erected some 70 feet east of the log house, in a ravine parallel with
the side of the house, and a sand painting is made by the ho´naaite on
the floor of the house; and when the painting is completed he takes his
seat in the west end of the room (the entrance being in the east end),
the male members of the society sitting on his right and left, and the
women forming right angles at either end of the line. The novitiates
are seated southwest of the sand painting, and all are necessarily
close together, as the room is very small.
The ritual begins with the rattle and song, and after the song the
ho´naaite passing before the line of women on the north side takes
a snake from a vase, and, holding it a hand’s span from the head,
advances to the east of the sand painting (which is similar in Pl.
XIV, with the addition of two slightly diverging lines, one of
corn pollen, the other of black pigment, extending from the painting
to the entrance of the house), and lays it between the lines, with its
head to the east.
There are two vases in niches in the north wall near the west end (Pl.
XXXV); one holds the snakes, and the other receives them
after they have been passed through the ceremony. At the close of the
prayer now offered, he says, “Go to your home; go far; and remain there
contentedly.” He then sprinkles corn pollen upon the snake’s head,
which rite is repeated by each member; the snake, according to the
vice-ho´naaite’s statement, extending its tongue and eating the pollen,
“the snake having no hands, puts his food into his mouth with his
tongue.” The snake is then placed around the throat and head and over
the body of the novitiate.
Though the snake can not speak, he hears all that is said, and when
he is placed to the body he listens attentively to the words of the
ho´naaite, who asks him to look upon the boy and give the boy wisdom
like his own that the boy may grow to be wise and strong like himself,
for he is now to become a member of the third degree of the Snake
division of the society. The ho´naaite then prays to the snake that he
will exhort the cloud rulers to send their people to water the earth,
that she may bear to them the fruits of her being.
The snake is not only implored to intercede with the cloud rulers to
water the earth that the Sia may have abundant food, but he is invoked
in conjunction with the sun father in the autumn and winter to provide
them with blankets and all things necessary to keep them warm.
Propitiatory prayers are not offered to the snakes, as, according to
the Sia belief, the rattlesnake is a peaceful, and not an angry agent.
They know he is friendly, because it is what the old men say, and their
fathers’ fathers told them, and they also told them that it was the
same with the snakes in Mexico. “In the summer the snake passes about
to admire the flowers, the trees and crops, and all things beautiful.”
The snake is afterwards placed in the empty vase, and the
vice-ho´naaite repeats the ceremony with a second snake, and this rite
is followed by each member of the Snake division of the society. The
ho´naaite then directs his vicar and another member of the society
to carry the vases to the grotto (the conical structure outside) and
the latter to remain in the grotto with the snakes; he then with a
novitiate by his side passes from the house, and approaching the grotto
stands facing it while the vicar and other male members of the society
form in line from east to west facing the north, the vice and novitiate
standing at the west end of the line.
Those of the Snake division wear fringed kilts of buckskin with the
rattlesnake painted upon them, the fringes being tipped with conical
bits of tin. The ho´naaite’s kilt is more elaborate than the others,
the fringes having fawns’ toes in addition to the tin. Their moccasins
are of fine buckskin painted with kaolin. The hair is flowing. The body
of the one to receive the third degree is colored black with a fungus
found on cornstalks, crushed and mixed with water. The face is painted
red before it is colored black, and a red streak is painted under
each eye, symbolic, they say, of the lines under the snakes’ eyes. A
fluffy eagle plume is attached to the top of the head, and the face
is encircled with down from the hawk’s breast. The hands and feet are
painted red, and the body zigzagged with kaolin, symbolic of lightning.
The buckskin kilt is painted white, with a snake upon it, and white
moccasins are worn (Pl. X C). The other members of the society
do not have their bodies painted, and they wear their hair done up in
the usual knot and their feet bare.[19] They wear instead of the kilt a
white cotton breechcloth. The women who do not take part in the dance
wear their ordinary dress, the cotton gown being discarded.
