The Indians of the Painted Desert Region: Hopis, Navahoes, Wallapais, HavasupaisJames, George Wharton
Religion
The Indians of the Painted Desert Region: Hopis, Navahoes, Wallapais, Havasupais
James, George Wharton
Indians of North America -- Southwest, New
Then Sus-quat-i-mi arose, and in heavy and somewhat pompous speech
said: "Many years ago our white brother made my sun-picture at Peach
Springs. He has eaten tunas, mescal, pinion nuts, and corn at my hawa.
We have slept side by side under the same stars, and the same wind has
played with his beard and my hair. I know him. He knows me. His words
are straight. When he made my sun-picture he said it would do me no
harm, and here I am, after several snows, and I am as well as ever. He
shall make more sun-pictures of me to-morrow, and I will sing for him
and dance the war-dance of my people."
Big Water and the others followed and my aim was accomplished. Next
morning we set forth,--Puchilowa, my friend and photographer, Mr. C.
C. Pierce, of Los Angeles, and myself,--laden down with four cameras
and an abundance of plates and films. We succeeded in getting many
photographs, some of which are here reproduced. But at one camp, an old
woman, the grandmother, doubtless, of two children left in her care,
refused to be pictured. She covered herself up and bade the children
hide their faces, but their curiosity overcame their fears and they
were "caught."
Poor old Leve-leve and his wife were found, both of them nearly blind,
in their miserable hawa, a mile or so from Kingman. I had some useful
medicament for their eyes, and although it hurt dreadfully, they both
patiently bore the pain while I gave their eyes treatment. By the side
of the old man was his gourd rattle, which the shaman had left to
help him drive away sickness, and for hours the old man sat quietly
singing and rattling, endeavoring to get rid of the evil powers that
were cursing him. While I made a picture of him in the dark hut, his
wife went into an inner room and soon returned clad in an elaborately
fringed apron of buckskin. This was her ceremonial costume, made by
Leve-leve for her as the mother of the tribe, when she led the annual
dance of thanksgiving for the corn and melon harvest.
Sus-quat-i-mi was as good as his word, and I not only secured some
excellent photographs of him, but he sang for me into the graphophone
some of his ceremonial songs.
The Wallapais' war-song is a stirring and exciting one, and it conveys
us back to the days when their primitive weapons were in use. After
an incitation to anger against the foe it bids the warriors "get
rocks and tie them up in buckskins; make of them fierce and deadly
battle-hammers, with which smite and kill your foes. Take the horns
of the buck and sharpen them, and with them seek the hearts of your
enemies with blows skilful and strong."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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