turkey, and to each was added a thread of cotton yarn. During\nthe arrangement of the feathers the tube decorator first selected four\nbits of black archaic beads, placing a piece on each bit of cloth; then\nfour tiny pieces of white shell beads were laid on the cloths; next four\npieces of abalone shell and four pieces of turquois.\n\nIn placing the beads he also began at the north end of the rug. An aged\nattendant, under the direction of the song-priest, plucked downy feathers\nfrom several humming-birds and mixed them together into four little balls\none-fourth of an inch in diameter and placed them in line running north\nand south, and south of the line of plume piles. He sprinkled a bit of\ncorn pollen upon each ball; he then placed what the Navajo term a\nnight-owl feather under the balls with its tip pointing to the northeast.\n(See Pl. CXIII). The young man facing west then filled the colored reeds,\nbeginning with the one on the north end. He put into the hollow reed,\nfirst, one of the feather balls, forcing it into the reed with the quill\nend of the night-owl feather. (A night-owl feather is always used for\nfilling the reeds after the corn is ripe to insure a warm winter; in the\nspring a plume from the chaparral cock, _Geococcyx californianus_, is used\ninstead to bring rain). Then a bit of native tobacco was put in. When the\nreed was thus far completed it was passed to the decorator, who had before\nhim a tiny earthen bowl of water, a crystal, and a small pouch of corn\npollen. Holding the crystal in the sunbeam which penetrated through the\nfire opening in the roof, he thus lighted the cigarettes which were to be\noffered to the gods. The forefinger was dipped into the bowl of water and\nthen into the corn pollen, and the pollen that adhered to the finger was\nplaced to the top of the tube. After the four tubes were finished they\nwere placed on the pieces of cloth, not, however, until a bit of pollen\nhad been sprinkled on the beads which lay on the cloth. The pollen end of\nthe tube pointed to the east. The four bunches of feathers were then laid\non the tubes. The song-priest rolled up each cloth and holding the four\nparcels with both hands he placed them horizontally across the soles of\nthe feet, knees, palms, breast, back, shoulders, head, and across the\nmouth of the invalid, and the invalid drew a breath as the parcel touched\nhis lips. He sat to the north of the rug facing east. The sick man then\nreceived the parcels from the song-priest and held them so that the ends\nprojected from between the thumbs and forefingers, and repeated a prayer\nafter the theurgist, who sat facing the invalid. The prayer ran thus:\n\n\n People of the mountains and rocks, I hear you wish to be paid. I\n give to you food of corn pollen and humming-bird feathers, and I\n send to you precious stones and tobacco which you must smoke; it\n has been lighted by the sun's rays and for this I beg you to give\n me a good dance; be with me. Earth, I beg you to give me a good\n dance, and I offer to you food of humming-birds' plumes and\n precious stones, and tobacco to smoke lighted by the sun's rays,\n to pay for using you for the dance; make a good solid ground for\n me, that the gods who come to see the dance may be pleased at the\n ground their people dance upon; make my people healthy and strong\n of mind and body.\n\n\nThe prayer being offered, the parcels were given by the theurgist to an\nattendant, who deposited them in line three feet apart along the side of\nthe dancing ground in front of the lodge. Their proper place is\nimmediately on the ground that is to be danced upon, but to prevent them\nfrom being trampled on they are laid to one side. The black tubes are\nofferings to the gods and the blue to the goddesses of the mountains and\nto the earth.\n\n\n\n\n\nTHIRD DAY.\n\n\n\n\nFIRST CEREMONY.\n\n\nThe construction of the second sweat house began at sunrise and was\ncompleted at nine o'clock. Several large rocks were heated and placed in\nthe sweat house and as before white sage and _Bigelovia Douglasii_ were\nthrown in, the fumes of which were designed as medicine for the sick man.\nAfter the invalid entered the sweat house, buckskin blankets, etc., were\ndrawn over the entrance. The song-priest, accompanied by two attendants,\nsat a little to the south. He sprinkled meal around the west base of the\nhouse and over the top from north to south and placed the wands around its\nbase in the manner heretofore described (the twelve wands and medicine\nused were the special property of the theurgist). The song-priest holding\nthe rattle joined the choir in a chant. To his right were two Navajo jugs\nfilled with water and an Apache basket partly filled with corn meal. A\nbunch of buckskin bags, one of the small blue medicine tubes, a mountain\nsheep's horn, and a piece of undressed hide lay on the meal. Near by was a\ngourd half filled with water in which meal was sprinkled; near this was a\nsmall earthenware vase containing water and finely chopped herbs. At the\nconclusion of the chant the song-priest passed his rattle to one of the\nchoir and stirred the mixture in the bowl with his forefinger, and after a\nfew remarks to the invalid, who was still in the sweat house, he threw\nsome of the mixture in upon the hot rocks. This was repeated four times,\nwhen the song-priest returned to his former position. The sweat-house\npriest took from his shoulders a Navajo blanket and spread it near the\ndoor a little to the right. A call from one of the attendants was a signal\nfor Hasjelti and Hostjoghon to appear. The two men personating these gods\nwere behind a tree south of the sweat house, their bodies, arms, and legs\npainted white. Foxskins were attached pendent to the backs of their\ngirdles. As the gods approached the sweat house, the patient came out and\nsat upon the blanket, and Hasjelti took a mountain sheep's horn, in the\nright hand and the piece of hide in the other and rubbed the sick man,\nbeginning with the limbs; as he rubbed down each limb, he threw his arms\ntoward the eastern sky and cried \"yo-yo!\" He also rubbed the head and\nbody, holding the hands on opposite sides of the body. After this rubbing,\nthe sick man drank from the bowl of medicine-water, then arose and bathed\nhimself with the same mixture, the filled gourds being handed to him four\ntimes by Hasjelti, each time accompanied with his peculiar hoot.\nHostjoghon repeated the same ceremony over the invalid. There was a\nconstant din of rattle and chanting, the gods disappeared, and immediately\nthereafter the theurgist gathered the twelve wands from the base of the\nsweat house. He removed the blue reed from the basket and laid it a little\nto the left of the priest of the sweat house, who in turn handed it to an\nattendant to be deposited with the wood of the sweat house in a\nneighboring tree. The invalid proceeded to the medicine lodge followed by\nthe song-priest uttering a low chant. After entering the lodge the invalid\ntook his seat on the west side; the song-priest, still standing, took from\na small buckskin bag white powdered material which he rubbed on the soles\nof the feet, palms, knees, breast, shoulders, and head of the invalid;\nthen taking a pinch of the same material he extended his hand first toward\nthe east and then toward the heavens and the earth. After these attentions\nhe took his accustomed seat in the lodge and joined in conversation with\nhis attendants.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nSECOND CEREMONY.\n\n\nTwo sheepskins, a blanket, and cotton cloth were spread one upon the other\nin front of the song-priest; and from the long reeds that had been first\nrubbed with a polishing stone, then with tobacco, were cut ten pieces an\ninch and a quarter long and two pieces 2 inches long. These were colored\nblack and blue, one long piece and five small ones being black, the others\nblue. While these were being decorated the song-priest and choir sang \"My\nfathers, see, we are getting ready! We do our work well, and you would\nbetter go into the house for we are to have rain! Now, mothers, send down\nrain upon us!\" This song was constantly repeated.\n\nThe tubes when completed were laid in position to form a dual person. The\nlong black tube representing the body was first placed in position. The\nlong blue tube was then laid by its side and south of it. The pollen end\nof the tubes pointed to the east. The right black leg was the next placed\nin position, then the right blue leg, the left black leg and left blue\nleg. The right black arm, then the right blue arm, the left black arm and\nthe left blue arm, then the black head and the blue head. (See PI. CXV.)\n\nThese tubes were filled with feathers, balls, and tobacco, and tipped with\nthe corn pollen and lighted with the crystal, the black tubes being\nofferings to the gods, the blue to the goddesses. After they were\ncompleted they were placed in position by a second attendant; and while\nthe tubes were being filled the song-priest and choir sang \"See, fathers!\nWe fill these with tobacco; it is good; smoke it!\" A message was received\nfrom the fathers that they would smoke, and, puffing the smoke from their\nmouths, they would invoke the watering of the earth. They again sang \"All\nyou people who live in the rocks, all you who are born among the clouds,\nwe wish you to help us; we give you these offerings that you may have food\nand a smoke! All women, you who live in the rocks, you who are born among\nthe fog, I pray you come and help us; I want you to come and work over the\nsick; I offer to you food of humming-birds' plumes, and tobacco to smoke!\"\nTwo bunches of feathers which had been placed to the east side of the rug\npointing east were deposited in two corn husks, each husk containing bits\nof turquoise, black archaic beads, and abalone shell; corn pollen was\nsprinkled on these. The song-priest then placed the dual body in the husks\nthus: First, the black body was laid upon the husks to the north, and upon\nthis a pinch of pollen was sprinkled; the blue body was placed in the\nother husks and pollen sprinkled upon it; then the two right legs (black\nand blue) were put into the corn husks with the black body; the two left\nlegs were added to the same; the right and left arms and the two heads\nwere placed in the husk with the blue body and corn pollen sprinkled upon\nthem. The husks were closed and held by the song-priest to the soles of\nthe feet, palms, knees, breast, shoulders, back, and top of head of the\ninvalid, who repeated a long prayer after the theurgist, and the parcels\nwere given to an attendant, who carried them some distance from the lodge\nto the north and placed them in a secluded shady spot upon the ground. Two\nbits of tobacco were laid upon the ground and upon these the body was\nplaced, the figure in a recumbent position with the arms over the head.\nThe invalid for whom this ceremony was held spared no expense in having\nthe theurgist make the most elaborate explanation to his near relatives of\nthe secrets of the medicine tubes.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n CEREMONIAL MASKS.\n\n\n\n\nTHIRD CEREMONY.\n\n\nThe theurgist occupied his usual seat, surrounded by his corps of\nattendants. The man personating Naiyenesgony had his body and limbs\npainted black. The legs below the knee, the scapula, the breasts, and the\narm above the elbow were painted white. His loins were covered with a fine\nred silk scarf, held by a silver belt; his blue knit stockings were tied\nwith red garters below each knee, and quantities of coral, turquois, and\nwhite shell beads ornamented the neck. The man representing Tobaidischinni\nhad his body colored reddish brown, with this figure\n [Illustration: scalp knot symbol]\n(the scalp knot) in white on the outside of each leg below the knee, on\neach arm below the shoulder, each scapula, and on each breast. This design\nrepresents the knot of hair cut from the heads of enemies, and the style\nis still in use by the Navajo. The man wore a red woolen scarf around the\nloins, caught on by a silver belt, and his neck was profusely ornamented\nwith coral, turquois, and white beads.(1) Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni\nleft the lodge, carrying with them their masks. (See Pl. cxv, 1, 2, 3.)\nBunches of pine boughs, which during the forenoon had been made into\nwreaths by joining pieces together with yucca in this fashion were\n [Illustration: scalp knot symbol]\nlaid across each end of the rug.\n\nAfter the two men personating the gods left the lodge the invalid entered\nand took his seat on the rug with his back to the theurgist. Two\nattendants dressed him with the wreaths, beginning with the right ankle; a\npiece was then tied around the calf, thigh, waist, around the chest, right\nwrist, elbow, upper arm, throat, forehead, then around the upper left arm,\nelbow, wrist, thigh, left knee, calf, and ankle. Thus the man was\nliterally obscured with a mass of pine. He sat in an upright position with\nthe legs extended and arms falling by his sides. A chant was sung by the\nsong priest, and in a few minutes Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni\nappeared. Naiyenesgony drew his stone knife in front of the invalid over\nthe forehead to the feet, then down the right side and down the back and\ndown the left side. He then began to remove the pine. As each wreath was\ntaken off the clusters were partly separated with the stone knife.\nTobaidischinni assisted Naiyenesgony by holding the wreaths while they\nwere being cut.\n\nWhen all the evergreen had been removed the personators of the gods\nexclaimed, \"Now, my people, we have killed all enemies!\" and immediately\nleft the lodge. The song priest placed a small wreath of the pine on the\nsick man's head, and holding in his left hand a bunch of eagle plumes, and\nin his right hand a rattle, he sang the ten songs and prayers, assisted by\nthe choir, that were given by Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni to the\nNavajo to bring health and good fortune. After the pine-bough wreaths had\nbeen separated the bits of yucca-strings were picked up by the attendant\nand handed to Naiyenesgony, who held them over the sick man's head, after\nwhich the bits were again divided with the knife. After the ten songs and\nprayers had been chanted the invalid left the rug and sat a little to the\nnortheast, of it, with his knees drawn up. The song priest placed two live\ncoals in front of the invalid and sprinkled chopped herbs on the coals,\nthe fumes of which the invalid inhaled. The pines were carried off and\nplaced in the shade of a pine tree, that the disease might not leave the\npine and return to the invalid.(2)\n\n\n\n\nFOURTH CEREMONY.\n\n\nThe personators of Hasjelti and Hostjoghon adorned themselves for the\nceremony. Hasjelti wore ordinary clothing and a red scarf, with a silver\nbelt around the waist. Hostjoghon's body was painted white, and he wore a\nred woolen scarf around the loins, caught on with a silver belt. A rug,\ncomposed of a blanket and a piece of white cotton, was spread in front of\nthe song priest, and the masks of Hasjelti and Hostjoghon placed thereon.\n(See Pl. CXV, 4,5,6.)