The North American Indian Part 15

To which the first voice answered, "Anahaili?hi, killed at sunrise, and Igakizhi, killed at dusk, by the People of the Earth. They went in search of meat, and the hunters shot arrows into them. We are sorry, but they were told to be careful and did not heed. It is too late to help them now; let us go on with the chant."

It had grown very dark, and Bilh Ahati?ni became greatly frightened, but he stayed to listen and watch. m.u.f.fled strains of songs came from the deep recesses in each canon wall,-the G.o.ds were singing-and just within the openings, discernible in the glow of a fire, could be seen many dancers performing in unison as they kept time with rattles. Throughout the night firelight flickered from wall to wall and singing and dancing continued.

At daylight the partic.i.p.ants departed in all directions, so Bilh Ahati?ni resumed the quest of the hunters.

He had travelled but a short time when he came upon his brothers, resting their heavy game packs on their journey homeward.

"Here comes The Dreamer," spoke his elder brother. "I will wager he has something marvellous to relate."

Bilh Ahati?ni was greeted first by his brother-in-law. "You must have slept near here last night, for you are too far out to have made this distance since daylight."

"I did," he replied, "near a canon that is surely holy. A lot of people had gathered to dance, the G.o.ds sang, and-"

"There, I told you he would have some lie to tell," interrupted the eldest brother, and started on.

"Go ahead," urged the brother-in-law; "tell us the rest."

"It's no use; no one cares to listen to me," said Bilh Ahati?ni.

His younger brother, also incredulous, took up his burden and plodded off, whereat Bilh Ahati?ni related all that he had seen and heard.

"You men must have killed those people they spoke about," he accused.

"No, it was none of us," his brother-in-law protested; "we have killed no people. Yesterday morning one shot a crow, and last night we killed a magpie, but there was no harm in that."

"I fear there was; they were hunters like yourselves, in search of meat for the Holy People, for the time disguised as birds," Bilh Ahati?ni ventured. Then, dividing the pack, the two hurried on to overtake the others.

"Well," asked the youngest, "did you hear a fine story?"

"It is not a lie," his brother-in-law retorted; "we killed a crow and a magpie yesterday, and the Holy People talked about it in the canon last night. Look! There come four mountain sheep! Hurry, Bilh Ahati?ni and head them off!" They had come upon the canon where the strange voices had been heard. Four sheep, among large bowlders near the rim, were carefully threading their way out of it. The three dropped back, while Bilh Ahati?ni ran ahead and concealed himself near the ascending trail. As the sheep approached he drew his bow and aimed for the leader's heart, but his fingers could not loose their grip upon the arrow, and the sheep pa.s.sed by unharmed. Bilh Ahati?ni scrambled up over the rim of the canon and ran to get ahead of them again, but the bowstring would not leave his fingers as they pa.s.sed. A third effort, and a fourth, to kill the game brought the same result. Bilh Ahati?ni cursed himself and the sheep, but ceased suddenly, for whom should he see but four G.o.ds, Yeb.i.+.c.hai, appear before him, who had transformed themselves into sheep! Hasche?lti, in the lead, ran up to him and dropped his _balil_-a rectangular, four-piece, folding wand-over him, as he sat, and uttered a peculiar cry. Behind him came Zahadolzha, Haschebaad, and Ganaskidi; all were masked.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Tonenili, Tobadzischi?ni, Naye?nezgani_ - Navaho]

_Tonenili, Tobadzischi?ni, Naye?nezgani_ - Navaho

_From Copyright Photograph 1904 by E.S. Curtis_

These three G.o.ds appear in the order shown when seen in the rites of the Navaho Night Chant.

"Whence came you?" Bilh Ahati?ni asked them.

"From Kinni?nikai," Hasche?lti answered.

"Whither are you going?"

"To Tse?gyii, to hold another _hatal_ four days from now. You had better come along."

"No, I couldn't travel so far in four days."

But after a little parleying Bilh Ahati?ni a.s.sented. He was told to disrobe, and doing so Ganaskidi breathed upon him, and his raiment became the same as that of the G.o.ds. Then all took four steps eastward, changing into mountain sheep, and bounded away along the canon's rim.

