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
Thus he exhorted time after time, and, after each sermon, sang out,
line for line, a new song that he desired them to learn. At first
he alone sang, then Navaho and a few of the older ones took up the
strain, and soon all joined in. Then the dance began, and continued
with unabated zeal and fervor until the "missioner" gave the signal for
rest. Then, after another harangue, another song was learned, another
dance performed, and so on, _ad libitum_.
The state of mental exaltation or frenzy, not unlike those peculiar
manifestations of the negroes at revival meetings, the Shakers, "having
the power" etc., is not uncommon among the Havasupais. At the Thapala
Dance I have seen three women almost simultaneously suddenly dart
from different parts of the dance circle, and hysterically shrieking,
yelling, and singing, foaming at the mouth, tearing their hair, falling
down with violence, and with appalling disregard to the injury to their
own bodies dash against each other, or on the great central tree trunk,
which stands like a flagpole in the centre of their dance corral,
yield to this uncontrollable frenzy, and remain under its influence
for an hour or more. During the whole time of their ecstasy, the dance
continued uninterruptedly, except when one of the frenzied women dashed
towards the dancers as if to escape the circle. Then the man nearest
by rudely took her by the arms, body, or shoulders and thrust her,
shrieking, back into the centre of the circle.
Yunosi gained her present name because of her occult powers and
frenzied visions. After Hotouta's death she would occasionally wake
up and cry out that she saw the spirit of her husband, "Tom, heap
big Supai chief." And, strange to say, in these exalted moments she
invariably spoke in the crude English her husband had taught her and
of which she was very proud. Pointing into vacant space, with glaring
eyes and excited voice, she would declare that she saw "Big chief Tom.
He come back to see me. O Tom! Tom! I see you." Then turning to her
friends and others around, she would shriekingly ask, "You no see? You
no see?" And thus she gained her name, Yunosi.
Thinking that perhaps the Havasupais used some herb, drug, or
intoxicant, similar to opium, hasheesh, or the stramonium (jimson-weed)
which the Navahoes use to produce similar frenzies and visions, I
took some of this, which they call smal-a-ga-to-a, and asked several
if they ever used it. In every case the answer was a sharp "No!
Han-a-to-op-o-gi," and one Havasu informed me it was "very bad. All
same white man's whiskey." Indeed, such has been the excellent teaching
they have received from their ancients, and the tenacity with which
they, as a people, have adhered to it, it may be safely affirmed that
the Havasupais use no noxious drug, or fermented or intoxicating
liquor, and that they do not know any processes by which they can be
made.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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