\n\nUpon the completion of the toilets of the personators of the gods they\nhurried from the lodge, bearing their masks with them, when an attendant\nmade a cavity immediately in front of the rug 4 inches in diameter, and\nthe song priest sprinkled a circle of meal around the cavity. The invalid\nentered the lodge and stood on the rug and removed all of his clothing\nexcept the breech cloth. He then took his seat facing east, with knees\ndrawn up. A mask of the Hostjobokon, which had been laid upon the rug, was\ndrawn over the invalid's head. Hasjelti and Hostjoghon appeared at this\njuncture bearing a pine bough some 5 feet in height. An attendant made\ngestures over the sick man, holding in his right hand a pinch of sacred\nmeal, which was afterward placed in the cavity. Hasjelti waved the pine\nbough five times around the invalid and planted it in the cavity, where it\nwas held in place by the gods. Then bending its top, the attendant\nattached it to the mask over the invalid's head by a buckskin string which\nwas fastened to the mask. The song priest and choir all the while sang a\nweird chant. The gods raised the bough, gave their peculiar hoots, and\ndisappeared from the lodge, carrying with them the pine bough with the\nmask attached to it. In a few minutes they came back with the mask. After\nthe chant the song-priest placed meal on the soles of the invalid's feet,\nknees, palms, breast, back, shoulders, and head, and then put some in the\ncavity, after which the cavity was filled with earth. Two coals were laid\nin front of the invalid, and upon these the song priest placed finely\nbroken herbs; an attendant sprinkled water on the herbs, and the invalid\ninhaled the fumes. The cotton cloth was removed from the blanket rug, and\nthe invalid stepped upon the rug and put on his clothing. When the mask\nwas removed from the invalid's head it drew all fever with it.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n\nFOURTH DAY.\n\n\n\n\nFIRST CEREMONY.\n\n\nThe theurgist carried a bowl of water and pine needles, and an attendant\nbore a gourd of water, a small vase of powdered herbs, and an Apache\nbasket containing corn meal, buckskin bags, horn of the mountain sheep and\na piece of hide cut from between the eyes of the animal. The theurgist and\nattendant took seats to the right of the entrance of the sweat house west\nof the medicine lodge. This sweat house was decorated with the rainbow.\nOver the entrance were, first, two striped blankets, one upon the other, a\nbuckskin, and a piece of white cotton. Hot stones, etc., having been\npreviously placed in the sweat house, the sick man entered. The\nsong-priest and four attendants sang, accompanied by the rattle. At the\nconclusion of the chant Hasjelti and Hostjoghon appeared as on the\nprevious days. Hasjelti lifted the coverings from the entrance and the\ninvalid came out and sat upon a blanket south of the entrance and bathed\nboth his hands in the bowl containing the pine needles and water; he then\ndrank of it and bathed his feet and legs to the thighs, his arms and\nshoulders, body and face and head, and then emptied the remainder over his\nback. Hasjelti manipulated the right leg with the sheep's horn and hide,\nrubbing the upper part of the leg with the right hand, then the under part\nwith the left; he then rubbed the sides of the leg in the same manner,\neach time giving a hoot; the arms, chest, head, and face were similarly\nmanipulated. Hostjoghon repeated the hooting every time he changed the\nposition of the hands. Hasjelti, taking the gourd containing the water and\ncorn meal, gave four draughts of it to the invalid, hooting each time the\nbowl was put to the lips; Hostjoghon did the same. The song and rattle\ncontinued. Hasjelti, then put the powdered plants from the small vase to\nthe soles of the feet, knees, palms, breast, back, shoulders, and top of\nthe head of the invalid, hooting each time an application was made; this\nwas repeated by Hostjoghon. The invalid took a sip from the bowl and\nrubbed the remainder over his body. The song-priest then removed the wands\nfrom the base of the sweat house and the coverings from the door; the pine\nboughs and hot stones were also removed and the invalid preceded the\nsong-priest to the medicine lodge. All the wood of the sweat house was\nplaced in a tree, excepting four small pieces, which were deposited,\ntogether with the pine boughs from the interior of the sweat house, in a\nsemicircle formed by the rocks from the sweat house at the base of a pinon\ntree. A line of meal 2 inches in length running east and west was\nsprinkled on the apex of the semicircle, and upon this line the black tube\nwas laid. A bit of meal was sprinkled on the tube and a quantity over the\npine boughs of this small shrine. Before sprinkling the meal on the top of\nthe medicine tube the attendant waved his hand in a circle from left to\nright, calling \"hooshontko;\" meaning: Widespread blessings that come not\nfrom spoken words, but come to all, that people may have the blessings of\ncorn pollen, and that tongues may speak with the softness of corn pollen.\n\n\n\n\nSECOND CEREMONY.\n\n\nA rug was laid in front of the theurgist. Four medicine tubes were placed\non the rug, the one to the north end being white; the second one black and\nred, a white line dividing the two colors; the third one, blue; the\nfourth, black. The white tube was an offering to Hasjelti; the red, to\nZaadoltjaii; the blue, to Hostjoboard; the black, to Naaskiddi, the\nhunchback. The tubes were filled as before described. These tubes were\nbegun and finished by the same person. (See Pl. CXVI.) When the tubes were\nfinished they were put into corn husks and bits of cotton cloth; tiny\npieces of turquois, white shell, abalone, and archaic black beads having\nfirst been placed on the husks and cloths. The four turkey plumes with\nbarred tips that lay upon the rug were subsequently placed upon the tubes.\nThese parcels were sprinkled by the song priest with corn pollen, and\nafter closing them he placed them in the hands of the invalid, who sat at\nthe northeast corner of the rug facing east. The song-priest sat before\nhim and said a long prayer, which the invalid repeated. At the close of\nthe prayer an aged attendant received the parcels from the theurgist and\nplaced them to the soles of the feet, palms, etc., of the invalid. They\nwere afterward placed to his mouth and he drew from them a long breath.\nThe old man carried the parcels south over the brow of a hill and\ndeposited them in secluded spots about 4 feet apart, repeating a brief\nprayer over each one; he then motioned toward the east, south, west, and\nnorth, and returned to the lodge. During his absence the choir sang; in\nthe meantime the fire in the lodge was reduced to embers.\n\n\n\n\nTHIRD CEREMONY.\n\n\nAbout noon a circular bed of sand, some four inches in height and four\nfeet in diameter, was made. Five grains of corn and five pine boughs were\nlaid thereon; four of the grains of corn and four of the boughs were\nplaced to the cardinal points. The fifth and center branch of pine covered\nmost of the circle, its tips pointing to the east. The fifth grain of corn\nwas dropped in the center of the sand bed. (See Pl. CXVII, 1). Four of\nthese pine boughs were cut from the east, south, north, and west sides of\none tree. The fifth bough may be taken from any part of the tree. Of the\nfive grains of corn one must be white, one yellow, and one blue, and the\nother two grains may be of either of these three colors. On this\nparticular occasion there were two blue, two white, and one yellow. These\ngrains were, after the ceremony, dried and ground by the theurgist and\nplaced among his medicines. The boughs and sand absorbed the disease from\nthe invalid, and at the close of the ceremony they were carried to the\nnorth and deposited in a shady spot that the sun might not touch and\ndevelop the latent disease that had been absorbed by them. The boughs and\nsand were never afterward to be touched. An Apache basket containing yucca\nroot and water was placed in front of the circle. (See Pl. CXVII 2.) There\nwas a second basket south of it which contained water and a quantity of\npine needles sufficiently thick to form a dry surface, and on the top a\nnumber of valuable necklaces of coral, turquois, and silver. A square was\nformed on the edge of the basket with four turkey wands. (See Pl. CXVII\n3.) The song-priest with rattle led the choir. The invalid sat to the\nnortheast of the circle; a breechcloth was his only apparel. During the\nchanting an attendant made suds from the yucca. The basket remained in\nposition; the man stooped over it facing north; his position allowed the\nsunbeams which came through the fire opening to fall upon the suds. When\nthe basket was a mass of white froth the attendant washed the suds from\nhis hands by pouring a gourd of water over them, after which the\nsong-priest came forward and with corn pollen drew a cross over the suds,\nwhich stood firm like the beaten whites of eggs, the arms of the cross\npointing to the cardinal points. A circle of the pollen was then made\naround the edge of the suds. The attendant who prepared the suds touched\nhis right hand to the four points of the pollen lines and in the center\nand placed it upon the head of the patient who first made a circle\nembracing the sand and basket and then knelt upon the boughs in the center\nof the sand.(3) A handful of the suds was afterwards put upon his head.\nThe basket was placed near him and he bathed his head thoroughly; the\nmaker of the suds afterwards assisted him in bathing the entire body with\nthe suds, and pieces of yucca were rubbed upon the body. The chant\ncontinued through the ceremony and closed just as the remainder of the\nsuds was emptied by the attendant over the invalid's head. The song priest\ncollected the four wands from the second basket and an attendant gathered\nthe necklaces. A second attendant placed the basket before the invalid who\nwas now sitting in the center of the circle and the first attendant\nassisted him in bathing the entire body with this mixture; the body was\nquite covered with the pine needles which had become very soft from\nsoaking. The invalid then returned to his former position at the left of\nthe song priest, and the pine needles and yucca, together with the sands,\nwere carried out and deposited at the base of a pinon tree. The body of\nthe invalid was dried by rubbing with meal.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nFOURTH CEREMONY.\n\n\nThis ceremony commenced almost immediately after the close of the one\npreceding. The rug was spread over the ground in front of the song priest;\nfour bunches of small sticks were brought in and laid in piles north,\nsouth, east, and west of the rug. Four attendants took seats, each before\na pile of the wood, and scraped off the bark of their respective heaps;\nthey then cut twelve pieces 2 inches in length, except that cut by the\nattendant who sat at the north, who made his about 1-1/4 inches long.\nBeing asked why he cut his shorter than the rest, he replied, \"All men are\nnot the same size.\" The sticks were sharpened at one end and cut squarely\noff at the other. In order that all of the sticks should be of the same\nlength they were measured by placing the three first fingers across the\nstick. The fifth man sat immediately to the right of the song priest, who\ntook a hollow reed from the large medicine bag from which he cut four\npieces, each piece the breadth of his three fingers. The reed, which was\ncut with a stone knife, was afterwards rubbed with native tobacco. Six\nsticks of each of the piles had their square ends beveled; these\nrepresented females. The attendant on the east side of the rug having\ncompleted his twelve sticks, painted them white with kaolin finely ground\nand mixed with water. The flat ends of the sticks were colored black; the\nbeveled parts were painted blue; around the lower end of the blue was a\nbit of yellow which represented the jaw painted with corn pollen. Three\nblack dots were painted upon the blue for the eyes and mouth; the ground\ncolor was laid on with the finger; the other decorations were made with\nyucca brushes. The man on the south side colored his sticks blue. The tops\nof six sticks were painted yellow, and six were black. The black ends were\nthose having the beveled spots. These spots were blue with a chin of\nyellow; they also had the three black dots for eyes and mouth. The man to\nthe west colored his sticks yellow with the flat ends black; the beveled\nspots of six of them were blue with a yellow chin and three black dots for\neyes and mouth. The sticks to the north were colored black; six of them\nhad the beveled parts colored blue with a yellow jaw, and three spots for\neyes and mouth; the six sticks that were not beveled had their flat tops\npainted blue. All these sticks were laid on the rug with their flat ends\noutward. The attendants who prepared the reeds, each reed being colored\nfor a cardinal point, filled them with balls of humming-bird feathers and\ntobacco and lighted them with a crystal, when they were touched with corn\npollen. The reed for the east was white, the one for the south blue, that\nfor the west yellow, and that for the north black. Each reed was placed at\nits appropriate point in line with the sticks. (See Pl. CXVIII.) The\ntheurgist then advanced, carrying a basket half filled with corn meal.\nThis he placed in the center of the rug; when kneeling on the edge of the\nrug and beginning with the white sticks, he placed first the white reed in\nthe east side of the basket, and passing from this point around to the\nright he placed the six offerings to the gods, then the six to the\ngoddesses. Next taking the blue tube at the south end he placed it to the\nleft of the white line of sticks, leaving sufficient space for the sticks\nbetween it and the white tube; all the blue ones were placed in position\ncorresponding to the white. The yellow followed next, and then the black.\nAll were placed with their flat ends or heads pointed to the rim of the\nbasket. The theurgist deposited the basket in the niche on a pile of\nturkey feather wands, the wands resting upon a large medicine bag. The\nsticks and scraps left after making the tubes were carried out and\ndeposited without ceremony.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nFIFTH CEREMONY.\n\n\nThe rug which was spread in front of the song priest was composed of two\nblankets whose edges met, and upon this rug there were two lines of masks\nrunning north and south; the tops of the masks were to the east. There\nwere sixteen masks; those representing the gods cover the head, and those\nrepresenting goddesses cover the face only. They were decorated with\nribbons, plumes, etc. During the forenoon prayers were said over them and\nmeal sprinkled upon them.\n\n\n\n\nSIXTH CEREMONY.\n\n\nJust after dark those who were to take part in the ceremony prepared to\npersonate one of the Hostjobokon and two of the Hostjoboard\n(goddesses)--Hostjoghon and Hasjelti. Hostjobokon's body and limbs were\npainted, and he wore a mountain lion's skin doubled lengthwise and\nfastened around the loins at the back, and a silver belt encircled his\nwaist. Hasjelti wore knee breeches and a shirt of black velvet, ornamented\nwith silver buttons. His face and hands were covered with white kaolin.\nHostjoghon's body was painted white, and he wore a red silk scarf around\nthe loins, caught on with a silver belt. The two men personating the\ngoddesses had their limbs painted white; one wore a black sash around his\nloins, held by a silver belt. The other had a red woolen scarf and silver\nbelt; gray foxskins hung from the back of the belts. The masks were\nfastened to their heads before leaving the lodge by means of a string and\na lock of their hair, and they were then thrown back from the head. After\na little indulgence in their hoots they all left the lodge. The invalid\nentered the lodge and, stepping upon a piece of white cotton which had\nbeen laid diagonally across the rug to the northeast and southwest, took\noff his clothing. The lodge had now become very crowded. The fire, which\nhad burned brightly during the day, was mere coals. The attendant at the\nleft of the song priest opened the choir with the rattle. The invalid sat\nupon the cotton cloth. Hasjelti, entering with his favorite hoot amidst\nrattle and song, placed the square (representing the concentrated winds)\nfour times over the head of the invalid and ran out of the lodge. He\nentered again and received from the theurgist one of the twelve white\nsticks which during the forenoon had been placed in the basket. The white\nstick farthest from the white reed was handed him. This Hasjelti placed to\nthe soles of the feet, knees, palms, etc., of the invalid, amid hoots and\nantics, after which he dashed out and hurled the stick to the east. One of\nthe Hostjoboard entered and received the next white stick, and after the\nsame ceremony ran out and cast it to the east. Hostjobokon returned and\nthe theurgist handed him the next white stick, when he repeated the\nceremony, hurried from the lodge, and threw the stick to the east.