The hunters in hiding became restless as The Dreamer did not return, so ventured out where they could view the trail on which he was last seen. No one was in sight. One went to the rock where Bilh Ahati?ni first hid near the sheep and followed his tracks from hiding place to hiding place until the fourth one was reached, and there he found his brother's old clothes with his bow and arrows upon them. There he traced four human footsteps to the east that merged into the trail of five mountain sheep. The eldest brother cried in his remorse, for he saw that his brother was holy, and he had always treated him with scorn.

The G.o.ds and Bilh Ahati?ni, transformed to mountain sheep, travelled very far during their four days' journey, coming on the fourth day to a large hogan. Inside were numerous Holy People, both G.o.ds and men. When Bilh Ahati?ni entered with his four holy companions, a complaint at once arose from those inside against an earthly odor, whereat Hasche?lti had their charge taken out and washed with yucca-root suds.

Inside the hogan stood four large jewel posts upon which the G.o.ds hung their masks. The eastern post was of white sh.e.l.l, the southern of turquoise, the western of abalone, and the northern of jet. Two jewel pipes lay beside a G.o.d sitting on the western side of the hogan. These he filled with tobacco and lighted, pa.s.sing one each to his right and his left. All a.s.sembled smoked, the last to receive the pipes being two large Owls sitting one on each side of the entrance way at the east. They drew in deep draughts of smoke and puffed them out violently. While the smoking continued, people came in from all directions. At midnight lightning flashed, followed by heavy thunder and rain, which Tonenili, Water Sprinkler, sent in anger because he had not been apprised of the dance before it was time to begin it; but a smoke with the a.s.sembled Holy People appeased him. Soon after the chant began and continued until morning.

Some of the G.o.ds had beautiful paintings on deerskins, resembling those now made with colored sands. These they unfolded upon the floor of the hogan during the successive days of the _hatal_.

The last day of the dance was very largely attended, people coming from all holy quarters. Bilh Ahati?ni through it all paid close attention to the songs, prayers, paintings, and dance movements, and the forms of the various sacred paraphernalia, and when the _hatal_ was over he had learned the rite of Kleje Hatal. The G.o.ds permitted him to return to his people long enough to perform it over his younger brother and teach him how to conduct it for people afflicted with sickness or evil. This he did, consuming nine days in its performance, after which he again joined the G.o.ds at Tse?gyii, where he now lives. His younger brother taught the ceremony to his earthly brothers, the Navaho, who yet conduct it under the name of Kleje Hatal, Night Chant, or Yeb.i.+.c.hai Hatal, The Chant of Paternal G.o.ds.

CEREMONIES-THE NIGHT CHANT

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Yeb.i.+.c.hai_ Sweat - Navaho]

_Yeb.i.+.c.hai_ Sweat - Navaho

_From Copyright Photograph 1904 by E.S. Curtis_

Each morning during the first four days of the Navaho Yeb.i.+.c.hai healing ceremony, or Night Chant, the patient is sweated-sometimes inside a small sweat-lodge, oftener by being placed upon a spot previously heated by a fire and covered with heavy blankets. The three figures are medicine-men, or singers, chanting. The patient lies under the blankets surrounded by a line of sacred meal in which turkey-feather prayer-sticks, _kedan_, are implanted.

A description of the ritual and form of the Yeb.i.+.c.hai ceremony,-Kleje Hatal, or Night Chant,-covering its nine days of performance, will give a comprehensive idea of all Navaho nine-day ceremonies, which combine both religious and medical observances. The myth characters personified in this rite are termed Yeb.i.+.c.hai, Grandfather or Paternal G.o.ds. Similar personations appear in other ceremonies, but they figure less prominently.

_First Day_: The ceremonial, or medicine, hogan is built some days in advance of the rite. The first day's ceremony is brief, with few partic.i.p.ants. Well after dark the singer, a.s.sisted by two men, makes nine little splint hoops-_tsipa__n__s yazhe kedan_-entwined with slip-cords, and places them on the sacred meal in the meal basket. Following this, three men remove their everyday clothing, take Yeb.i.+.c.hai masks, and leave the hogan. These three masked figures are to represent the G.o.ds Hasche?lti, Talking G.o.d, Haschebaad, G.o.ddess, and Hasche?lapai, Gray G.o.d.

