Eighth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology: to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1886-1887, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1891
History
Eighth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology: to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1886-1887, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1891
Navajo Indians -- Rites and ceremonies; Pueblo Indians -- Antiquities; Pueblo architecture
The corn stalk in the picture signifies the main subsistence of life;
the square base and triangle are clouds, and the three white lines at
the base of the corn stalk denote the roots of the corn. The figures of
this picture are each 3½ feet in length. These are the Zenichi (people
of the white rock with a red streak through it) and their wives. Their
homes are high in the canyon wall. The black parallelogram to the west
of the painting designates a red streak in the rock in which are their
homes. The delicate white lines indicate their houses, which are in the
interior or depths of the rock, and can not be seen from the surface.
This canyon wall is located north of the Ute Mountain. These people of
the rocks move in the air like birds. The red portion of the bodies of
the Zenichi denote red corn; the black portion black clouds. The red
half of the face represents also the red corn; the blue of the bodies of
the others denote vegetation in general, and the yellow, pollen of all
vegetation. The zigzag lines of the bodies is lightning; the black lines
around the head, zigzagged with white, are cloud baskets that hold red
corn, which is stacked in pyramidal form and capped with three eagle
plumes. There are five feathers of the red and black shafted flicker
(_Colapteo cafer_) on either side of the head. A lightning bow is held
in the left hand, the right holds a rattle ornamented with feathers. The
females carry in their hands decorated baskets and sprigs of piñon, and
they wear white leggings and beaded moccasins. The Zenichi never dance.
These gods are also called Zaadoljaii, meaning rough mouth, or anything
that protrudes roughly from the mouth. (The mouth and eyes of these gods
protrude.) The rainbow goddess is represented at the north and south end
of the painting. The corn stalk has two ears of corn, while the original
stalk had 12 ears. Two of these ears the gods gave to the younger
brother of the Tolchini when they commanded him to return to the Navajo
and instruct them how to represent the gods in sand painting and in
masks. The four corner figures will be recognized as the Naashiddi
(hunchback, or mountain sheep).
[Illustration: Plate CXXIII. FOURTH SAND PAINTING.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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