\nHostjoboard again entered, received a stick, repeated the ceremony, and\nran out and threw it to the east; and thus Hostjobokon and Hostjoboard\nalternated until all the white sticks were disposed of, when Hasjelti\nreappeared and received from the song priest the white reed (cigarette)\nand carried it from the lodge. When he returned the theurgist handed him\none of the blue sticks, with which he repeated the ceremony and, leaving\nthe lodge, threw it to the south, when Hostjoghon and Hostjoboard\nalternately disposed of the blue sticks in the same order in which the\nwhite sticks had been distributed. The yellow and black sticks were\ndisposed of in a similar manner, Hasjelti officiating with the first stick\nof each color and the reeds. The yellow sticks were thrown to the west;\nthe black to the north. This was all done amidst the wildest hoots and\nsong of the choir, accompanied by the rattle.\n\nHasjelti again appeared and placed the square four times over the\ninvalid's head with wild hoots. The four cigarettes to be smoked by the\ngods were afterwards taken by four of the personators of the gods and\ndeposited in a secluded spot under a tree and sprinkled with corn pollen;\nafter their return Hasjelti again placed the square over the invalid's\nhead. The song priest placed two live coals in front of the invalid, and\nupon the coals he put a pinch of tobacco, the smoke of which the invalid\ninhaled. The attendant poured water over the coals, when they were thrown\nout at the fire opening of the lodge. The personators of the gods returned\nto the lodge bearing their masks in their hands. The invalid put on his\nclothing and took his seat upon the rug, but in a short time he returned\nto his former seat on the northwest side of the lodge. The sweat-house\npriest appeared with a large buffalo robe which he spread before the song\npriest, the head pointing north, and upon this various kinds of calico\nwere laid, carefully folded the length of the robe. There were many yards\nof this. Upon the calico was spread a fine large buckskin, and on this\nwhite muslin; these were all gifts from the invalid to the song priest.\nThe masks were then laid upon the cotton (see Pl. CXV, 7, 8); the mask of\nHasjelti was on the east side to the north end, that of Hostjoghon at the\nsouth end, and between these the six masks of the Hostjobokon were placed.\nImmediately under these were the six Hostjoboard, and beneath the latter\nwere the masks of Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni at the north end. Three\nother masks of the Etsethle followed in line running south. After all the\nmasks had been properly arranged the song priest sprinkled them with\npollen. Beginning with Hasjelti he sprinkled every mask of the upper line\nthus: Over the top of the head down the center of the face, then forming a\nkind of half-circle he passed over the right cheek, then passing his hand\nbackward to the left he sprinkled the same line up the left cheek. The\nsecond and third rows had simply a line of the pollen run across the\nmasks, beginning at the north end. The theurgist repeated a prayer during\nthe sprinkling of the pollen, then handed the bag of pollen to the priest\nof the sweat house, who repeated the sprinkling of the masks, when\neveryone in the lodge, each having his individual bag of pollen, hastened\nforward and sprinkled the masks, at the same time offering prayers. The\ntheurgist and priest of the sweat house again sprinkled pollen on the\nmasks as heretofore described.\n\nBaskets and bowls in unlimited quantity, filled with food, were placed in\na circle around the fire which now burned brightly. The guests formed into\ngroups and drew the food toward them, but did not touch it for a time. The\ninvalid, song-priest, and his attendants, indulged in a smoke which was\nsocial and not religious, the white man's tobacco being preferred on such\noccasions. A girl and a boy, about 12 years of age, came into the lodge.\nThe boy was the son of the invalid, the girl his sister's child. The boy\nknelt at the northeast end of the rug and the girl at the southeast end.\nThey were richly dressed in Navajo blankets, coral necklaces, etc., and\nthey remained perfectly quiet. The theurgist and his attendants talked\ntogether in an undertone, and if the inmates of the lodge spoke at all\ntheir voices were scarcely audible. After a time the choir opened, led by\nthe song-priest with his rattle. During the singing the rattle was passed\nfrom one to the other. The invalid did not join in the song. The choir\ncontinued an hour without cessation, and then rested 2 minutes, and again\nbegan and continued for another hour.(4) At the conclusion of the singing\nthe song-priest handed to the girl a wand of turkey plumes taken from a\nbasket of feathers which had stood, since the placing of the masks, on the\nwest side of him. Another wand was passed to the boy; and the children\nreceived some instructions from the song-priest, who spoke in an\nundertone, after which, an attendant filled with water from a wicker water\njug a basket that had stood throughout the ceremony at the east of the\nrug.\n\nThe song was now resumed, and dipping the wand he held in the basket of\nwater the boy sprinkled the masks, beginning at the north end and east\nrow. The girl repeated the same. The east row of masks was sprinkled\ntwice. When the children sprinkled the middle and west rows, the ceremony\nwas always begun at the north end of each line of masks; again dipping\ntheir wands in the water, the boy beginning at the north side and the girl\nat the south, they sprinkled the inmates of the lodge. The children were\nvery awkward, and were rendered more so by the many scoldings given them\nfor their mistakes. The sprinkling of the people was continued until the\nwater was exhausted. The lodge was also sprinkled at the cardinal points.\nThe song never ceased throughout this ceremony. The girl and boy, taking\nthe position first assigned them, an attendant, with a reed filled with\nsacred tobacco, puffed the smoke over the masks, smoking each mask\nseparately on the east row; the middle and west rows he hurriedly passed\nover. While this was being done an attendant took a pinch from all the\ndifferent foods and placed what he gathered into a basket in the niche\nbehind the song-priest.(5) After the masks had been smoked, the attendant\npuffed the smoke over all the people, beginning on the north side of the\nlodge. During the smoking the song ceased, but was resumed when the\nattendant took his seat. At the close of the song sacred meal was mixed\nwith water in a Zuni pottery bowl. This meal is made of green corn baked\nin the earth and then ground. During the preparation of this medicine\nmixture the song-priest sang: \"This food is mixed for the people of the\nrocks! We feed you with this food, O people of the rocks!\" The theurgist\nthen dipped his forefinger into the mixture, and running his hand rapidly\nover the masks from north to south, he touched each mouth; each line was\npassed over four times. The invalid dipped his three first fingers into\nthe basket, and placing them in his mouth, sucked in his breath with a\nloud noise. This was repeated four times by the invalid and then by each\nof the attendants, when all the inmates of the lodge were expected to\npartake of the mixture. This was done with a prayer for rain, good crops,\nhealth, and riches. All hands now participated in the feast.\n\n FOODS BROUGHT INTO THE LODGE.\nDa'ttuneilgaij Pats made of wheat flour\n and fried.\nTab'aestch'lonni Corn meal pats wrapped in\n corn husks and boiled.\nTanae'shkiji Thick mush boiled and\n stirred with sticks.\nNaenesk'aedi Tortillas.\nTa'bijai Four small balls of corn\n meal wrapped in corn\n husks and boiled.\nInsi'dok'ui Corn bread with salt,\n made from the new corn,\n wrapped in corn husks and\n baked in ashes.\nTkaeditin White corn meal mush.\nKlesa'hn Corn meal dough in\n rectangular cakes baked\n in ashes, hot earth, or\n sand.\nTseste'lttsoi Cakes some fourth of an\n inch thick made from\n sweet corn mixed with\n goat's milk and baked on\n a hot rock.\nTseste' Bread made of corn first\n toasted and then finely\n ground and made into a\n thin batter which is\n baked upon a highly\n polished lava slab. The\n crisp gauzy sheets are\n folded or rolled.\nTki'neshpipizi Small balls of corn meal\n mush.\nTo'tkonji Corn meal cakes\n one-fourth of an inch in\n thickness of old corn,\n baked in a pan; they are\n seasoned with salt.\nAlkaandt A bread made from sweet\n corn which is first\n parched then ground on a\n metate and then chewed by\n women and girls and\n placed in a mass in a\n flat basket; this must be\n either of yellow or white\n corn, the blue corn is\n never used for this\n purpose. A mush is made\n of either white or yellow\n corn meal and the former\n preparation which has\n become yeast is stirred\n into the mush. A hole is\n then dug in the ground\n (near the fire) and lined\n with shucks into which\n the mush is poured, it is\n then covered with shucks\n after which earth is\n thrown over it and a\n large fire built which\n burns all night. In the\n early morning the cinders\n and coals are removed\n when the bread is found\n to be baked.\nTkleheljoe Yeast is prepared for\n this bread in the same\n manner as that for the\n Alkaandt except that the\n corn is baked instead of\n parched. The yeast is\n then mixed with meal into\n a stiff dough and baked\n in corn husks, four pats\n are placed in each\n package.\nTa'naetnil (beverage) Is the same preparation\n as the yeast used in the\n Alkaandt except in this\n case a drink is made of\n it by pouring boiling\n water over it.\nDiz'etso Peaches (fresh or dried)\n stewed. There were also\n several large bowls of\n stewed mutton.\n\nLittle groups of threes and fives were formed over the floor of the lodge;\nothers less fortunate were closely packed together around the outer edge\nof the lodge and could procure their food only through the generosity of\ntheir neighbors. The girl and boy left the lodge after having partaken of\nthe sacred meal mixture. After refreshment the song-priest lifted each\nmask with his left hand beginning with Hasjelti, and first extending his\nright hand, which held a fine large crystal, toward the heavens, he\ntouched the under part of each mask with the crystal; four times he passed\nover the masks. The choir sang but no rattle was used. The crystal was\nafterward placed on the rug opposite the basket of feathers. The food\nvessels were removed and the song continued for a time when the\nsong-priest repeated a long low prayer, after which the song was resumed,\nand thus the night was consumed in prayer and song over the masks.\n\n\n\n\n\nFIFTH DAY.\n\n\n\n\nFIRST CEREMONY.\n\n\nA basket of yucca suds was prepared by an attendant, who cleansed his\nhands of the suds by pouring a gourd of clear water over them; he then put\na handful of the suds upon the head of a man who stood before him, nude\nwith the exception of a breech cloth, after which the man washed his head\nfrom a water jug which was held over the head of the bather by the\nattendant. The bather covered his body with the suds, and the contents of\nthe jug was emptied on the floor of the lodge by the attendant. The man\ndressed himself in the ordinary cotton clothing with rare beads around his\nneck, and a leather pouch held by a band of mountain sheep skin over his\nshoulders; he knelt before a bowl of white kaolin which he spread over his\nface; he then took his seat between two attendants, the one to the right\nof him holding a pinch of native tobacco and the one on the left holding\ncorn meal in the palms of the right hands.\n\nAt early dawn the buffalo robe at the entrance of the lodge was slightly\ndropped from the doorway to admit the rays of approaching day. The masks\nwhich had been sung and prayed over all night were laid away in the niche\nbehind the song-priest. The little girl who performed the previous night\nreturned to the lodge, but I could not see that she was there for any\npurpose save to eat some of the remaining food, which had been gathered\ninto two large parcels and left by the old woman who removed the vessels\nafter the feast. A red blanket was laid and upon it a piece of white\ncotton. A reed five inches in length and twice the diameter of the others\nheretofore used was prepared. The reed was colored black in the usual\nmanner and filled with a feather ball and tobacco. It was lighted with the\ncrystal and touched with the pollen. Upon the completion of the tube the\ninvalid took his seat on the west side of the rug, the attendant who\nprepared the tube sitting on the west side; he took from one pouch four\nwhite shell beads and from another a turquoise bead; he looped a cord of\nwhite cotton yarn some three feet long around the pollen end of the tube\nand fastened to the loop two wing feathers of the Arctic blue bird, one\nfrom the right wing and one from the left, and a tail feather from the\nsame bird and three feathers from a bird of yellow plumage, the right and\nleft wing and tail feather. The five beads were strung on the string, the\nturquoise being the first put on; these were slipped up the cord and two\nunder tail-feathers and a hair from the beard of the turkey were fastened\nto the end of the string with a loop similar to that which attached it to\nthe tube. (See PL CXIX.). This was the great (cigarette) offering to\nHasjelti and must be placed in a canyon near a spring, for all birds\ngather at the waters. This was offered that the song-priest might have his\nprayers passed straight over the line of song. This offering secures the\npresence of this most valued god and so fills the mind of the song-priest\nwith song and prayer that it comes forth without hesitation and without\nthought, so that he may never have to think for his words. A small\nquantity of each variety of sand used in decorating was placed on a husk\nwith a little tobacco, and on these a pinch of corn pollen; the tube was\nthen laid on the husk and the string and feathers carefully placed. Two\nadditional feathers, the under tail of the eagle and turkey, were laid on\nthe husk. A blue feather was dipped in water, then in pollen, and rubbed\ntwice over these feathers; an attendant folded the parcel and the\nsong-priest received it and touched it to the soles of the feet, knees,\npalms, breast, and back and mouth of the invalid; he then put a pinch of\nthe pollen into the invalid's mouth, and a pinch on the top of the head;\nhe placed the folded husk in the invalid's hand, and stood in front of him\nand whispered a long prayer which the invalid repeated after him. The\nmanner of holding the husk has been previously described. The man with\npainted face received the husk from the theurgist, who returned to his\nseat and at once opened the chant with the rattle. At the close of the\nchant the holder of the husk touched the soles of the feet, palms, etc.,\nof the invalid with it and left the lodge. This precious parcel was taken\nthree miles distant and deposited in a canyon near a spring where there is\na luxuriant growth of reeds. Prayers were offered by the depositor for\nhealth, rain, food, and good fortune to all. Only the theurgist and his\nattendants and a few of the near relatives of the invalid were present at\nthis ceremony.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nSECOND CEREMONY.