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 — John Shaqi
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
72. When day began to dawn there were yet several parties who came
prepared to give exhibitions, but had not had a chance; still, at the
approach of day the ceremonies had to cease. At this time, before the
visitors began to leave the corral, the Navajo chief who had spoken with
the grandmother arose and addressed the assembly. He told them all he
knew about the swift couriers and all the grandmother had told him. He
remarked that there were yet many who could not believe that the young
men had made the journey; so, to satisfy all, he proposed that within
twelve days they should have a race between the two fleet akáninili
around the base of Tsòtsil, if all would agree to reassemble to witness
it, and he begged them to invite their neighbors of the Pueblo and other
tribes to come with them. Then other chiefs arose to speak. In the end
the proposition of the Navajo chief was agreed to. All promised to
return within eleven days and decided that the race should take place on
the morning following. Then they dispersed to their homes.
73. On the afternoon of the eleventh day, when they had reassembled
according to their promises, the Navajo chief arose and addressed them.
He invited the chiefs of the other tribes to come forward and complete
the arrangements for the race. So the headmen all came together at the
place where the Navajo was speaking, and, after some consultation, they
agreed that the race should be around the peak of Tsòtsil, but not
around the entire range of mountains. The Navajo separated themselves
into one party and the alien tribes into another, the two parties
standing at a little distance from one another. The aliens were given
the first choice, and they chose Indsiskàï; therefore Tlà¢esçìni fell to
the Navajo. Then the betting began. The stakes consisted of strings of
coral, turquoise, and shell beads, of vessels of shells as large as the
earthen basins of the Zuñi, of beautifully tanned buckskins, of dresses
embroidered with colored porcupine quills, and of suits of armor made of
several layers of buckskin. The warriors in those days wore such armor,
but they wear it no longer. The beads and shells were laid in one pile;
the buckskins, the embroidered dresses, and the armor in another; and
the piles were of vast size.
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