The Mountain Chant, A Navajo Ceremony: Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1883-84, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1887, pages 379-468Matthews, Washington
Religion
The Mountain Chant, A Navajo Ceremony: Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1883-84, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1887, pages 379-468
Matthews, Washington
Mountainway (Navajo rite); Navajo Indians -- Rites and ceremonies
48. The next place they visited was Tse‘ça-iskági (Rock that Bends
Back), where they entered a house, striped within horizontally of many
colors, and found eight more of the Tsilkè-¢igìni (Holy Young Men). Two
stood at each cardinal point and each one grasped a sapling which he
held over his upturned mouth, as if about to swallow it. One of the
young men addressed him, saying “Do thus. There are eight of us here;
but when you do this in the dance that you will teach your people you
need not have eight young men--six will be enough.”
49. From here they went to Tcétcel-hyitsò (Big Oaks), to visit the home
of [¢]igin-yosíni (yosíni is a species of squirrel). It was built of
black water-slime (çraçlíç) and the door was of red sunbeams. On the
east wall hung a big black log; on the south wall, a blue log; on the
west wall, a yellow log; and on the north wall, a white log; in which
logs the squirrels dwelt. Although they were squirrels, they were young
men and young women, and looked very much like one another. All had red
and black stripes on their backs. These taught him how to make and bury
the kethàwns sacred to themselves.
50. Dsilninèla‘ (Last Mountain) is a conical, sharp pointed eminence,
shaped like a Navajo hogan or lodge. It is black and has white streaks
running down its sides. This was the next place they visited. Within the
mountain was a house, whose door was of darkness and was guarded by
Tcápani (the Bat) and an animal called Çantsò (of crepuscular or
nocturnal habits). Here dwelt many young men and young women who were
skunks (golíji), and they taught the Navajo wanderer how to make and how
to bury the kethàwns which are sacred to the skunk.
51. The next place to which they went was Dsil-nikí¢i-àgi (Mountain
Comes Down Steep), and here they found the place where Glo‘dsilkàï
(Abert’s squirrel, _Sciurus aberti_) and Glo‘dsiljíni dwelt. When the
four entered, the squirrels said to them: “What do you want here? You
are always visiting where you are not welcome.” The gods replied: “Be
not angry with us. This is a Navajo who was a captive among the Ute, but
he has escaped and has suffered much. I‘¢nì‘ (the Lightning) has bidden
us to take him to the homes of all the ¢igìni (holy ones, supernatural
beings); therefore we have brought him here.” “It is well,” said the
squirrels; “but he is hungry and must have some food.” They brought him
piñon nuts, pine nuts, spruce nuts, and service berries; but the gods
told him not to partake of the nuts or he would be changed into a
squirrel, to eat only of the service berries. When he had finished his
meal, the squirrels showed him how to make two kethàwns and how to bury
them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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