\n\n\nThe sweat-house priest preceded the invalid and song-priest, the latter\ncarrying his medicine basket, wands, etc. The hot stones and pine boughs\nwere put into the sweat house; meal was sprinkled around the west base and\nthe wands deposited, as before described, by the song-priest. Three white\nand black striped blankets were placed over the entrance, one upon the\nother, and upon these were a buckskin and several folds of white muslin.\nAn attendant brought a large medicine bowl half filled with pine needles;\nwater was poured upon these; a small earthen bowl and a gourd containing\nwater were placed before the song-priest, who put into the bowl chopped\nsage, over which he sprinkled dried foods reduced to powder; a small\nquantity of meal was also sprinkled into the gourd and bowl. The song then\nbegan. A small pine bough was laid to the right of the entrance of the\nsweat house. The opening of the song was a call upon the gods to impart to\nthe medicine power to complete the cure of the invalid and to make all\npeople well, and to have a wet and good ground all over the earth. This\nsong is specially addressed to Toneennili, the water sprinkler.\n\nHasjelti and Hostjoghon arrived just as the sick man emerged from the\nsweat house. The invalid bathed himself from the bowl of pine needles and\nwater. Taking the sheep's horn in the left hand and a piece of hide in the\nright, Hasjelti pressed the invalid's body as before described. The god\nwas requested by the priest of the sweat house to pay special attention to\nthe rubbing of the head of the invalid. The small gourd was handed to\nHasjelti, who gave four drafts of its contents to the invalid. Hasjelti\ntouched the soles of the feet, palms, etc., of the invalid with medicine\nwater from the bowl. The gods then suddenly disappeared. On this occasion\nHostjoghon took no part in administering the medicine. The invalid, after\nputting on his clothing, proceeded to the lodge, followed by the\nsong-priest. The sweat house was razed as usual, and the pine boughs and\nstones were placed to the north of the house in a small pinon tree; the\nlogs of the house were deposited on the ground a few feet from the tree. A\nline of meal the length of the medicine tube was sprinkled on the logs and\nthe tube laid thereon. Meal was sprinkled over the tube and logs.\n\n\n\n\nTHIRD CEREMONY.\n\n\nThe first sand painting occurred on October 16; it was begun in the early\nforenoon and completed at sundown. Common yellowish sand was brought in\nblankets. This formed the ground color for the painting. It was laid to\nform a square 3 inches in depth and 4 feet in diameter. Upon this three\nfigures were painted after the manner described of the painting of the\nrainbow over the sweat house. Nine turkey wands were placed on the south,\nwest, and north sides of the square, and a line of meal with four\nfoot-marks extended from near the entrance of the lodge to the painting.\n(See Pl. CXX.)\n\nHasjelti stands to the north end in the illustration, holding the emblem\nof the concentrated winds. The square is ornamented at the corners with\neagle plumes, tied on with cotton cord; an eagle plume is attached to the\nhead of Hasjelti with cotton cord. The upper horizontal lines on the face\ndenote clouds; the perpendicular lines denote rain; the lower horizontal\nand perpendicular lines denote the first vegetation used by man.\nHasjelti's chin is covered with corn pollen, the head is surrounded with\nred sunlight, the red cross lines on the blue denote larynx; he wears ear\nrings of turquoise, fringed leggings of white buckskin, and beaded\nmoccasins tied on with cotton cord. The figure to the south end is\nHostjoghon; he too has the eagle plume on the head, which is encircled\nwith red sunshine. His earrings are of turquoise; he has fox-skin ribbons\nattached to the wrists; these are highly ornamented at the loose ends with\nbeaded pendants attached by cotton strings; he carries wild turkey and\neagle feather wands, brightened with red, blue, and yellow sunbeams. The\ncenter figure is one of the Hostjobokon, and upon this figure the invalid\nfor whom the ceremonial is held sits. The four footprints are made of\nmeal. These the invalid steps upon as he advances and takes his seat, with\nknees drawn up, upon the central figure. After dark the invalid walked\nover the line of meal, being careful to step upon the footprints in order\nthat his mental and moral qualities might be strengthened. The invalid\nremoved his clothing immediately after entering the lodge; he had downy\nbreast feathers of the eagle attached to the scalp lock with white cotton\ncord; he advanced to the painting and took his seat upon the central\nfigure. An attendant followed him, and with his right hand swept the line\nof meal after the invalid, removing all traces of it. The entrance of the\ninvalid into the lodge was a signal for the song-priest to open the chant\nwith the rattle. Hasjelti and Hostjoghon bounded into the lodge hooting\nwildly. The former carried the square (the concentrated winds), which he\nplaced over the sick man's head. Hostjoghon carried a turkey wand in each\nhand, and these he waved over the invalid's head and hooted; this was\nrepeated four times, and each time the gods ran out of the lodge. Hasjelti\nwore a velvet dress, but Hostjoghon's body was nude, painted white. This\nwild, weird ceremony over, the sick man arose and the song-priest gathered\nthe turkey wands from around the painting, while an attendant erased it by\nrubbing his hands over the sand to the center. The sands were gathered\ninto a blanket and carried out of the lodge and deposited some distance\naway from the lodge, where the sun could not generate the germ of the\ndisease. The sand is never touched by any one when once carried out,\nthough before the paintings are erased the people clamor to touch them,\nand then rub their hands over their own bodies that they may be cured of\nany malady. The invalid, after putting on his clothes, returned to his\nfamily lodge. A group then gathered around the spot where the paintings\nhad been and joined in a weird chant, which closed the fifth day's\nceremony.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n\nSIXTH DAY.\n\n\nPreparations for a great sand painting began at daylight. Sand for the\nground work was carried in in blankets; the fire which had burned through\nthe previous ceremonies was first removed and all traces of it covered\nwith sand. As the artists were to begin the painting with the center of\nthe picture only a portion of the ground color was laid at first, in order\nto enable them to work with greater facility. While the ground color was\nbeing laid a man sat on one side of the lodge grinding with a metate and\nmixing the colors. A quantity of coals were taken from the exhausted fire\nfrom which to prepare black paint. A small quantity of red sand was mixed\nwith the charcoal to give it body or weight. The colors used in this sand\npainting have all been referred to in the description of the rainbow over\nthe sweat house. After the central portion of the ground work for the\npainting was smoothed off a Jerusalem cross was drawn in black. The eye\nusually was the only guide for drawing lines, though on two occasions a\nweaving stick was used. As a rule four artists were employed, one\nbeginning at each point of the cross. Each arm of the cross was completed\nby the artist who began the work. For illustration of painting see PL\nCXXI.\n\nThe black cross-bars in the illustration denote pine logs; the white lines\nthe froth of the water; the yellow, vegetable debris gathered by the logs;\nthe blue and red lines, sunbeams. The blue spot in center of cross denotes\nwater. There are four Hostjobokon with their wives the Hostjoboard; each\ncouple sit upon one of the cross arms of the logs. These gods carry in\ntheir right hands a rattle, and in their left sprigs of pinon; the wives\nor goddesses carry pinon sprigs in both hands; the rattle brings male\nrains, and the pinon, carried by the women, female rains; these rains meet\nupon the earth, conceive and bring forth all vegetation. Their heads are\nornamented with eagle plumes tied on with cotton cord. (Note: In all cases\nthe round head denotes male and octangular head female.) The gods have\nalso a bunch of night-owl feathers and eagle plumes on the left side of\nthe head; both male and female wear turquois earrings and necklaces of the\nsame. The larynx is represented by the parallel lines across the blue. A\nline of sunlight encircles the head of both males and females. The white\nspots on the side of the females' heads represent the ears. The arms of\nthe goddesses are covered with corn pollen, and long ribbons of fox skins\nare attached to the wrists, as shown on painting number one. All wear\nbeaded moccasins tied on with cotton cord. Their chins are covered with\ncorn pollen and red sunlight surrounds the body. The skirts only have an\nadditional line of blue sunlight. Hasjelti is to the east of the painting.\nHe carries a squirrel skin filled with tobacco. His shirt is white cotton\nand very elastic. The leggings are of white deer skin fringed, and the\nmoccasins are similar to the others. His head is ornamented with an\neagle's tail, and to the tip of each plume there is a fluffy feather from\nthe breast of the eagle. A bunch of night-owl feathers is on either side\nof the eagle tail where it is attached to the head. The horizontal and\nperpendicular lines on the face were referred to in the description of the\nfirst sand painting. The projection on the right of the throat is a fox\nskin. Hostjoghon's headdress is similar to that of Hasjelti's. Two strips\nof beaver skin tipped with six quills of the porcupine are attached to the\nright of the throat. The four colored stars on the body are ornaments of\nbeads. The shirt of this god is invisible; the dark is the dark of the\nbody. Hostjoghon carries a staff colored black from a charred plant. The\nNavajo paint their bodies with the same plant. The top of the staff is\nornamented with a turkey's tail tied to the staff with white cotton cord;\neagle and turkey plumes are alternately attached to the staff with a cord.\n\nThe Naaskiddi are to the north and south of the painting; they carry\nstaffs of lightning ornamented with eagle plumes and sunbeams. Their\nbodies are nude except the loin skirt; their leggings and moccasins are\nthe same as the others. The hunch upon the back is a black cloud, and the\nthree groups of white lines denote corn and other seeds of vegetation.\nFive eagle plumes are attached to the cloud backs (eagles live with the\nclouds); the body is surrounded with sunlight; the lines of red and blue\nwhich border the bunch upon the back denote sunbeams penetrating storm\nclouds. The black circle zigzagged with white around the head is a cloud\nbasket filled with corn and seeds of grass. On either side of the head are\nfive feathers of the red shafted flicker (_Colaptes cafer_); a fox skin is\nattached to the right side of the throat; the mountain sheep horns are\ntipped with the under tail feathers of the eagle, tied on with cotton\ncord. The horns are filled with clouds. The rainbow goddess, upon which\nthese gods often travel, completes the picture.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\nUpon completion of the painting the song-priest, who stood to the east of\nit holding in his hand a bag of sacred meal, stepped carefully between the\nfigures, sprinkling pollen upon the feet and heart of each. He then\nsprinkled a thread of pollen up each cheek and down the middle of the face\nof the figures, afterwards extending his right hand toward the east. The\nface of the encircling rainbow goddess was also sprinkled. The song-priest\nplaced the sacred wands around the rainbow, commencing on the west side of\nthe painting, and repeated a prayer, pointing his finger to the head of\neach figure. He also placed a small gourd of medicine water in the hands\nof the rainbow goddess and laid a small cedar twig on the gourd. The\ninvalid upon entering the lodge was handed an Apache basket containing\nsacred meal, which he sprinkled over the painting and placed the basket\nnear the feet of the rainbow goddesses; the song-priest and choir sang to\nthe accompaniment of the rattle. A short time after the entrance of the\ninvalid Hasjelti appeared, and taking the evergreen from the gourd dipped\nit into the medicine water and sprinkled the feet, heart, and heads of the\nsand figures, after which the invalid sat in the center of the cross.\nHasjelti gave him a sip of the sacred water from the gourd and returned\nthe gourd to its place; then he touched the feet, heart, and head of each\nfigure successively with his right hand, each time touching the\ncorresponding parts of the body of the invalid. Every time Hasjelti\ntouched the invalid he gave a weird hoot. After he had been touched with\nsands from all the paintings the theurgist, selecting a few live coals\nfrom a small fire which had been kept burning near the door, threw them in\nfront of the invalid, who still retained his seat in the center of the\npainting. The theurgist placed herbs, which he took from a buckskin bag,\non the coals from which a very pleasant aroma arose. An attendant\nsprinkled water on the coals and a moment after threw them out of the fire\nopening. The song-priest gathered the wands from around the edge of the\npainting and four attendants began to erase it by scraping the sands from\nthe cardinal points to the center. Again the people hurried to take sand\nfrom the hearts, heads, and limbs of the figures to rub upon themselves.\nThe sands were gathered into a blanket and deposited at the base of a\npinon tree about one hundred yards north of the lodge. A chant closed the\nceremony.\n\n\n\n\n\nSEVENTH DAY.\n\n\nThe first business of the day was the preparation of an elaborate sand\npicture, and though the artists worked industriously from dawn, it was not\ncompleted until after 3 o'clock. The paint grinder was kept busy to supply\nthe artists. It was observed that in drawing some of the lines the artists\nused a string of stretched yarn instead of the weaving stick. When five of\nthe figures had been completed, six young men came into the lodge, removed\ntheir clothes, and whitened their bodies and limbs with kaolin; they then\nleft the lodge to solicit food from the people, who were now quite thickly\ngathered over the mesa to witness the closing ceremonies. The mesa top for\na mile around was crowded with Indians, horses, sheep, and hogans\n(lodges); groups of 3 to 20 Indians could be seen here and there gambling,\nwhile foot and horse racing were features of special interest. Indeed, the\npeople generally were enjoying themselves at the expense of the invalid.\nThe rainbow goddess, Nattsilit, surrounding the painting, was about 25\nfeet in length. Upon the completion of the painting the song-priest\nsprinkled the figures with pollen as before described and planted the\nfeather wands around the pictures.\n\nIn the illustration of this painting, Pl. CXXIII, Hasjelti will be\nrecognized as the leader. He carries a fawn skin filled with sacred meal;\nthe spots on the skin are seven and in the form of a great bear. The fawn\nskin indicates him as the chief of all game. It was Hasjelti who created\ngame. The first six figures following Hasjelti are the Ethsethle. The next\nsix figures are their wives. Toneennili, the water sprinkler (_to_, water,\nand _yonily_, to sprinkle), follows carrying a water jug, from which he\nsprinkles the earth. The Ethsethle wear leggings of corn pollen and the\nforearms of the gods are covered with pollen. Their wives have their arms\nand bodies covered with the same. The skirts of the Ethsethle are\nelaborately ornamented and their pouches at their sides are decorated with\nmany beads, feathers, and fringes. The gods are walking upon black clouds\nand mist (the yellow denoting mist), the women upon blue clouds and mist.