Upon the opening of the song and dance the ho´naaite procures a snake
at the entrance of the grotto and holding it horizontally with both
hands presents it to the novitiate, who receives it in the same manner,
clasping the throat with the right hand; the ho´naaite and novitiate
pass back and forth north of the line from the grotto four times, now
and then the novitiate allowing the snake to wrap itself around his
throat. The ho´naaite then takes the snake and returns it to the man
in the grotto. If there be a second novitiate he and the first one
change places, and the ho´naaite inquires of the second whom he wishes
for a father and companion; the boy designates a member of the Snake
division, and the chosen one is required by the ho´naaite to take his
place by the side of the novitiate and accompany him to the grotto;
he again receives a snake which he hands to the boy and the former
ceremony is repeated. When the novitiates have concluded, each member
of the Snake division takes his turn in passing back and forth four
times with a snake, the snake being handed him by a companion member.
The song and dance does not cease until each snake has been passed
through the ceremony. Two of the novitiates, if there be two or more,
if not, a novitiate and a member, are requested by the ho´naaite to
enter the grotto and receive the vases from the man inside. These they
carry to a cave about half a mile distant, and here the bearers of the
vases take out each snake separately and placing it upon the ground
say: “Go to your home; go far and be contented.” The first snake is
deposited to the north, the second to the west, the third to the south,
and the fourth to the east; this is repeated until all the snakes are
disposed of. The vases are then placed in the cave and the entrance
covered with a large slab. The ho´naaite returning to the house takes
the ya´ya from the tail of the sand-painted cougar and holding it in
his left hand places the palm of his right hand to the cougar and
draws from it a breath and rubs his hand over his breast, after which
all evidences of the sand-painting are soon erased by the members who
hasten forward and rub their bodies with the sand that they may be
mentally and physically purified.
When Mr. Stevenson discovered that the Sia held ceremonials with
snakes he induced the vicar of the snake society to conduct him to the
locality for that special rite. Leaving Sia in the early morning a
ride of 6 miles over sand dunes and around bluffs brought the party,
including the writer, to the structure known as the snake house,
hid away among chaotic hills. Every precaution had been observed to
maintain secrecy. The house is a rectangular structure of logs (the
latter must have been carried many a mile) and is some 8 by 12 feet,
having a rude fireplace; and there are two niches at the base of the
north wall near the west end in which the two vases stand during the
indoor ceremonial. Though this house presented to the visitors a
forlorn appearance, it is converted into quite a bower at the time of
a ceremonial, when the roof is covered and fringed with spruce boughs
and sunflowers and the interior wall is whitened. Some diplomacy was
required to persuade the vicar to guide Mr. Stevenson to the cave in
which the vases are kept when not in use. A ride half a mile farther
into chaos and the party dismounted and descended a steep declivity,
when the guide asked Mr. Stevenson’s assistance in removing a stone
slab which rested so naturally on the hillside that it had every
appearance of having been placed there by other than human agency. The
removal of the slab exposed two vases side by side in a shallow cave.
A small channel or flume had been ingeniously made from the hilltop
that the waters from ti´nia might collect in the vases. These vases
belong to the superior type of ancient pottery, and they are decorated
in snakes and cougars upon a ground of creamy tint. Mr. Stevenson was
not quite satisfied with simply seeing the vases, and determined if
possible to possess one or both; but in answer to his request the vicar
replied: “These can not be parted with, they are so old that no one
can tell when the Sia first had them; they were made by our people of
long ago; and the snakes would be very angry if the Sia parted with
these vases.” Whenever opportunity afforded, Mr. Stevenson expressed
his desire for one of them; and finally a council was held by the
ti´ämoni and ho´naaites of the cult societies, when the matter was
warmly discussed, the vicar of the Snake society insisting that the
gift should be made, but the superstition on the part of the others was
too great to be overcome. Mr. Stevenson was waited upon by the members
of the council; the ho´naaite of the Snake society addressing him:
“You have come to us a friend; we have learned to regard you as our
brother, and we wish to do all we can for you; we are sorry we can not
give you one of the vases; we talked about letting you have one, but we
concluded it would not do; it would excite the anger of the snakes, and
perhaps all of our women and little ones would be bitten and die; you
will not be angry, for our hearts are yours.”
