The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations: A Comparative Research Based on a Study of the Ancient Mexican Religious, Sociological, and Calendrical SystemsNuttall, Zelia
Religion
The Fundamental Principles of Old and New World Civilizations: A Comparative Research Based on a Study of the Ancient Mexican Religious, Sociological, and Calendrical Systems
“To such an extent indeed, is this tendency to classify according to the
number of the six regions with its seventh synthesis of them all (the
latter sometimes apparent, sometimes non-appearing) that not only are the
subdivisions of the societies also again subdivided according to this
arrangement, but each clan is subdivided, both according to the six-fold
arrangement and according to the subsidiary relations of the six parts of
its totem....
“In each clan is to be found a set of names, called the names of
childhood. These names are more of titles than of cognomens. They are
determined upon by sociological divinistic modes and are bestowed in
childhood as the ‘verity names’ or titles of the children to whom given.
But the body of names relating to any one totem, for instance, to one of
the beast totems, will not be the name of the totem-beast itself but will
be the names of both of the totems and its various conditions and of the
various parts of the totem or of its functions, or of its attributes,
actual or mythical.
“Now these parts or functions, or attributes of the parts or functions,
are subdivided also in a six-fold manner, so that the name relating to one
member of the totem, for example, like the right leg or arm of the animal
thereof, would correspond to the north and would be the first in honor in
a clan (not itself of the northern group); then the name relating to
another member, say the left leg and its powers, etc., would pertain to
the west and would be second in honor, ... the right foot, pertaining to
the south, would be third in honor, ... the tail to the lower regions and
be sixth in honor; while the heart and navel and centre of the being would
be first as well as last in honor.... In addressing each other the word
symbol for elder or younger is always used.
“With such a system of arrangement as all this maybe seen to be, with such
a facile device for symbolizing the arrangement (not only according to the
number of regions, and their subdivisions in their relative succession and
the succession of their elements and seasons, but also in the colors
attributed to them) and, finally, with such an arrangement of names,
correspondingly classified and of terms of relation significant of rank
rather than of consanguineal connection, mistake in the order of a
ceremonial, a procession or a council is simply impossible and the people
employing these devices may be said to have written and to be writing
their statutes and laws in all their daily relationship and utterances.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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