\n\nDuring the ceremony an Apache basket containing meal was brought in and\nplaced at the feet of the rainbow goddess. The invalid entered the lodge,\nwhich had become quite filled with privileged spectators, and receiving\nthe basket of meal, sprinkled the figures from left to right; he then\nremoved all his clothing except his breech cloth and stood east of the\npainting. Hostjoghon stepped to the head of the rainbow goddess and taking\nthe small gourd of medicine water dipped the cedar twig into the water and\nsprinkled the figures, then touched the twig to the feet, heart, and head\nof each figure, commencing at the male figure to the north and passing\nsouth, then beginning with the female figures to the north and passing\nsouth. The invalid took his seat in the center of the painting with his\nknees drawn to his chin. Hostjoghon held the medicine gourd over each\nfigure and passed it to the invalid, who took four sips, Hostjoghon\nhooting each time he passed the gourd to the invalid. After returning the\ngourd and twig to their former position he placed the palms of his hands\nto the feet and head of each figure and then placed his palms on the\ncorresponding parts of the invalid's body, and pressed his head several\ntimes between his hands. After touching any part of the invalid,\nHostjoghon threw his hands upward and gave one of his characteristic\nhoots. The song-priest placed coals in front of the invalid and herbs upon\nthem, as he had done the day before, and then retired. The coals were\nafterwards thrown out of the fire opening and the crowd rushed to the\npainting to rub their bodies with the sand. The painting was obliterated\nin the usual manner and the sand carried out and deposited at the base of\na pinon tree some 200 yards from the lodge.\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\n\n\n\nEIGHTH DAY.\n\n\nThe grinding of the paint began at daylight, and just at sunrise the\nartists commenced their work. When any mistake occurred, which was very\nseldom, it was obliterated by sifting the ground color over it. Each\nartist endeavored to finish his special design first, and there was\nconsiderable betting as to who would succeed. The rapidity with which\nthese paints are handled is quite remarkable, particularly as most of the\nlines are drawn entirely by the eye. After the completion of the painting,\neach figure being three and a half feet long, corn pollen was sprinkled\nover the whole by the song priest. (See illustration, Pl. CXXIII.)\n\nThe corn stalk in the picture signifies the main subsistence of life; the\nsquare base and triangle are clouds, and the three white lines at the base\nof the corn stalk denote the roots of the corn. The figures of this\npicture are each 3-1/2 feet in length. These are the Zenichi (people of\nthe white rock with a red streak through it) and their wives. Their homes\nare high in the canyon wall. The black parallelogram to the west of the\npainting designates a red streak in the rock in which are their homes. The\ndelicate white lines indicate their houses, which are in the interior or\ndepths of the rock, and can not be seen from the surface. This canyon wall\nis located north of the Ute Mountain. These people of the rocks move in\nthe air like birds. The red portion of the bodies of the Zenichi denote\nred corn; the black portion black clouds. The red half of the face\nrepresents also the red corn; the blue of the bodies of the others denote\nvegetation in general, and the yellow, pollen of all vegetation. The\nzigzag lines of the bodies is lightning; the black lines around the head,\nzigzagged with white, are cloud baskets that hold red corn, which is\nstacked in pyramidal form and capped with three eagle plumes. There are\nfive feathers of the red and black shafted flicker (_Colapteo cafer_) on\neither side of the head. A lightning bow is held in the left hand, the\nright holds a rattle ornamented with feathers. The females carry in their\nhands decorated baskets and sprigs of pinon, and they wear white leggings\nand beaded moccasins. The Zenichi never dance. These gods are also called\nZaadoljaii, meaning rough mouth, or anything that protrudes roughly from\nthe mouth. (The mouth and eyes of these gods protrude.) The rainbow\ngoddess is represented at the north and south end of the painting. The\ncorn stalk has two ears of corn, while the original stalk had 12 ears. Two\nof these ears the gods gave to the younger brother of the Tolchini when\nthey commanded him to return to the Navajo and instruct them how to\nrepresent the gods in sand painting and in masks. The four corner figures\nwill be recognized as the Naashiddi (hunchback, or mountain sheep).\n\n [Illustration]\n\n\nDuring the ceremony Hasjelti, dressed in black velvet ornamented with\nsilver, and Hostjoboard, with her nude body painted white and with silk\nscarf around the loins caught on with silver belt, left the lodge to\ngather the children upon the mesa for the purpose of initiating them; but\nthe children had already been summoned by men who rode over the mesa on\nhorseback, visiting every hogan to see that all the children were brought\nfor initiation. A buffalo robe was spread at the end of the avenue which\nextended from the medicine lodge some three hundred yards. The head of the\nrobe was to the east; at the end of the robe blankets were spread in a\nkind of semicircle. Most of the children were accompanied by their\nmothers. The boys were stripped of their clothing and sat upon the buffalo\nrobe. The head of the line being to the north, they all faced east with\ntheir feet stretched out. Their arms hung by their sides and their heads\nwere bent forward. The girls sat in line upon the blanket in company with\ntheir mothers and the mothers of the boys. It is entirely a matter of\nchoice whether or not a mother accompanies her child or takes any part in\nthe ceremony. The girls also sat like the boys, their heads bent forward.\nTheir heads were bent down that they might not look upon the gods until\nthey had been initiated. Up to this time they were supposed never to have\nhad a close view of the masks or to have inspected anything pertaining to\ntheir religious ceremonies. The children ranged from five to ten years of\nage. At this particular ceremony nine boys and six girls were initiated.\nWhen the children were all in position, Hasjelti, carrying a fawn skin\ncontaining sacred meal, and Hostjoboard, carrying two needles of the\nSpanish bayonet, stood in front of the children. The boy at the head of\nthe line was led out and stood facing the east. Hasjelti, with the sacred\nmeal, formed a cross on his breast, at the same time giving his peculiar\nhoot. Hostjoboard struck him upon the breast, first with the needles held\nin her right hand and then with those held in the left. Hasjelti then\nturned the boy toward the right until he faced west and made a cross with\nmeal upon his back, when Hostjoboard struck him twice on the back with the\nneedles. He was again turned to face the east, when both arms were\nextended and brought together. Hasjelti made a cross over the arms and\nthen over the knees. Each time the boy was crossed with the meal\nHostjoboard struck the spot first with the needles in the right hand and\nthen with those in the left, after which the boy returned to his seat. The\ncross denotes the scalp knot. Most of the boys advanced quite bravely to\nreceive the chastisement. I noticed but one who seemed very nervous, and\nwith great difficulty he kept back the tears. The boys' ceremony over, the\ngods approached the girls, beginning at the end of the line next to the\nboys. Hasjelti marked a line of meal on each side of the foot of the girl,\nwhen Hostjoboard, now holding two ears of yellow corn wrapped with pinon\ntwigs, placed them to the soles of the girl's feet and Hasjelti drew a\nline of meal on each hand; after which Hostjoboard placed the ears of corn\nto the palms of the hands, she holding the corn in her palms and pressing\nit to the palms of the girl's hands. Hasjelti formed a cross on the breast\nwith the meal and Hostjoboard pressed the two ears of corn to the breast;\na cross was made on the back and the two ears of corn pressed to the back.\nHasjelti, with his right hand, then drew a line on the girl's left\nshoulder, and with his left hand a line on the girl's right shoulder, the\ncorn being pressed to the shoulders in the manner described. Two lines of\nmeal were run over the forehead back to the top of the head, and the two\nears of corn pressed to the top of head. The boys were nude but the girls\nwere gayly dressed in blankets, jewelry, etc. At the close of this\nceremony the representatives of the gods removed their masks and called\nupon the children to raise their heads. The amazement depicted upon the\nfaces of the children when they discovered their own people and not gods\nafforded much amusement to the spectators. The masks were laid upon a\nblanket and the girls and boys were commanded to look upon them.\nHostjoboard placed her mask upon the face of each boy and girl and woman\nin the line, beginning at the north end of the line, giving a hoot each\ntime the mask was placed upon anyone. Great care was taken that the mask\nshould be so arranged upon the face that the eyes might look directly\nthrough the eyeholes, for should any blunder occur the sight of at least\none eye would be lost. It is scarcely on before it is removed. After the\nmasks had been placed on all the faces it was laid beside Hasjelti's. The\nman personating Hasjelti sprinkled his mask and then Hostjoboard's with\npollen, and the man personating Hostjoboard sprinkled Hasjelti's mask and\nthen his own with pollen. The boy to the north end of the line was called\nout and from the pollen bag took a pinch of pollen and sprinkled first the\nmask of Hasjelti and then Hostioboard's. This was repeated by each boy,\ngirl, and woman in the line. In approaching the masks they always pass\nback of the line around to the north side and then step in front of the\nmasks. The mask is sprinkled in this wise: A line of pollen is run from\nthe top of the head down to the mouth; passing around to the right the\nline is drawn upward over the left cheek; the hand continues to move\noutside of the mask to a point below the right cheek, then up the right\ncheek. The younger children's hands were guided by the representatives of\nthe gods. It would be a great fatality to sprinkle a drop of meal over the\neye holes; the individual committing such an error would become blind at\nleast in one eye. Great care is also taken that the line is run up the\ncheek, for if it was run down not only would vegetation be stunted, but\nthe lives of the people would become so, as all people and things should\naim upward not downward. The line running down through the center of the\nface calls upon the gods above to send down rain upon the earth and health\nto all people. Two or three children started through ignorance to run the\nmeal down one of the cheeks; they were instantly stopped by Hasjelti, but\nnot until the people looking on had expressed great horror. All in the\nline having gone through this ceremony the crowd of spectators sprinkled\nthe masks in the same manner. I was requested to sprinkle them, and at the\nsame time was specially instructed to run the lines up the cheeks. This\nclosed the ceremony of initiation. The boys were then permitted to go\naround at will and look at the masks and enter the lodge and view the sand\npainting. Hasjelti and Hostjoboard returned to the lodge, carrying their\nmasks in their hands.\n\nAbout an hour after the ceremony of the initiation of the children a large\nbuffalo robe was spread on the avenue with his head to the east, around\nwhich a circle of some hundred feet in diameter was formed by horsemen and\npedestrians who gathered, eager to witness the outdoot ceremony. The\ntheurgist and invalid were seated outside of the lodge, south of the\nentrance. The dieties personated in this occasion were the gods Hasjelti\nand Taadotjaii, and the goddess Tebahdi. Haskjelti wore black velvet and\nsilver ornaments, with red silk scarf around the waist. Taadotjaii was\nnude, his body being painted a reddish color. The limbs and body were\nzigzagged with white, representing lightning and downy breast feathers of\nthe eagle, and in his right hand a gourd rattle devoid of ornamentation.\nYebahdi wore the ordinary squaw's dress and moccasins, with many silver\nornaments, and a large blanket around her shoulders touching the ground.\nHasjelti approached dancing, and sprinkled meal over the buffalo robe, and\nthe invalid stood upon the robe. Hasjelti, followed by Zaadoltjaii, again\nentered the circle and sprinkled meal upon the robe. The goddess Yebahdi\nfollowing, stood within the circle some 20 feet from the robe on the east\nside and facing west. Hasjelti, amidst hoots and anties, sprinkled meal\nupon the invalid, throwing both his hands upward. Immediately Zaadoltjaii,\nwith arrow in the left hand and rattle int he right, threw both hands up\nover the invalid amidst hoots and antics. They then passed to Yebahdi, who\nholds with both hands a basket containing the two yellow ears of corn\nwrapped with pine twigs that were used in the children's ceremony, and\nindulged in similar antics over the goddess. As each representative of the\ngods threw up his hands she raised her basket high above and in front of\nher head. Hasjelti, together with Zaadoltjaii and Yebahdi, then passed\naround within the circle to the other three points of the compass. At each\npoint Yebahdi took her position about 20 feet from the buffalo robe, when\nHasjelti and Zaadoltjhaii repeated their performance over the invalid and\nthen over Yebahdi each time she elevated the basket. The invalid then\nentered the lodge, followed by the representatives of the gods, who were\ncareful to remove their masks before going in. The invalid sat on the\ncornstalk in the center of the sand painting, facing east. Zaadoltjaii\nstepped upon the painting, and taking the little medicine gourd from the\nhands of the rainbow goddess, dipped the cedar twig into the medicine\nwater and sprinkled the painting, beginning at the south side. Zaadoltjaii\ngave the invalid a draft from the gourd, and waving the gourd from left to\nright formed a circle, amidst the wildest cries. He gave three more drafts\nto the invalid, each time waving the gourd around the invalid with a wave\ntoward the east. He then placed the palm of his hand over the feet of all\nthe figures, beginning with the figure at the south end, west side;\nrunning up that line he began with the figure on the north end east side,\nrunning down that line; he then placed his hands to the soles of the feet\nof the invalid, hooting twice; then the heart of the invalid was touched\nin the same manner with the palm of the right hand, the left hand being\nplaced to his back. The body was pressed in this way four times amid loud\ncries. This was repeated upon the invalid. After touching each figure of\nthe painting, the right hand was placed to the forehead of the invalid and\nthe left hand to the back of the head, and the head pressed in this way on\nall sides. The song-priest put live coals before the invalid and upon them\nsprinkled tobacco and water, the fumes of which the invalid inhaled. An\nattendant then threw the coals out of the fire opening, and the\nsong-priest gathered the twelve turkey wands from around the painting\nwhile the inmates of the lodge hastened forward to press their hands upon\nwhat remained of the figures, then drawing a breath from their hands, they\npressed them upon their bodies that they might be cured of any\ninfirmities, moral or physical, after which four men gathered at the\npoints of the compass and swept the sand to the center of the painting,\nand placing it in a blanket deposited it a short distance from the lodge.\n\n\n\n\n\nNINTH DAY.