The night previous to the departure of the party from Sia the vicar of
the Snake Society made several visits to the camp, but finding other
Indians present he did not tarry. At midnight when the last Indian
guest had left the camp he again appeared and hurriedly said, “I will
come again,” and an hour later he returned. “Now,” said he, “closely
fasten the tent, and one of you listen attentively all the while and
tell me when you hear the first footstep;” and he then took from the
sack one of the vases, he being in the meanwhile much excited and also
distressed. He would not allow a close examination to be made of
the vase, but urged the packing of it at once; he deposited a plume
offering in the vase, and sprinkled meal upon it and prayed while tears
moistened his cheeks. The vase was brought to Washington and deposited
in the National Museum.
[Illustration: Bureau of Ethnology. Eleventh Annual Report PLate XVIII
GAST LITH. CO. N.Y.
ALTAR AND SAND PAINTING.
GIANT SOCIETY.]
RAIN CEREMONIAL OF THE GIANT SOCIETY.
About noon the ho´naaite, who was nude except the breechcloth, left his
seat by the fireside in the ceremonial chamber, where his vicar had
been assisting him during the morning in cutting willows and preparing
hä´chamoni, and proceeded to make a sand painting in the east end
of the room, and when this was completed he erected the slat altar
(Pl. XVIII _a_). During the preparation of the sand painting
(_b_) the vicar remained at his post at work upon the hä´chamoni.
When the two female members, a woman and a little girl some 8 years
of age, arrived, the ho´naaite took from the wall nine shabby-looking
sacks, handing one to each person present, reserving two for himself
and laying the remaining four to one side to be claimed by the other
members of the medicine order of the society. These sacks contained the
ya´ya, one of which, it is claimed, was captured from the Navajo by a
former ho´naaite of this society, and this fetich is as precious as the
others for the reason that it also represents Ût´sĕt, the mother of all
Indians.
The five ya´ya were placed in line in front of the altar and on the
sand-painting, and a miniature bow and arrow were laid before four of
them, the captive one having none. Bear-leg skins with the claws were
piled on either side of the altar, and upon these were laid necklaces
of bears’ claws, each necklace having a reed whistle suspended midway,
two fluffy eagle plumes, tipped with black, being attached to the end
of the whistle. The medicine bowl was posted before the five ya´ya, the
stone fetiches arranged about the sand painting, and the cloud bowl
in front of the whole. The woman brought a triple cupped paint stone
near the altar and ground a black pigment, yellow ocher, and an impure
malachite; these powders were mixed with water, and the woman and girl
painted the hä´chamoni, the child being quite as dextrous as her elder,
and equally interested.
While the hä´chamoni were being colored the ho´naaite was busy
assorting plumes. He first laid thirteen turkey plumes separately upon
the floor, forming two lines; upon each plume he laid a fluffy eagle
feather, and then added successively to each group a plume from each of
the birds of the cardinal points, turkey plumes being used instead of
chapparal cocks’. A low weird chant was sung while the ho´naaite and
his vicar tied each pile of plumes together with native cotton cord,
the ho´naaite waving each group, as he completed it, in a circle from
left to right before his face. The woman at the same time made four
rings of yucca, 1¼ inches in diameter, some two dozen yucca needles
having been wrapped in a hank and laid in a bowl of water. The child
brought the hank from the farther end of the room to the woman, who,
taking a needle of the yucca, wound it four times around her thumb and
index finger; then wrapping this with an extra thread of yucca formed
the ring. When the four rings were completed the child took them to the
paint stone, which the woman had removed to the far end of the room,
and dipped them into the yellow paint and laid them by the woman, who
tied three of the piles of plumes together and afterwards handed the
rings to the ho´naaite, who added to each ring a plume from the wing
of a humming bird. These rings were offerings to the cloud children
emblematic of the wheels upon which they ride over ti´nia.
In attaching the plume offerings to the hä´chamoni, the latter are held
between the large and second toes of the right foot of the men and
woman. There were ten hä´chamoni to bear messages to the cloud rulers
of the cardinal points—Ho´chänni, high ruler of the cloud people of the
world, Sûs´sĭstinnako, Ût´sĕt, and the sun, the extra bunches of plumes
being tied pendent to those already attached to the hä´chamoni for
Sûs´sĭstinnako, Ût´sĕt, and the sun.
