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
1. Yìki ¢asizìni,
2. Kaç Tsilkè-¢igìni,
3. Kaç kátso-yisçàni,
4. Tsí¢a baälìli,
5. Bíja-ye¢igíngo.
6. Kaç Tcikè ¢igìni,
7. Kátsoye yisçàni,
8. Yìki ¢asizìni,
9. Tsí¢a baälìli,
10. Bíja-ye¢igíngo.
202. _Translation._--1, 8. Yìki, upon it; ¢asizin, he stands on high.
2, 6. Kaç, now; tsilkè, young man; tcikè, young woman; ¢igìni, holy.
3. Kátso-yisçàn, the great plumed arrow; kátsoye yisçàn, with the great
plumed arrow. 4, 9. Tsí¢a, truly, verily; baälìli, an alili, a show,
a rite, or implement used in a dance for him. 5, 10. Bíja, his treasure,
his special property, his peculiar belonging; ye, with, a prefix forming
nouns which denote the means; ¢igíngo, positively holy or supernatural.
Bíja-ye¢igíngo might be translated “charm” or “talisman.”
203. _Free translation._
He stands high upon it;
Now the Holy Young Man [Young Woman, in second stanza],
With the great plumed arrow,
Verily his own sacred implement,
His treasure, by virtue of which he is truly holy.
204. A reference to the myth, and the description of the ceremonies will
probably be sufficient to give the reader an understanding of this song.
This set of songs, it is said, was first sung by the black sheep which
stood on the rock as a sign to the Navajo fugitive; hence the name. (See
paragraphs 35, 47, 48, 54.)
205. SIXTH SONG OF THE MOUNTAIN SHEEP.
Binaçoöláe [four times] oäyèhe oöhè.
1. Kaç Tsilkè-¢igìni,
2. Ca‘bitlòli yèë,
3. Tsí¢a bialìli,
4. Bíja ye¢igíngo,
5. Binaçoöláe oäyèhe oöhè.
6. Kaç Tcikè-¢igìni,
7. Natsilíçi yèë,
8. Tsí¢a bialìli,
9. Bíja ye¢igíngo,
10. Binaçoöláe oäyèhe oöhè.
206. _Translation._--1, 6. Kaç, now; tsilkè, young man; tcikè, young
woman; ¢igìni holy one, god or goddess. 2. Ca‘bitlòl, sunbeam, sunbeams;
ye, with. 3, 8. Tsi¢a, verily; bialìli (paragraph 3), his dance or
sacred implement. 4, 9. Bíja, his special property, his treasure;
ye¢igíngo, that by means of which he is ¢igín, i.e., holy or
supernatural. 5, 10. Binaçòla, it is encircled. 7. Natsiliç, the
rainbow.
207. _Free translation._
Now the Holy Young Man,
With the sunbeam,
Verily his own sacred implement,
His treasure which makes him holy,
Is encircled.
Now the Holy Young Woman,
With the rainbow,
Verily her own sacred implement,
Her treasure which makes her holy,
Is encircled.
208. Which is to say that the great plumed arrows which they bear are
adorned with sunbeams and rainbows. They “shine in glory.” (See
references in paragraph 204)
209. TWELFTH SONG OF THE MOUNTAIN SHEEP.
1. Nayunáni tcènia,
2. Kaç biçèïltsos tcènia,
3. Biqolçègo, tcènia.
4. Nayunáni tcènia,
5. Kaç biçènackòji tcènia,
6. Biqolçègo, tcènia.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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