\n\n\n\n\nFIRST CEREMONY.\n\n\nThe final decoration of masks with ribbons, plumes, etc., began at sunrise\nand consumed most of the morning. About noon two sticks 1 inch in diameter\nand 6 inches long were colored; one, of pinon, was painted black, the\nother, of cedar, was colored red. Three medicine tubes were made, one\nblack, one red, and one blue. These were placed in a basket half filled\nwith meal; the basket stood in the niche behind the song-priest. Two men\npersonated Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni. Naiyenesgony's body was\npainted black (from the embers of a burnt weed of which specimens were\nprocured) and on the outside of his legs below the knee, on the upper\narms, breast and scapula were bows in white but without arrows.\nTobaidischinni had his body painted with the scalp knot in white in\nrelative positions to the bows on Naiyenesgony. A third man, personating\nthe turquois hermaphrodite Ahsonnutli, wore the usual squaw's dress with a\nblanket fastened over the shoulders reaching to the ground. Her mask was\nblue. The three left the lodge carrying their masks in their hands.\nPassing some distance down the avenue to the east they put on their masks\nand returned to the lodge. A buffalo robe had been spread in front of the\nlodge. Just as the maskers returned, the invalid, wrapped in a fine red\nNavajo blanket and bearing a basket of sacred meal, stepped upon the robe;\nhe had before stood in front of the lodge by the side of the song-priest.\nThe many spectators on foot and horseback clad in their rich blankets\nformed a brilliant surrounding for this ceremony, which took place just at\nthe setting of the son. Naiyenesgony carried in his right hand a large\nlava celt which was painted white. Tobaidischinni followed next carrying\nin his right hand the black wood stick which had been prepared in the\nmorning, and in his left hand the red stick. Ahsonnutli followed with bow\nand arrow in the left hand and an arrow in the right with a quiver thrown\nover the shoulder.\n\nNaiyenesgony drew so close to the invalid that their faces almost touched\nand pointed his celt toward the invalid. Tobaidischinni then approached\nand in the same manner pointed the sticks toward him, after which he was\napproached by Ahsonnutli with her bow and arrows. This was repeated on the\nsouth, west, and north sides of the invalid; each time the invalid\npartially turned his arm, shoulder, and back to sprinkle meal upon the\ngods. The gods then rushed to the entrance of the medicine lodge repeating\nthe ceremony there, when they hurried to the south side of the lodge (the\ninvalid having returned to the lodge; the buffalo robe was carried in by\nan attendant). The gods went from the south side of the lodge to the west\nand then to the north performing the same ceremony. As the invalid had\nspent many days in the lodge and the disease at each day's ceremony exuded\nfrom his body, it was deemed necessary that these gods should go to the\nfour points of the compass and draw the disease from the lodge. When they\nentered the lodge the buffalo robe had been spread in front of the\nsong-priest with its head north. Upon this robe each god knelt on his left\nknee, Naiyenesgony on the north end of the robe, Ahsonnutli on the south\nend, and Tobaidischinni between them, all facing east. The song-priest,\nfollowed by the invalid, advanced to the front of the line carrying the\nbasket containing the medicine tubes. He sprinkled Naiyenesgony with corn\npollen, passing it up the right arm over the head and down the left arm to\nthe hand. He placed the black tube in the palm, of the left hand of the\ngod, the priest chanting all the while a prayer. The red tube was given\nwith the same ceremony to Tobaidischinni, and the blue tube with the same\nceremony to Ahsonnutli. The quiver was removed from Ahsonnutli before she\nknelt. The song-priest, kneeling in front of Naiyenesgony, repeated a long\nlitany with responses by the invalid, when the gods left the lodge led by\nNaiyenesgony who deposited his tube and stick in a pinon tree,\nTobaidischinni depositing his in a cedar tree, and Ahsonnutli hers in the\nheart of a shrub.\n\n\n\n\nSECOND CEREMONY.\n\n\nThe scene was a brilliant one. Long before the time for the dance a line\nof four immense fires burned on each side of the avenue where the dance\nwas to take place, and Navajo men and women clad in their bright colored\nblankets and all their rare beads and silver encircled each fire. Logs\nwere piled 5 or 6 feet high. In addition to these eight fires there were\nmany others near and far, around which groups of gamblers gathered, all\ngay and happy. Until this night no women but those who carried food to the\nlodge had been present at any of the ceremonies except at the initiation\nof the children. To say that there were 1,200 Navajo would be a moderate\ncalculation. This indeed was a picture never to be forgotten. Many had\nbeen the objections to our sketching and writing, but throughout the nine\ndays the song-priest stood steadfastly by us. One chief in particular\ndenounced the theurgist for allowing the medicine to be put on paper and\ncarried to Washington. But his words availed nothing. We were treated with\nevery consideration. We were allowed to handle the masks and examine them\nclosely, and at times the artists working at the sand painting really\ninconvenienced themselves and allowed us to crowd them that we might\nobserve closely the many minute details which otherwise could not have\nbeen perceived, as many of their color lines in the skirt and sash\ndecorations were like threads. The accompanying sketches show every\ndetail.\n\nThe green or dressing room was a circular inclosure of pine boughs at the\nend of the avenue. It was about 10 feet high by 20 feet in diameter made\nof pinon branches with their butts planted in the ground, their tops\nforming a brush or hedge. Within this inclosure the masks were arranged in\na row on the west side. A large fire burned in the center affording both\nheat and light. The different sets, when a change of dress from one set of\nmen to another was to be made, repaired to this green room for that\npurpose. This inclosure was also the resort during the night for many\nIndians who assisted the dancers in their toilets.\n\nAt 10 o'clock the ceremonies opened by the entrance upon the avenue of the\nsong-priest who came from the green room. He wore a rich red blanket and\nover this a mountain lion skin; immediately after him followed Hasjelti,\nleading the four Etsethle (the first ones). These represented first, natan\n(corn); second, natin (rain); third, nanase (vegetation); fourth, jadetin\n(corn pollen). Their masks were blue ornamented with feathers and were\nsimilar to the masks worn by the dancers; their bodies were painted white\nwith many rare beads around their necks, and they wore loin skirts with\nsilver belts; a gray fox skin was attached pendant to the back of the\nbelt, and blue stockings, tied with red garters, and moccasins completed\ntheir dress. They carried in their right hands gourd rattles painted\nwhite. The handles of these may be of any kind of wood, but it must be\nselected from some tree near which lightning has struck, but not of the\nwood of the tree struck by lightning. Corn pollen was in the palms of\ntheir left hands and in the same hand they carried also a pinon bough.\nHasjelti wore a suit of velvet ornamented with silver buttons; he never\nspeaks except by signs. They advanced single file with a slow regular step\nand when within 20 feet of the lodge the priest turned and faced Hasjelti\nand repeated a short prayer, when the Etsethle sang.\n\n\n\nSONG OF THE ETSETHLE.\n\n\n From below (the earth) my corn comes\n I walk with you.\n From above water young (comes)\n I walk with you.\n From above vegetation (comes to the earth)\n I walk with you.\n From below the earth corn pollen comes\n I walk with you.\n\nThese lines are repeated four times. The first line indicates that corn is\nthe chief subsistence; the second, that it is necessary to pray to\nHasjelti that the earth may be watered; the third, that the earth must be\nembraced by the sun in order to have vegetation; the fourth, that pollen\nis essential in all religious ceremonies. The Etsethle signify doubling\nthe essential things by which names they are known, corn, grain, etc.,\nthey are the mystic people who dwell in canyon sides unseen. After the\nsong the invalid with meal basket in hand passed hurriedly down the line\nof gods and sprinkled each one with meal, passing it from the right hand\nup to the right arm, to the head then down the left arm to the hand,\nplacing a pinch in the palm of the left hand. The invalid then returned\nand stood to the north side of Hasjelti who was to the left of the\nsong-priest. The theurgist stood facing natan (corn) and offered a prayer\nwhich was repeated by the invalid. Continency must be observed by the\ninvalid during the nine days ceremonial and for four days thereafter.\n\n\n\nPRAYER TO THE ETSETHLE.\n\n\n\"People, you come to see us; you have a house in the heart of the rocks;\nyou are the chief of them; you are beautiful. Come inside of our houses.\nYour feet are white; come into our house! Your legs are white; come into\nour house! Your bodies are white; come into our house! Your face is white;\ncome into our house! Old man, this world is beautiful; the people look\nupon you and they are happy. This day let all things be beautiful.\"\n\nThis prayer is repeated many times, merely substituting for old man old\nwoman, then youth, young girl, boy, then all children. The old man and\nwoman spoken of are not the first old man and woman in the myth of the old\nman and woman of the first world. After the prayer the song-priest and\ninvalid took seats by the entrance of the lodge. Hasjelti took his\nposition to the west end and to the north of the line of the Etsethle. He\nremained standing while the four slowly raised the right foot squarely\nfrom the ground, then on the toe of the left foot, which motion shook the\nrattle. In a short time Hasjelti passed down the line hooting. He passed\naround the east end, then returned up the north side to his former\nposition, and again hooting, resumed the leadership of the Etsethle, who\ngave a long shake of the rattle as soon as Hasjelti stood in front of\nthem. They then followed their leader to the dressing room.\n\n\n\n\nCONCLUSION - THE DANCE.\n\n\nThe song-priest having returned to the green room, emerged therefrom,\nfollowed by Hasjelti, who carried a fawn skin partially filled with meal,\nand by twelve dancers and Hostjoghon, holding in each hand a feather wand.\nThe twelve dancers represented the old man and woman six times duplicated.\nHasjelti led the dancers and Hostjoghon followed in the rear. When they\ncame near the lodge the song-priest turned and faced the dancers, and\nbeing joined by the invalid, he led him down the line of dancers on the\nnorth side, the invalid carrying a sacred meal basket, and sprinkled the\nright side of each dancer. The song-priest and invalid then returned to\ntheir seats in front of the lodge. Hasjelti passed down the line on the\nnorth side and joined Hostjoghon at the east end of the line, both then\npassing to the west end, where each one endeavored to be the first to\nstamp twice upon the ground immediately in front of the leading dancer.\nThis double stamp is given with hoots, and they then returned down the\nline to the center, when Hasjelti dashes back to the west end, clasping\nthe throat of the fawn skin with his right hand and holding the legs with\nhis left, with both his arms extended to the front. Hostjoghon extending\nhis hands with the feather wands in them, they point the head of the skin\nand tops of the wands directly in front of them as they stand facing each\nother, hooting at the same time. Reversing sides by dashing past each\nother, Hasjelti points his fawn skin to the east while Hostjoghon points\nhis wands to the west. They then return to their respective positions as\nleader and follower.\n\nAfter the dance begins Hasjelti passes down the north side and joins\nHostjoghon at the east end of the dancers, Hasjelti keeping to the north\nside of Hostjoghon. Three of the men, representing women, were dressed in\nNavajo squaw dresses and three of them in Tusayan squaw dresses; they held\ntheir arms horizontally to the elbow and the lower arm vertically, and,\nkeeping their feet close together, raised themselves simultaneously on\ntheir toes. The dance was begun in single file, the men raising only their\nright feet to any height and balancing on the left. After a minute or two\nthe line broke, the women passing over to the north side and the men to\nthe south side; almost instantaneously, however, they grouped into a\npromiscuous crowd, women carrying a pine twig in each hand and the men a\ngourd rattle in the right hand and a pine twig in the left. The men's\nbodies were painted white and were nude, excepting the silk scarfs and\nmountain lion and other skins worn around the loins. Just before the\nstamping of the feet in the beginning of the dance, a rattle was shaken by\nall the male dancers, which was the signal for a peculiar back motion of\nthe right arm and body and one which preceded the actual dancing. The six\nmales lean their bodies to the right side extending the right hand\nbackward, and then bringing it forward in a circular under sweep around to\nthe mouth with a hoot. They then turn and face the east, and bending their\nbodies toward the south perform the same motion as before, when they turn\nto the west and repeat it in that direction. At the same time the leader\nand follower repeat their peculiar performance with the fawn skin and\nwands to the east and west. Dancing promiscuously for a few moments to\nsong and rattle, the men representing women singing in feminine tones,\nthey form again in two lines, the women as before on the north side. The\nman at the west end of the male line and the woman at the same end of the\nfemale line, meeting each other midway between the lines she passes her\nright arm through the arm of her partner, his arm being bent to receive\nit; they pass between the line and are met a short distance from the other\nend of the line by Hasjelti and Hostjoghon, who dance up to meet them, the\nmovement resembling closely the old-fashioned Virginia reel. The couple\nthen dance backward between the lines to their starting point, then down\nagain, when they separate, the man taking his place in the rear of the\nmale line and the woman hers in the rear of the female line. This couple\nstarting down the second time, the man and woman immediately next in line\nlock arms and pass down in the same manner, Hasjelti and Hostjoghon\nscarcely waiting for the first couple to separate before dancing up to\nmeet the second couple; the remaining couples following in like order\nuntil the first couple find themselves in their former position at the\nhead of the line. Now a group dance is indulged in for a minute or two\nwhen lines are again formed, and a second figure exactly like the first is\ndanced. This figure was again repeated without variation, after which the\nmen and women fell into single file, and, led by Hasjelti and followed by\nHostjoghon, left the dancing ground. They did not go to the green,\nhowever, but moved off a short distance to rest for a moment and returned.\nUpon each return the invalid passed down the line on the north side\nsprinkling each dancer with meal, Hasjelti and Hostjoghon performing with\nthe fawn skin and wands. This dance of four figures was repeated twelve\ntimes, each time the dancers resting but a moment. After the twelve dances\nthe dancers passed to the green room, where they were relieved by a second\nset of men. The second series of dances were exactly like the first. There\nwere twenty-one dances, four figures in each dance, and each time the\ndancers appeared they were sprinkled with meal by the invalid, while\nHasjelti and Hostjoghon performed their antics with fawn skin and wands.