Indians of North America -- Religion; Indians of North America -- Rites and ceremonies; Peyotism
Other peyote songs are not sung at ritually-set times:
Jesus, how do we know, Jesus, how do we know [him]?
We think about Jesus wherever we are.
How did I know, How did I know Jesus?
When I die I will be at the door of heaven and Jesus will take me in.
God said in the beginning, “Let there be light,”
He meant it for you.
Son of God, have pity on us [repeat]
Son of God, when you come again,
Where your people (the angels) are, let us be.
This is God’s way [repeat]
Whosoever believeth in Him will have everlasting life.
This is God’s way.
We are living humbly on this earth [five times]
Our Heavenly Father, we want everlasting life through Jesus Christ.
We are living humbly on this earth.
He is the only way, Christ is the Way of Life,
He is the only way.[113]
Radin[114] adds the following Winnebago songs:
Ask God for life and he will give it to us.
God created us, so pray to him.
To the home of Jesus we are going, pray to him.
Come ye to the road of the son of God; come ye to the road.
_Midnight Ceremonies._ The whistling outside the tipi at the four
quarters is variously rationalized. The Kickapoo say the leader’s circuit
follows that of the singing inside, the Shawnee that he whistles at the
cardinal points “on account of the four different winds.” The Northern
Cheyenne, according to Hoebel, say they are following the instructions
of their culture-hero Sweet Medicine in this, while the Comanche say the
whistling is to “notify all things in all directions that we are having
a meeting here in the center of the cross, and calling the great power
to be with us while we drink so that it could hear our prayers.” The
Winnebago “flute” blown at this time is to “announce the birth of Christ
to all the world”; it also represents the trumpet of the Day of Judgment,
and the leader’s otter skin hat symbolizes Christ’s crown of glory. Other
Winnebago[115] say the whistling symbolizes the song of praise of the
birds in heaven whom God created. The Arapaho say the whistling is an
eagle’s cry when it is searching for water, and imitates its coming from
a great distance until it dips its beak into the water.[116]
The midnight songs of the Pawnee are said to be for the protection of
the man who fetches the water. Old-time Comanche used a paunch for the
water, but a bucket is everywhere now used; Comanche and Iowa drinking
begin at the cedar chief, rather than south of the door as is usual.
The Ponca leader dips a feather in the water and sprinkles patients and
those nearby with it; and Shawnee sacrifice a cupful to the earth before
drinking. The Kickapoo and others drink directly from the bucket when the
fireman brings the midnight water, but use a cup when the woman brings
the morning water, in graceful symbolism. Some say the woman represents
“Peyote Woman”; others, like the Wichita, identify her with older native
powers.[117]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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