Indians of North America -- Religion; Indians of North America -- Rites and ceremonies; Peyotism
The Delaware file out behind the fireman to greet the rising sun with
prayer, and, standing in the same relative positions they occupied in
the tipi, wash their faces with the water which the fireman pours on
their hands; those who fall down at this time are said to be visiting
heaven. The rest re-enter for the ritual breakfast. The Caddo similarly
file out to wash and comb their hair, and preserve the same order even
at the secular meal at noon. The Iowa wash with soap and water as they
sit in the tipi; “the peyote chief himself carries the water to show his
humility, because of Biblical references to the washing of feet.” The
Shawnee are marshalled outside in two lines at sun-up to wash their faces
and “do arm exercises.” The Kickapoo, Wichita, Oto, Northern Cheyenne and
others pass the drum and sometimes all the ritual paraphernalia around to
be handled; some lick the drum stick dipped in the water and touch it to
various parts of their bodies. The Ponca leader, using a feather, shakes
water on participants both at midnight and in the morning, and as in some
other groups, waters the drum also.[139]
The ritual “quitting songs” are sung by the Pawnee just at dawn, as the
first rays of the sun strike the altar through the opened door; the last
song is sung five times, and each member then prays in turn to God. The
“baptism” ceremony of the Winnebago John Rave cultists (derived from
the Oto) is more Christian in tone than that of the Jesse Clay rite (of
Arapaho origin). Rave dipped his fingers in a peyote infusion, and passed
them over the forehead of a new member saying, “God, His holiness,” (or,
as some say, “God, the Son, and the Holy Ghost”).[140] A little water is
also poured on the ground as a sacrifice. The well-nigh universal mode
of disposing of the remaining water in the drum is to pour it along the
earthen “moon.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account