When they have gone and pa.s.sed to the rear of the hogan, the patient comes in, disrobes at the left of the centre, pa.s.ses around the small fire burning near the entrance of the hogan, and takes his seat in the centre, immediately after which the singing begins. During the third song Hasche?lti enters with his cross-sticks-_Hasche?lti balil_-and opens and places them over the patient's body, forcing them down as far toward the ground as possible. The second time he places them not so far over the body; the third, not lower than the shoulders; the fourth time, over the head only, each time giving his peculiar call, _Wu-hu-hu-hu-u!_ Then Hasche?lti takes up a sh.e.l.l with medicine and with it touches the patient's feet, hands, chest, back, right shoulder, left shoulder, and top of head,-this being the prescribed ceremonial order,-uttering his cry at each placing of the medicine. He next places the sh.e.l.l of medicine to the patient's lips four times and goes out, after which Haschebaad comes in, takes one of the circle _kedan_, touches the patient's body in the same ceremonial order, and finally the lips, at the same time giving the slip-cord a quick pull. Next comes Hasche?lapai, who performs the same incantations with the _kedan_. Again Hasche?lti enters with the cross-sticks, repeating the former order, after which he gives the patient four swallows of medicine,-a potion different from that first given,-the medicine-man himself drinking what remains in the sh.e.l.l. This closes the ceremony of the first day. There will, perhaps, be considerable dancing outside the hogan, but that is merely practice for the public dance to be given on the ninth night. The singer and the patient sleep in the hogan each night until the nine days are pa.s.sed, keeping the masks and medicine paraphernalia between them when they sleep.

_Second Day_: Just at sunrise the patient is given the first ceremonial sweat. This is probably given more as a spiritual purification than in antic.i.p.ation of any physical benefit. To the east of the hogan a shallow hole is dug in the earth, in which are placed hot embers and ashes,-covered with brush and weeds, and sprinkled with water,-upon which the patient takes his place. He is then well covered with blankets. The medicine-man, a.s.sisted by Hasche?lti and Haschebaad, places about the patient a row of feathered _kedan_, and then commences to sing while the patient squirms on the hot, steaming bed. After singing certain songs the medicine-man lifts the blanket a little and gives the patient a drink of medicine from a ceremonial basket. He is again covered, and the singing goes on for a like time. Later the blankets are removed and Hasche?lti and Haschebaad perform over the patient, after which he goes to the hogan. The brush and weeds used for the bed are taken away and earth is scattered over the coals. This sweating, begun on the second day, is repeated each morning for four days: the first, as above noted, taking place east of the hogan, and the others respectively to the south, west, and north. The ceremonies of the second night are practically a repet.i.tion of those held the first night. During the third song Hasche?lti enters with the _Hasche?lti balil_, placing it four times in the prescribed order and giving his call; then he goes out, re-enters, and takes from the medicine basket four sacred reed _kedan_. These he carries in ceremonial order to the four cardinal points: first east, then south, next west, lastly north.

Next stick _kedan_ are taken out of the basket, which holds twelve each of the four sacred colors. These also are carried to the four cardinal points-white, east; blue, south; yellow, west; black, north. After all the _kedan_ are taken out, Hasche?lti again enters with the _Hasche?lti balil_, using it in directional order and giving medicine as on the night before.

[Ill.u.s.tration: _Pikehodiklad_ - Navaho]

_Pikehodiklad_ - Navaho

_From Copyright Photograph 1907 by E.S. Curtis_

The first of the four dry-paintings used in conducting the Kleje Hatal, or Night Chant, of the Navaho, being made on the fifth night. The purpose of this night's acts is to frighten the patient; hence the name of the painting, which signifies "Frighten Him On It."

The encircling figure represents the rainbow, _aklolh_; the first on the left Hasche?lti, Talking G.o.d; the central, Haschebaad, G.o.ddess-symbolically the patient-and the right-hand figure a male deity, Haschebaku?n.

The patient sits on the central figure at its waist line during the night's performance. When the ceremony in connection with this painting is concluded the colored sands are carefully collected, carried out toward the north, and deposited under a tree.

_Third Day_: It is understood that the patient has been sweated in the morning, as on the second day. On this night he is dressed in spruce boughs by the a.s.sisting medicine-man, bound around the wrists, arms, ankles, legs, and body, and fastened on the head in the form of a turban.

After several songs, Naye?nezgani and Tobadzischi?ni cut the boughs from the body, using a stone arrow-point as a knife. Then the boughs are cut into fragments over the patient's head, after which the singer takes a feather wand, points it toward the four cardinal points above the fire, and brushes the patient, chanting meanwhile. At the end of the brus.h.i.+ng he points the wand out of the smoke-hole, at the same time blowing the dust from it out into the open air.