The ho´naaite placed the hä´chamoni and rings in a flat basket and set
it before the altar in front of the cloud bowl, and posted a stuffed
parrot upon the central slat of the altar. At this time the other
official members appeared, and, unwrapping their ya´ya, handed them to
the ho´naaite, who stood them before the altar (Pl. XIX). The
woman then brought a vase of water and gourd from the far end of the
room, and the ho´naaite emptied four gourdfuls into the medicine bowl
and then sprinkled corn pollen upon the water, and, dipping his two
eagle plumes into the bowl, he sprinkled the altar and offerings. He
did not speak a word, but took his seat by the fire and began smoking,
awaiting the hour for the evening ceremonial. The ho´naaite and vicar
had their meals served in the ceremonial chamber, and after eating, the
remainder of the basket of bread and bowl of meat was placed before the
altar.
The night ceremony opened with the ho´naaite (Pl. XX) and his
vicar dipping their plumes into the medicine water and sprinkling the
altar and the food which had been placed before it; the ho´naaite then,
sitting in front and to the north side of the altar, repeated a long
prayer, supplicating Mo´kaitc, Cougar of the North, to intercede with
the cloud people of the north to water the earth that the crops might
grow; Ko´hai, the Bear, to intercede with the cloud people of the west
to water the earth that the crops might grow; a similar invocation was
made to the Tuo´pe, Badger of the South, Ka´kanna, Wolf of the East,
Tiä´mi, Eagle of the Heaven, and Mai´tubo, Shrew of the Earth. The
vicar then gathered a bit of bread from the basket and of meat from
the bowl and handed it to the ho´naaite, who left the house with the
food in his left hand, holding his eagle plumes in his right; he cast
the food to the animal Ko´pĭshtaia of the cardinal points, begging
that they would intercede with the cloud people to come and water the
earth; then, returning to the ceremonial chamber, he stooped before
the altar and to the south side of the line of meal and prayed to the
Ko´pĭshtaia, closing with these words: “I have offered you food, our
food, that you may eat, and I pray you to exhort the Ko´pĭshtaia of
ti´nia [referring to the cloud people] to come and water the earth.”
The male members of the society each smoked a cigarette, and afterward
the bowl of stew and basket of bread were deposited in the center of
the room, and all gathered around and ate. The men then sat on either
side of the room and again indulged in a smoke, the woman and girl
sitting on the north side near the west end. After the cigarettes were
finished the vicar drew a fresh line of meal from the altar to the
door situated on the south side and near the west end, and the members
formed in line back of the altar. (An explanation of the drawing of the
line of meal and the relative positions of the line of men back of the
altar has already been given, and is applicable to the rain ceremonials
of all the cult societies.) The woman took her seat on the north side
of the room, near the altar, the little girl sitting opposite to her on
the south side.
[Illustration: Bureau of Ethnology. Eleventh Annual Report PLate XIX
ALTAR OF GIANT SOCIETY, PHOTOGRAPHED DURING CEREMONIAL.]
The ho´naaite and the ti´ämoni (the latter’s position as ti´ämoni
has nothing whatever to do with his relations in the cult societies
in which he holds membership) wore white Tusayan cotton breechcloths
elaborately embroidered in bright colors; the vicar’s was dark blue and
the others white cotton; each man held two eagle plumes and a gourd
rattle in the left hand. The woman and little girl wore their ordinary
dresses, the high-neck calico gowns being omitted, and they held a
turkey wand tipped with fluffy eagle plumes dyed a lemon color, in
either hand.
The vicar gave a pinch of meal to the ho´naaite from the pottery meal
bowl by the altar, who without rising from his seat sprinkled the
altar. The song then opened to the accompaniment of the rattle, which
had been transferred to the right hand, the eagle plumes still being
held in the left, and keeping time with the rattle. Each stanza closed
with a short and rapid shake of the rattle. (The writer noticed in the
ceremonials of the cult societies of the Sia the absence of the pottery
drum, which is such an important feature with the Zuñi and Tusayan.)
With the commencement of the ritual the men from either end of the line
moved to the fireplace, and lifting ashes with their plumes, deposited
them before the altar and north and south of the meal line, and after
dancing and gesticulating for a moment or two they again lifted ashes
and sprinkled toward the altar, the under side of the plume held in
the left hand being struck with the one held in the right; again
lifting ashes one sprinkled to the north and the other to the south,
and passing down on either side of the meal line they sprinkled to
the west, and crossing they passed up the line and when midway one
sprinkled to the north, the other to the south; again dipping ashes
they sprinkled to the zenith and with more ashes they sprinkled to the
nadir. This sprinkling of the cardinal points was repeated four times,
and the men then returned to their seats. The second man from the north
end of the line coming forward danced while the others sang to the
accompaniment of the rattle, each succeeding stanza following in quick
succession, the dancer now and then varying the monotony of the song
by calling wildly upon the cloud people to come and water the earth.
