Ceremonial of Hasjelti Dailjis and Mythical Sand Painting of the Navajo IndiansStevenson, James
Religion
Ceremonial of Hasjelti Dailjis and Mythical Sand Painting of the Navajo Indians
Stevenson, James
Navajo Indians -- Rites and ceremonies
the lives of the people would become so, as all people and things should
aim upward not downward. The line running down through the center of the
face calls upon the gods above to send down rain upon the earth and health
to all people. Two or three children started through ignorance to run the
meal down one of the cheeks; they were instantly stopped by Hasjelti, but
not until the people looking on had expressed great horror. All in the
line having gone through this ceremony the crowd of spectators sprinkled
the masks in the same manner. I was requested to sprinkle them, and at the
same time was specially instructed to run the lines up the cheeks. This
closed the ceremony of initiation. The boys were then permitted to go
around at will and look at the masks and enter the lodge and view the sand
painting. Hasjelti and Hostjoboard returned to the lodge, carrying their
masks in their hands.
About an hour after the ceremony of the initiation of the children a large
buffalo robe was spread on the avenue with his head to the east, around
which a circle of some hundred feet in diameter was formed by horsemen and
pedestrians who gathered, eager to witness the outdoot ceremony. The
theurgist and invalid were seated outside of the lodge, south of the
entrance. The dieties personated in this occasion were the gods Hasjelti
and Taadotjaii, and the goddess Tebahdi. Haskjelti wore black velvet and
silver ornaments, with red silk scarf around the waist. Taadotjaii was
nude, his body being painted a reddish color. The limbs and body were
zigzagged with white, representing lightning and downy breast feathers of
the eagle, and in his right hand a gourd rattle devoid of ornamentation.
Yebahdi wore the ordinary squaw’s dress and moccasins, with many silver
ornaments, and a large blanket around her shoulders touching the ground.
Hasjelti approached dancing, and sprinkled meal over the buffalo robe, and
the invalid stood upon the robe. Hasjelti, followed by Zaadoltjaii, again
entered the circle and sprinkled meal upon the robe. The goddess Yebahdi
following, stood within the circle some 20 feet from the robe on the east
side and facing west. Hasjelti, amidst hoots and anties, sprinkled meal
upon the invalid, throwing both his hands upward. Immediately Zaadoltjaii,
with arrow in the left hand and rattle int he right, threw both hands up
over the invalid amidst hoots and antics. They then passed to Yebahdi, who
holds with both hands a basket containing the two yellow ears of corn
wrapped with pine twigs that were used in the children’s ceremony, and
indulged in similar antics over the goddess. As each representative of the
gods threw up his hands she raised her basket high above and in front of
her head. Hasjelti, together with Zaadoltjaii and Yebahdi, then passed
around within the circle to the other three points of the compass. At each
point Yebahdi took her position about 20 feet from the buffalo robe, when
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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