\nThe third series embraced all the dances exactly like the above. The\nfourth series embraced nineteen dances. The only variation in this was\nthat the leaders were often more clownish in their performances, and upon\nseveral occasions only four men representing women appeared. In this case\ntwo men danced together. Some of the dancers dropped out from weariness,\nwhich caused diminution in some of the sets. The last dance closed at the\nfirst light of day. The song-priest had preceded the last dancers to the\ngreen room and awaited their arrival to obtain the masks, which were his\nspecial property.\n\n\n\n\n\nMYTHS OF THE NAVAJO.\n\n\n\n\nCREATION OF THE SUN.\n\n\nThe first three worlds were neither good nor healthful. They moved all the\ntime and made the people dizzy. Upon ascending into this world the Navajo\nfound only darkness and they said \"We must have light.\"\n\nIn the Ute Mountain lived two women, Ahsonnutli, the turquoise\nhermaphrodite, and Yolaikaiason, the white-shell woman. These two women\nwere sent for by the Navajo, who told them they wished light. The Navajo\nhad already partially separated light into its several colors. Next to the\nfloor was white indicating dawn, upon the white blue was spread for\nmorning, and on the blue yellow for sunset, and next was black\nrepresenting night. They had prayed long and continuously over these, but\ntheir prayers had availed nothing. The two women on arriving told the\npeople to have patience and their prayers would eventually be answered.\n\nNight had a familiar, who was always at his ear. This person said, \"Send\nfor the youth at the great falls.\" Night sent as his messenger a shooting\nstar. The youth soon appeared and said, \"Ahsonnutli, the ahstjeohltoi\n(hermaphrodite), has white beads in her right breast and turquoise in her\nleft. We will tell her to lay them on darkness and see what she can do\nwith her prayers.\" This she did.(6) The youth from the great falls said to\nAhsonnutli, \"You have carried the white-shell beads and turquoise a long\ntime; you should know what to say.\" Then with a crystal dipped in pollen\nshe marked eyes and mouth on the turquoise and on the white-shell beads,\nand forming a circle around these with the crystal she produced a slight\nlight from the white-shell bead and a greater light from the turquoise,\nbut the light was insufficient.\n\nTwelve men lived at each of the cardinal points. The forty-eight men were\nsent for. After their arrival Ahsonnutli sang a song, the men sitting\nopposite to her; yet even with their presence the song failed to secure\nthe needed light. Two eagle plumes were placed upon each cheek of the\nturquoise and two on the cheeks of the white-shell beads and one at each\nof the cardinal points. The twelve men of the east placed twelve\nturquoises at the east of the faces. The twelve men of the south placed\ntwelve white-shell beads at the south. The twelve men of the west placed\ntwelve turquoises at the west. Those of the north placed twelve\nwhite-shell beads at that point. Then with the crystal dipped in corn\npollen they made a circle embracing the whole. The wish still remained\nunrealized. Then Ahsonnutli held the crystal over the turquoise face,\nwhereupon it lighted into a blaze. The people retreated far back on\naccount of the great heat, which continued increasing. The men from the\nfour points found the heat so intense that they arose, but they could\nhardly stand, as the heavens were so close to them. They looked up and saw\ntwo rainbows, one across the other from east to west, and from north to\nsouth. The heads and feet of the rainbows almost touched the men's heads.\nThe men tried to raise the great light, but each time they failed. Finally\na man and woman appeared, whence they knew not. The man's name was\nAtseatsine and the woman's name was Atseatsan. They were asked \"How can\nthis sun be got up.\" They replied, \"We know; we heard the people down here\ntrying to raise it, and this is why we came.\" \"Chanteen\" (sun's rays),\nexclaimed the man, \"I have the chanteen; I have a crystal from which I can\nlight the chanteen, and I have the rainbow; with these three I can raise\nthe sun.\" The people said, \"Go ahead and raise it.\" When he had elevated\nthe sun a short distance it tipped a little and burned vegetation and\nscorched the people, for it was still too near. Then the people said to\nAtseatsine and Atseatsan, \"Raise the sun higher,\" and they continued to\nelevate it, and yet it continued to burn everything. They were then called\nupon to \"lift it higher still, as high as possible,\" but after at certain\nheight was reached their power failed; it would go no farther.\n\nThe couple then made four poles, two of turquoise and two of white-shell\nbeads, and each was put under the sun, and with these poles the twelve men\nat each of the cardinal points raised it. They could not get it high\nenough to prevent the people and grass from burning. The people then said,\n\"Let us stretch the world;\" so the twelve men at each point expanded the\nworld. The sun continued to rise as the world expanded, and began to shine\nwith less heat, but when it reached the meridian the heat became great and\nthe people suffered much. They crawled everywhere to find shade. Then the\nvoice of Darkness went four times around the world telling the men at the\ncardinal points to go on expanding the world. \"I want all this trouble\nstopped,\" said Darkness; \"the people are suffering and all is burning; you\nmust continue stretching.\" And the men blew and stretched, and after a\ntime they saw the sun rise beautifully, and when the sun again reached the\nmeridian it was only tropical. It was then just right, and as far as the\neye could reach the earth was encircled first with the white dawn of day,\nthen with the blue of early morning, and all things were perfect. And\nAhsonnutli commanded the twelve men to go to the east, south, west, and\nnorth, to hold up the heavens (Yiyanitsinni, the holders up of the\nheavens), which office they are supposed to perform to this day.\n\n\n\n\nHASJELTI AND HOSTJOGHON.\n\n\nHasjelti and Hostjoghon were the children of Ahsonnutli, the turquoise,\nand Yolaikaiason (white-shell woman, wife of the sun). Ahsonnutli placed\nan ear of white corn and Yolaikaiason an ear of yellow corn on the\nmountain where the fogs meet. The corn conceived, the white corn giving\nbirth to Hasjelti and the yellow corn to Hostjoghon. These two became the\ngreat song-makers of the world. They gave to the mountain of their\nnativity (Henry Mountain in Utah) two songs and two prayers; they then\nwent to Sierra Blanca (Colorado) and made two songs and prayers and\ndressed the mountain in clothing of white shell with two eagle plumes\nplaced upright upon the head. From here they visited San Mateo Mountain\n(New Mexico) and gave to it two songs and prayers, and dressed it in\nturquoise, even to the leggings and moccasins, and placed two eagle plumes\non the head. Hence they went to San Francisco Mountain (Arizona) and made\ntwo songs and prayers and dressed that mountain in abalone shells with two\neagle plumes upon the head. They then visited Ute Mountain and gave to it\ntwo songs and prayers and dressed it in black beads. This mountain also\nhad two eagle plumes on its head. They then returned to the mountain of\ntheir nativity to meditate, \"We two have made all these songs.\"\n\nUpon inquiring of their mothers how they came into existence, and being\ninformed, they said, \"Well, let our number be increased; we can not get\nalong with only two of us.\" The woman placed more yellow and white corn on\nthe mountain and children were conceived as before. A sufficient number\nwere born so that two brothers were placed on each of the four mountains,\nand to these genii of the mountains the clouds come first. All the\nbrothers consulted together as to what they should live upon and they\nconcluded to make game, and so all game was created.\n\nNavajo prayers for rain and snow are addressed to Hasjelti and Hostjoghon.\nThese gods stand upon the mountain tops and call the clouds to gather\naround them. Hasjelti is the mediator between the Navajo and the sun. He\nprays to the sun, \"Father, give me the light of your mind, that my mind\nmay be strong; give me some of your strength, that my arm may be strong,\nand give me your rays that corn and other vegetation may grow.\" It is to\nthis deity that the most important prayers of the Navajo are addressed.\nThe lesser deities have shorter prayers and less valuable offerings made\nto them. Hasjelti communicates with the Navajo through the feathered\nkingdom, and for this reason the choicest feathers and plumes are placed\nin the cigarettes and attached to the prayer sticks offered to him.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FLOATING LOGS.\n\n\nA man sat thinking, \"Let me see; my songs are too short; I want more\nsongs; where shall I go to find them?\" Hasjelti appeared and, perceiving\nhis thoughts, said, \"I know where you can go to get more songs.\" \"Well, I\nmuch want to get more, and I will follow you.\" When they reached a certain\npoint in a box canyon in the Big Colorado River they found four gods (the\nHostjobokon) at work hewing logs of cottonwood. Hasjelti said, \"This will\nnot do; cottonwood becomes water-soaked; you must use pine instead of\ncottonwood.\" The Hostjobokon then began boring the pine with flint, when\nHasjelti said, \"That is slow work,\" and he commanded the whirlwind to\nhollow the log. A Jerusalem cross was formed with one solid log and a\nhollow one. The song-hunter entered the hollow log and Hasjelti closed the\nend with a cloud, that the water of the river might not enter when the\nlogs were launched upon the great waters. The Hostjobokon, accompanied by\ntheir wives, rode upon the logs, a couple sitting on the end of each cross\narm. These were accompanied by Hasjelti, Hostjoghon, and two Naaskiddi,\nwho walked on the banks to ward the logs off from the shore. Hasjelti\ncarried a squirrel skin filled with tobacco from which to supply the gods\non their journey. Hostjoghon carried a staff ornamented with eagle and\nturkey plumes and a gaming ring with two humming birds tied to it with\nwhite cotton cord. The two Naaskiddi carried staffs of lightning.(7) After\nfloating a long distance down the river they came to waters that had a\nshore on one side only, and they landed. Here they found people like\nthemselves. These people, on learning of the song-hunter's wish, gave to\nhim many songs and they painted pictures on a cotton blanket and said,\n\"These pictures must go with the songs. If we give this blanket to you you\nwill lose it. We will give you white earth and black coals which you will\ngrind together to make black paint, and we will give you white sand,\nyellow sand, and red sand, and for the blue paint you will take white sand\nand black coals with a very little red and yellow sand. These together\nwill give you blue.(8)\"\n\nThe song-hunter remained with these people until the corn was ripe. There\nhe learned to eat corn and he carried some back with him to the Navajo,\nwho had not seen corn before, and he taught them how to raise it and how\nto eat it.\n\nAs the logs would not float upstream the song-hunter was conveyed by four\nsunbeams, one attached to each end of the cross-logs, to the box canyon\nwhence he emerged. Upon his return he separated the logs, placing an end\nof the solid log into the hollow end of the other and planted this great\npole in the river, whereto this day it is to be seen by those so\nventuresome as to visit this point.\n\nThe old song priest who related this myth to me regretted that so few of\nhis people now visited the sacred spot.\n\n\"When I was young,\" he said, \"many went there to pray and make offerings.\"\n\n\n\n\nNAIYENESGONY AND TOBAIDISCHINNI.\n\n\nThis world was destroyed five times. The first time by a whirlwind; the\nsecond, by immense hail stones; the third, by smallpox, when each pustule\ncovered a whole cheek; the fourth, all was destroyed by coughing; the\nfifth time Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni went over the earth slaying all\nenemies.\n\nThese two boys were born at Tohatkle (where the waters are mated), near\nUte Mountain, in Utah; they were the children of Ahsonnutli. Ahsonnutli\nand Yolaikaiason (the white-shell woman) were the creators of shells.\nAhsonnutli had a beard under her right arm and Yolaikaiason had a small\nball of flesh under her left arm from which they made all shells. The eyes\nof Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni were shells placed on their faces by\nAhsonnutli; the shells immediately becoming brilliant the boys could look\nupon all things and see any distance without their eyes becoming weary. A\nstick colored black was placed to the forehead of Naiyenesgony and one\ncolored blue to that of Tobaidischinni. When Naiyenesgony shook his head\nthe stick remained firm on the forehead, but he felt something in the palm\nof his hand, which proved to be three kinds of seeds, and he said, \"We\nmust go by this.\" When Tobaidischinni shook his head the stick dropped off\nthe forehead and they thought a long time and said, \"We must go by this.\"\nThis is why the deer sheds his horns. In ceremonials the breath is drawn\nfrom sticks which are made to represent the originals; the sticks are also\nheld to wounds as a curative.\n\nThese two boys grew from infancy to manhood in four days and on the fourth\nday they made bows and arrows; on the fifth day they began using them.\nAlthough they were the children of Ahsonnutli they did not know her as\ntheir mother, but supposed her to be their aunt. Frequently they inquired\nof her where they could find their father. She always told them to stop\ntheir inquiries, for they had no father. Finally they said to her, \"We\nknow we have a father and we intend to go and look for him.\" She again\ndenied that they had a father, but they were determined and they journeyed\nfar to the east and came to the house of the sun. The house was of white\nshell, and the wife of the sun (Yolaikaiason) was also of white shell. The\nwife inquired of the youths where they were from, and, said she, \"What do\nyou want here?\" They replied, \"We came to hunt our father.\" When the sun\nreturned to his home in the evening he discovered the youths as soon as he\nentered his house and he asked, \"Where are those two boys from?\" The wife\nreplied, \"You say you never do anything wrong when you travel; these two\nboys call you father and I know they are your children.\" The wife was very\nangry. The sun sent the boys off a distance and threw a great roll of\nblack clouds at them intending to kill them, but they were not injured,\nand they returned to the house. He then pushed them against a sharp stone\nknife, but they slipped by uninjured. Four times they were thrust against\nthe knife, but without injury. The sun finding his attempts unsuccessful\nsaid, \"It is so, you are my sons.\" The sun then ordered Hasjelti and\nToneennili (these two were special attendants upon the sun) to build a\nsweat house and put the boys in, that they might die from the heat.\nToneennili made an excavation inside of the sweat house, put the boys into\nthe hole, and placed a rock over the hole and built a fire over the rock.\nWhen the rock became very hot the sun ordered Toneennili to sprinkle it\nfour times with water, being careful to keep the entrance to the sweat\nhouse closely covered. After a time he uncovered the entrance and removing\nthe rock the sun commanded the boys to come out. He did not expect to be\nobeyed, as he thought and hoped the boys were dead, but they came out\nunharmed. The sun then said, \"You are indeed my own children; I have tried\nin vain to destroy you.