Ceremonies of the Pomo IndiansBarrett, S. A. (Samuel Alfred)
Religion
Ceremonies of the Pomo Indians
Barrett, S. A. (Samuel Alfred)
Pomo Indians -- Social life and customs; Pomo dance
The novices who were thus shot were called tcō´ktcōk (C)
[plural tcō´ktcōkau], and the person who did the shooting,
at the direction of the head captain, was called yo´mta (C). The
informant did not state just where the shooting was performed and was
not explicit as to its exact nature, but it appears probable that it
occurred in the dance-house. These novices were forbidden to eat fresh
manzanita berries and the flesh of the fawn, the gray squirrel, and the
red-headed woodpecker. After the shooting ceremony the novices were
taken out into the area directly in front of the dance-house, and here
a ceremony of healing was performed over them by the one who shot them.
He told them that they would have long life and health, and that a
feast would be held for them in the course of a few days.
COMPLETION OF THE GUKSU CEREMONY
The Gū´ksū-dancers appeared only once each day in this
Gū´ksū ceremony, though various other dances might be held during
the day, and it was only upon the first morning that the ceremony about
the pole and the scarification above described were held. The ceremony
lasted, all told, six days. The ceremonies of the first day have just
been described. Those of the following three days consisted of one
appearance of the Gū´ksūs each day, accompanied by a simple dance.
On the morning of the fifth day, however, the children who underwent
the scarification on the first day were again assembled and driven by
the dancers as rapidly as possible about the village and out into the
valley. The children held one another's hands as they were driven,
making a continuous line. When they had become quite fatigued, they
were made to lie down and the dancers covered them with branches. They
remained here throughout the day and were again driven about in the
same manner just after sundown, being again covered with branches,
under which they stayed until morning. They were then brought in by
the dancers and made to perform a short dance in a brush inclosure,
called ma´le (E), which was built just outside the dance-house for
this special purpose. After this, an old man, probably the same who
performed the scarification, sang over the children. During this dance
each child carried a small willow twig, which he threw onto a pile at
the end of the dance, after which he was free to go his way, and the
entire ceremony was ended. The fire-tender bore these twigs away and
deposited them at some distance from the village.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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