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
The Holy Young Man is not divine;
His great notched stick is not holy;
His magic wand is not holy.
The Holy Young Woman is not divine;
Her great notched stick is not holy;
Her magic wand is not holy.
234. This is supposed to refer to an altercation between these two gods,
in which they tried to belittle each other.
235. I have another song of this series, in which the idea is conveyed
that their powers depend on their magic wands or notched sticks.
236. ONE OF THE AWL SONGS.
Òwe òwe òwe yàni yàï owàⁿ na a [repeat three times],
Òwe òwe ìni áhe oöhè.
1. ‘Ke-cac-natlèhi natcagàhi,
2. Kaç dsil ¢ilhyíli bakàgi natcagàhi,
3. Kaç ni‘ inzàç inçì çoholnì¢a òna,
4. Kaç ni‘ inzàç inçì çoniò¢a òna.
5. Tcikè-¢igìni natcagàhi,
6. Dsil çolíji bakàgi natcagàhi,
7. Kaç ni‘ inzàç inçì, çoholnì¢a òna,
8. Kaç ni‘ inzàç inçì, çoniò¢a òna.
237. _Translation._--1. Ke, an abbreviation of tcikè; Tcikè-cac-natlèhi,
maiden who becomes a bear; natcagà‘, she travels far, she walks or
wanders far around. 2. Kaç, now; dsil ¢ilhyíl, black mountain; bakàgi,
on top of. 3, 4, 7, 8. Ni‘, earth, land; inzàç, distant; inçì, it lies,
it stretches; çoholnì¢a, seems not to be; çoniò¢a, not obscure or dim
like a faint distance. 6. Dsil çolíji bakàgi, on top of the blue
mountains.
238. _Free translation._
The Maid Who Becomes a Bear walks far around
On the black mountains, she walks far around.
Far spreads the land. It seems not far [to her].
Far spreads the land. It seems not dim [to her].
The Holy Young Woman walks far around
On the blue mountains, she walks far around.
Far spreads the land. It seems not far [to her].
Far spreads the land. It seems not dim [to her].
239. FIRST SONG OF THE EXPLODING STICK.
Aïena.
Aïeyà āīa aïeya iè eè ieèe [three times] ië laⁿ.
1. ‘Ke-cac-nátlèhi dsilyi‘ ¢i¢ílkoⁿ ië naⁿ,
2. Dsilyi‘ ¢olkòlkoⁿ; dsil bekoⁿnìçe ië naⁿ,
Ië naⁿ yahà hāīà ië naⁿ aï.
3. Çabasçìni ço‘yi‘ ¢i¢ílkoⁿ ië naⁿ,
4. Ço‘yi ¢olkòlkoⁿ; ço‘bekoⁿnìçe ië naⁿ,
Ië naⁿ yahà hāīà ië naⁿ aï.
240. _Translation._--1, 3. ‘Ke-cac-natlèhi = Tcikè-cac-nátlehi, Young
Woman Who Becomes a Bear; Çabasçin, the Otter; ¢i¢ílkoⁿ, he or she set
on fire in many places. 2, 4. Dsil, mountains; dsilyi‘, in the
mountains; ço‘, water, waters; ço‘yi‘, in the waters; ¢olkolkoⁿ, he set
on fire as he went along; bekoⁿnìçe, its fires in a line, its string of
fires.
241. _Free translation._
Young Woman Who Becomes a Bear set fire in the mountains
In many places; as she journeyed on
There was a line of burning mountains.
The Otter set fire in the waters
In many places; as he journeyed on
There was a line of burning waters.
242. It is related that in the ancient days, during a year of great
drought, these holy ones, on their way to a council of the gods, set
fire to the mountains and the waters. The smoke arose in great clouds,
from which rain descended on the parched land. The song alludes to this
legend.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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