\" The boys wished to return to the woman whom they\nsupposed to be their aunt. Before departing the sun asked them what they\nwished; they said, \"We want bows and arrows, knives, and good leggings.\nThere are people around the world eating our people (the Navajo). Some of\nthese people are great giants and some are as small as flies; we wish to\nkill them with lightning.\" The sun gave the youths clothing that was\ninvulnerable, and he gave them lightning with which to destroy all\nenemies, and a great stone knife. They then went over the world.\nNaiyenesgony killed with the lightning arrows and Tobaidischinni scalped\nwith his knife. After all enemies had been destroyed Naiyenesgony and\nTobaidischinni said to the Navajo, \"Now we will leave you and return to\nour home in the Ute Mountains, where the waters are mated, but before\nleaving you we will give to you the ten songs and prayers that will bring\nhealth and good fortune to your people. Tobaidischinni is the parent of\nall waters.\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE BROTHERS.\n\n\nThe Tolchini (a Navajo clan) lived at Wind Mountain. One of the brothers\nbecame crazy and he went off a long way, and on his return brought with\nhim a pine bough; a second time he returned with corn, and from each trip\nhe brought something new and had a story to tell about it. His brothers\nwould not believe him, and said, \"He is crazy; he does not know what he is\ntalking about.\" The brothers, however, became very jealous of him, and\nconstantly taunted him with being a crazy liar. The Tolchini left the Wind\nMountain and went to a rocky foothill east of San Mateo Mountain. They had\nnothing to eat but a kind of seed grass. The eldest brother said, \"Let us\ngo hunt,\" and told the crazy brother not to leave the camp. But after five\ndays and nights and no word coming from the brothers he determined to\nfollow them and help them, bring home the game; he thought they had killed\nmore deer than they could carry. After a day's travel he camped near a\ncanyon, selecting a cavelike place in which to sleep, for he was tired and\nthirsty. There was much snow, but no water, so he made a fire and heated a\nrock and made a hole in the ground, and placing the rock in the cavity put\nin some snow, which melted and furnished him a draft to quench his thirst.\nJust then he heard a tumult over his head like people passing and he went\nout to see who made the noise, and he discovered many crows crossing back\nand forth over the canyon. This was the home of the crow. There were other\nfeathered people also (the chaparral cock was among them). He saw also\nmany fires which had been made by the crows on either side of the canyon.\nTwo other crows arrived and stood near him and he listened hard to hear\nall that was being said. These two crows cried out, \"Somebody says,\nsomebody says.\" The youth did not know what to make of this. Then, a crow\nfrom the opposite side of the canyon called, \"What is the matter; tell us,\ntell us; what is wrong?\" The two first criers then said, \"Two of us got\nkilled; we met two men who told us. They said the two men, who were all\nthe time traveling around (referring to the two brothers of the crazy\nyouth), killed twelve deer and a party of our people went to the deer\nafter they were killed. Two of us who went after the blood of the deer\nwere shot.\" The crows on the other side of the canyon, called, \"Which men\ngot killed?\" The first crier replied, \"The chaparral cock, who sat on the\nhorn of the deer, and the crow, who sat on its backbone.\" The other called\nout, \"We are not surprised that they were killed; that is what we tell you\nall the time. If you will go after the dead deer you must expect to be\nkilled.\" \"We will not think of them longer; they are dead and gone. We are\ntalking of things of long ago.\" The younger brother sat quietly below and\nlistened to everything that was being said.\n\nAfter a time the crows on the other side of the canyon made a great noise\nand began to dance. They had many songs at that time. The youth could not\nsee what they were doing, but he listened all the time. After the dance\nbegan a great fire was made, and then he could see black objects moving,\nbut he could not distinguish any people. He recognized the voice of\nHasjelti. Though the youth was crazy, he remembered everything in his\nheart. He even remembered the words of the songs that continued all the\nnight; he remembered every word of every song. He said to himself, \"I will\nlisten until daylight.\" These people did not remain on one side of the\ncanyon where the first fires were built, but they crossed and recrossed in\ntheir dance and had fires on both sides of the canyon. They danced back\nand forth until daylight (on the ninth night of the Hasjelti Dailjis was a\nrepetition of this dance), when all the crows and the other birds flew\naway to the west. All that he saw after they left was the fires and smoke.\nThe crazy youth then started off in a run to his brothers' camp to tell\nwhat he had seen and heard. His brothers were up early and saw the boy\napproaching. They said, \"I bet he will have lots of stories to tell. He\nwill say he saw something no one ever saw, or somebody jumped on him.\" And\nthe brother-in-law who was with them said, \"Let him alone; when he comes\ninto camp he will tell us all, and I believe these things do happen, for\nhe could not make up these things all the time.\"\n\nThe camp was surrounded by pinon brush and a large fire burned in the\ncenter of the inclosure; there was much meat roasting over the fire. As\nsoon as the youth reached the camp he raked over the coals and said, \"I\nfeel cold.\" The brother-in-law replied, \"It is cold. When people camp\ntogether they tell stories to one another in the mornings; we have told\nours and we must now hear yours.\" The youth related his experiences of the\npast night. He said, \"Where I stopped last night was the worst camp I ever\nhad.\" The brothers kept their backs to the youth and pretended not to pay\nany attention, but the brother-in-law listened and questioned him. He\ncontinued, \"I never heard such a noise.\" The brothers then remarked, \"I\nthought he would say something like that\" (they were jealous of this crazy\nbrother, he saw so much they could not see). The brother-in-law was\ninclined to believe the youth's story and asked what kind of people made\nthe noise. \"I do not know. They were strange people to me, but I do know\nthey danced all night back and forth across the canyon, and I know my\nbrothers killed twelve deer, and afterwards killed two of their people who\nwent for the blood of the deer. I heard them say, 'That is what must be\nexpected if you will go to such places you must expect to be killed.'\" The\nelder brother began thinking and without turning toward the youth asked,\n\"How many deer did you say were killed?\" and he answered \"twelve.\" Then\nthe older brother said, \"Well, sir, you have told me many stories and I\nnever believed you, but this story I do believe. What is the matter with\nyou that you know all these things? How do you know these things and find\nout these things?\" The youth replied, \"I do not know how, but all these\nthings come to my mind and my eyes.\" The elder brother said, \"I will now\ngive more thought to you and study how you find out all about these\nthings. We have a lot of meat and we did not know how to get it home; now\nthat you have come let us return; you shall carry the meat.\" When halfway\nhome they were about to descend a mesa, and when on the edge they sat down\nto rest; then they saw far down the mesa four mountain sheep, and the\nbrothers commanded the youth to kill one for them. They said, \"Our meat is\ndry; your legs are fresh, so you will kill the sheep.\" The youth succeeded\nin heading off the sheep by hiding in a bush (_Bigelovia Douglasii_(9))\nsometimes called sage brush but it is not the true sage brush. The sheep\ncame directly toward him; he aimed his arrow at them, but before he could\npull the bow his arm stiffened and became dead and the sheep passed by.\nAll the sheep passed him, but he again headed them off by hiding in the\nstalks of a large yucca.(10) The sheep passed within five steps of him,\nand again when the time to pull the bow came his arm stiffened. The crow\npeople were watching him all the time. He again followed the sheep and got\nahead of them and hid behind a birch tree in bloom; he had his bow ready,\nbut as the sheep approached him they became gods. The first one was\nHasjelti, the second was Hostjoghon, the third was Naaskiddi, the fourth\none was Hadatchishi. At this strange metamorphosis the youth was greatly\nalarmed, he dropped his bow and fell to the ground senseless. Hasjelti\nstood at the east side of the youth, Hostjoghon to the south, Naaskiddi to\nthe west, and Hadatchishi to the north of him. Each had a rattle, which\nwas used to accompany the songs for the recovery of the youth. They also\ntraced with their rattle in the sand this emblem, meaning a figure of a\nman, and drew parallel lines at the head and feet with the rattle. When\nthis was done the youth recovered and the gods had again assumed the form\nof sheep. They asked the youth why he had tried to shoot them. \"You see\nyou are one of us,\" they said. The youth had become transformed into a\nsheep. \"There is to be a dance far off to the north beyond Ute Mountain;\nwe want you to go with us to the dance. We will dress you like ourselves\nand teach you to dance; we will then go over the world.\" The brothers who\nwatched from the mesa top wondered what the trouble could be. They could\nnot see the gods. They saw the youth lying on the ground and said, \"We\nmust go and see what is the matter.\" On reaching the place they found that\ntheir young brother had gone. They saw where he had lain and where the\npeople had worked over him. They began crying and said, \"For a long time\nwe would not believe him, and now he has gone off with the sheep.\" They\nmade many efforts to head off the sheep, but without success, and they\ncried all the more, saying, as they returned to the mesa, \"Our brother\ntold us the truth and we would not believe him; had we believed him he\nwould not have gone off with the sheep; perhaps some day we will see him.\"\n\n [Illustration: Emblem]\n\nAt the dance the sheep found seven others like themselves. This made their\nnumber twelve. The seven joined the others in their journey around the\nworld. All people let them see their dances and learn their songs. Then\nall the number excepting the youth talked together and they said, \"There\nis no use keeping him with us longer (referring to the youth); he has\nlearned everything; he may as well go now and tell his people and have\nthem do as we do.\" The youth was instructed to have twelve in the dance,\nsix gods and six goddesses, with Hasjelti to lead them. He was told to\nhave his people make masks to represent them. It would not do to have\ntwelve Naaskiddi represented among the Navajo, for they would not believe\nit and there would be trouble. They could not learn all of their songs.\nThe youth returned to his brothers, carrying with him all songs, all\nmedicine, and clothing.\n\n\n\n\nTHE OLD MAN AND WOMAN OF THE FIRST WORLD.\n\n\nIn the lower world four gods were created by Etseastin and Etseasun. These\ngods were so annoyed by ants that they said, \"Let us go to the four points\nof the world.\" A spring was found at each of the cardinal points, and each\ngod took possession of a spring, which he jealously guarded.\n\nEtseastin and Etseasun were jealous because they had no water and they\nneeded some to produce nourishment. The old man finally obtained a little\nwater from each of the gods and planted it, and from it he raised a spring\nsuch as the gods had. From this spring came corn and other vegetation.\nEtseastin and Etseasun sat on opposite sides of the spring facing each\nother, and sang and prayed and talked to somebody about themselves, and\nthus they originated worship. One day the old man saw some kind of fruit\nin the middle of the spring. He tried to reach it but he could not, and\nasked the spider woman (a member of his family) to get it for him. She\nspun a web across the water and by its use procured the fruit, which\nproved to be a large white shell, quite as large as a Tusayan basket. The\nfollowing day Etseastin discovered another kind of fruit in the spring\nwhich the spider woman also brought him; this fruit was the turquoise. The\nthird day still another kind of fruit was discovered by him and obtained\nby the spider woman; this was the abalone shell. The fourth day produced\nthe black stone bead, which was also procured.\n\nAfter ascending into the upper world Etseastin visited the four corners to\nsee what he could find. (They had brought a bit of everything from the\nlower world with them). From the east he brought eagle feathers; from the\nsouth feathers from the bluejay; in the west he found hawk feathers, and\nin the north speckled night bird (whippoorwill) feathers. Etseastin and\nEtseasun carried these to a spring, placing them toward the cardinal\npoints. The eagle plumes were laid to the east and near by them white corn\nand white shell; the blue feathers were laid to the south with blue corn\nand turquoise; the hawk feathers were laid to the west with yellow corn\nand abalone shell; and to the north were laid the whippoorwill feathers\nwith black beads and corn of all the several colors. The old man and woman\nsang and prayed as they had done at the spring in the lower world. They\nprayed to the east, and the white wolf was created; to the south, and the\notter appeared; to the west, and the mountain lion came; and to the north,\nthe beaver. Etseastin made these animals rulers over the several points\nfrom which they came.\n\nWhen the white of daylight met the yellow of sunset in mid-heavens they\nembraced, and white gave birth to the coyote; yellow to the yellow fox.\nBlue of the south and black of the north similarly met, giving birth, blue\nto blue fox and north to badger.\n\nBlue and yellow foxes were given to the Pueblos; coyote and badger remain\nwith the Navajo; but Great Wolf is ruler over them all. Great Wolf was the\nchief who counseled separation of the sexes.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nFOOTNOTES\n\n\n 1 In the decoration of the bodies several men assisted, but the\n personators of the gods did much of the work on their own persons,\n and they seemed quite fastidious. The fingers were dipped into the\n paint and rubbed on the body.\n\n 2 Continency must be observed by the personators of the gods until all\n paint is removed from their bodies.\n\n 3 The suds were crossed and encircled with the pollen to give them\n additional power to restore the invalid to health.\n\n 4 I noticed that the priest of the sweat house on no occasion sat with\n the song-priest and his attendants.\n\n 5 This food is dried and made into a powder, and used as a medicine by\n the theurgist.\n\n 6 The old priest relating this myth now produced a pouch containing\n corn pollen and a crystal, which he dipped in the pollen and said,\n \"Now we must all eat of this pollen and place some on our heads, for\n we are to talk about it.\"\n\n 7 The Naaskiddi are hunchbacks; they have clouds upon their backs, in\n which seeds of all vegetation are held.\n\n 8 The Navajo will not use real blue coloring in their sand painting,\n but adhere strictly to the instructions of the gods. They do,\n however, use a bit of vermilion, when it can be obtained, to\n heighten the red coloring in the pouches.\n\n 9 The _Bigelovia Douglasii_ is made into rings and used in the\n ceremonial Hasjelti Dailjis with direct reference to this\n occurrence.\n\n 10 Ceremonial rings are also made of the Spanish bayonet (yucca).","title":"Ceremonial of Hasjelti Dailjis and Mythical Sand Painting of the Navajo Indians","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":26627}