Chapter 4

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

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

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

Ka-ka A[']-shi-wa-ni, we-ma a-shi-wa-ni, K'ia-pin-a-ha-i sacred dance priest-(gods), Prey priest-(gods), the gods animal beings

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

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

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

ae[']n-ti-shem-an a-k'ia yam a-wi-te-lin tsi-ta, ha lithl wishing for hence, to my all earth mother I here

te-u-su a-k'ia o-ne yathl kwai-k'ia-na. (with prayer) hence, trail over go out shall. (-from), prayer

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

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

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

kwai k'ia-na. go out (shall).

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

ke-tsae-ti-k'ia-na. Hom ta te-k'o-ha-na an-ik tchi-a-tu. happy (make, do). Unto me thou (the) light meet with (_do_).

FREE TRANSLATION.

Why (of course)--

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

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

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

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

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

yaethl eh-kwe ta-pan ha te-u-su a-k'ia, o-ne yaethl kwai-k'ia-na. over ahead taking I prayer with trails over go out shall.

FREE TRANSLATION.

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

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

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

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

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

With this introduction he utters the accompanying prayer:

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

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

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

an-k'o-ha-ti-na. Tom an k'iah-kwin an-ti-shi-ma-na, tom an shalt grant(favor). Thy own blood wanting, thy own life-fluid

shi-i-nan an-ti-shi-man a-k'ia tom lithl ha hael-lo-wa-ti-nan flesh wanting, hence to thee, here I good fortunes

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

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

an-k'o-ha-ti-na-wa. Hom ton te-k'o-ha-na an-ik-tchi-a-nap-tu. favor do (all). To me you light (favor) meet with _do_.

FREE TRANSLATION.

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

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

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

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

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

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

k'ok-shi, an-ik-tchi-a-nap-tu. good meet (grant) do.

FREE TRANSLATION.

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

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

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

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

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

FREE TRANSLATION.

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

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

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

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

FREE TRANSLATION.

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

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

While skinning and quartering the game he takes care to cut out the _tragus_ or little inner lobe of its ear, the clot of blood within the heart (ae[']-te mul u-li-k'o-na), and to preserve some of the hair. Before leaving, he forms of these and of the black paint, corn pollen, beads of turkois or turkois dust, and sacred shell or broken shell and coral beads before mentioned, a ball, and on the spot where the animal ceased to breathe he digs a grave, as it were, and deposits therein, with prayer-meal, this strange mixture, meanwhile saying the following prayer:

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

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

yaet-ton-ne te-kwin-te te-ae-ti-pa, tom lithl ha an-ah-u'-thla-k'ia. day (as if) was it thou here I upward pulling unexpectedly embraced.

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

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

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

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

te u-su=pe-nan a-k'ia ta yae[']-shu-a i-tu loh k'ia-na. prayer-speech hence thou conversing come and go (shall). with,

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

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

yaethl k'ok-shi hom ta tchaw' il-lue[']p o-na ya-k'ia-nap-tu. over good to me thou children together with, finish, _do_. trail

FREE TRANSLATION.

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

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

Grant unto me the light of thy favor.

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

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

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

THEIR POWER.

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

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

PREY GODS OF THE PRIESTHOOD OF THE BOW.

THE KNIFE-FEATHERED MONSTER, THE MOUNTAIN LION, AND THE GREAT WHITE BEAR.

The Priesthood of the Bow possesses three fetiches, two of which are of the We-ma-a-ha-i, (Plate X, Fig. 2, and Plate XI, Fig. 2.) The other is sometimes classed with these, sometimes with the higher beings, and may be safely said to form a connecting link between the idolatry proper of the Zunis and their fetichism. These three beings are, the Mountain Lion (Plate X, Pig. 2), the great White Bear (Plate XI, Fig. 2), (Ai[n,]-shi k'o-ha-na--the god of the scalp-taking ceremonials), and the Knife-feathered Monster (A-tchi-a lae-to-pa), (Plate X, Fig. 1).

This curious god is the hero of hundreds of folklore tales, and the tutelar deity of several of the societies of Zuni. He is represented as possessing a human form, furnished with flint knife-feathered pinions, and tail. His dress consists of the conventional terraced cap(representative of his dwelling-place among the clouds), and the ornaments, badge, and garments of the Ka[']-ka. His weapons are the Great Flint-Knife of War, the Bow of the Skies (the Rain-bow), and the Arrow of Lightning, and his guardians or warriors are the Great Mountain Lion of the North and that of the Upper regions.

He was doubtless the original War God of the Zunis, although now secondary, in the order of war, to the two children of the Sun mentioned at the outset.

Anciently he was inimical to man, stealing and carrying away to his city in the skies the women of all nations, until subdued by other gods and men of magic powers. At present he is friendly to them, rather in the sense of an animal whose food temporarily satisfies him than in the beneficent character of most of the gods of Zuni.

Both the Great White Bear and the Mountain Lion of the War Priesthood are, as well as the Knife-feathered Demon, beings of the skies. For this reason the fetich of the Mountain Lion of the skies (of aragonite) is preferred by a Priest of the Bow above all other kinds or colors. Unfortunately, none of the fetiches of this priesthood are to be found in the collections of the Bureau, and but one, with its pouch, has been reproduced from the original, which is in my possession. It was not presented to me with my other paraphernalia on the night of the final ceremonials of my initiation into the Priesthood of the Bow, but some months afterward when I was about to start on a dangerous expedition. At this time I was charged with carefully preserving it during life as my special fetich, and instructed in the various usages connected with it. The other was drawn from a sketch made by myself of a fetich in Zuni.

These fetiches--more usually of the Mountain Lion than of the others; very rarely of the Knife-feathered Demon--are constantly carried by the warriors when abroad in pouches like those of the Hunters, and in a similar manner. They are, however, not returned to the headquarters of the society when not in use; but, being regarded, with the other paraphernalia of their possessor, as parts of his Sa-wa-ni-k'ia, are always kept near him.

RESEMBLANCE TO THE PREY GODS OF THE HUNT.