The woman and child waved their wands to the rhythm of the song; the
woman who held a sick infant much of the time occasionally fell asleep,
but she was awakened by the vicar who sat near her, passing his eagle
plumes over her face. Whenever the infant slept it was laid upon a
sheepskin, seemingly unconscious of the noise of the rattle and song.
When an especial appeal was to be made to Ût´sĕt, the ho´naaite reached
over the altar and took the Navajo ya´ya in his right hand and the
one south of it in his left hand (he had deposited his eagle plumes
by the altar, but he held his rattle). All now stood, the ho´naaite
energetically swaying his body as he waved the ya´ya, holding them
out, then drawing them in as he appealed to Ût´sĕt to instruct the
cloud people to come and water the earth. This petition concluded,
the ho´naaite leaned over the altar, returning the ya´ya to their
places, and the choir took their seats and smoked cigarettes of native
tobacco wrapped in corn husks. In a few moments the song was resumed,
when the woman sprinkled the altar with meal and passing to the west
end of the room she lifted a vase of water, placing it on the line
of meal, not far from the door, keeping time with the song with her
two wands and moving her body up and down by bending her knees, her
feet resting firmly on the floor and over the line of meal; again the
bowl was raised and moved about 2 feet forward, and she repeated the
motion. The bowl was in this way moved five times, the last time being
placed immediately before the basket of offerings. As she placed the
bowl for the last time she waved the wand held in her right hand twice
over the altar, when the song closed only to begin again immediately.
The ya´niᵗsiwittänñi now appeared before the altar, north of the meal
line and danced, holding two eagle plumes in the left hand and rattle
in the right. After a time, transferring the rattle to his left hand,
he lifted a gourd of water from the vase and, holding it for a moment,
waved it before the altar and emptied it into the medicine bowl with an
appeal to the cougar of the north to intercede with the cloud people
that the earth might be watered; another gourdful immediately followed;
he then took the rattle in the right hand and joined in the song, and
danced. A third time he dipped a gourd of water, waved it toward the
west with an exhortation to the bear of the west, and emptied it into
the bowl, following this with another gourdful, when a weird call was
given for the cloud people to come and water the earth. Again he danced
and sang, and after a time a fifth gourdful was lifted and waved toward
the south, with an appeal to the badger of the south, and emptied into
the bowl, when another gourdful followed, and dancing for a moment
he lifted another gourdful and emptied it into the medicine bowl,
imploring the wolf of the east to exhort the cloud people to water the
earth, when another gourdful immediately followed. After dancing for
a time a gourdful was again dipped and waved toward the altar, then
upward, with a call upon the eagle of the heaven to invoke the cloud
people to water the earth, and immediately another gourdful of water
was emptied into the bowl. Again dancing awhile, a gourdful was waved
toward the altar and emptied into the bowl, with a call upon the shrew
of the earth to implore the cloud people to water the earth, and again
a gourdful was emptied into the bowl. The song closed as the last gourd
of water was poured into the bowl and the ya´niᵗsiwittänñi resumed
his seat. The woman returned the vase to the west end of the room, and
taking a small medicine bag from before the altar, she untied it and
handed it to the ya´niᵗsiwittänñi. The men and the girl then took
similar bags from before the altar, and the song again began in a low
tone to the accompaniment of the rattle. Each member, taking a pinch
of corn pollen from his medicine bag, threw it upon the altar and into
the medicine bowl, giving a peculiar cry, it being an invocation to the
cloud people to gather and water the earth, the woman and child not
failing to throw in their share of pollen, raising their voices to the
highest pitch as they petitioned the cloud people to water the earth.
All then proceeded to take meal from the meal bowl before the altar and
throw it into the medicine bowl, continuing their entreaties to the
cloud people to water the earth. Six times the meal was thrown into the
bowl with invocations to the cloud people. They then returned to their
seats, having first deposited the medicine bags before the altar.