The Religious Life of the Zuñi ChildStevenson, Matilda Coxe
Religion
The Religious Life of the Zuñi Child
Stevenson, Matilda Coxe
Indian children -- North America; Zuni Indians -- Religion
Three miles east of the Pueblo of Zuñi is a conspicuously beautiful
mesa, of red and white sandstone, tō-wā-yäl län-ne (corn
mountain). Upon this mesa are the remains of the old village of Zuñi.
The Zuñi lived during a long period on this mesa, and it was here
that Coronado found them in the sixteenth century. Tradition tells
that they were driven by a great flood from the site they now occupy,
which is in the valley below the mesa, and that they resorted to the
mesa for protection from the rising waters. The waters rose to the
very summit of the mesa, and to appease the aggressive element a human
sacrifice was necessary. A youth and a maiden, son and daughter of two
priests, were thrown into this ocean. Two great pinnacles, which have
been carved from the main mesa by weathering influences, are looked
upon by the Zuñi as the actual youth and maiden converted into
stone, and are appealed to as "father" and "mother." Many of the Zuñi
legends and superstitions are associated with this mesa, while over
its summit are spread the extensive ruins of the long ago deserted
village. There are in many localities, around its precipitous sides
and walls, shrines and groups of sacred objects which are constantly
resorted to by different orders of the tribe. Some of the most
interesting of these are the most inaccessible. When easy of approach
they are in such secluded spots that a stranger might pass without
dreaming of the treasures within his reach. On the western side of
this mesa are several especially interesting shrines. About half way
up the acclivity on the west side an overhanging rock forms the
base of one of the pinnacles referred to. This rock is literally
honeycombed with holes, from one-half to three-fourths of an inch in
diameter. I visited the spot in the fall of 1884, with Professors E.B.
Tylor and H.N. Moseley, of Oxford, England, and Mr. G.K. Gilbert,
of the United States Geological Survey. These gentlemen could not
determine whether the tiny excavations were originally made by
human hands or by some other agency. The Indian's only answer when
questioned was, "They be long to the old; they were made by the gods."
Hundreds of these holes contain bits of cotton and wool from garments.
In the side of this rock there are larger spaces, in which miniature
vases, filled with sand, are placed. The sand is ground by rubbing
stones from the same rock. The vases of sand, and also the fragments
of wool and cotton, are offerings at the feet of the "mother" rock.
Here, too, can be seen a quantity of firewood heaped as shown in the
right-hand corner of the illustration. Each man and woman deposited
a piece, that he or she might always have plenty of wood for heat
and light. Some three hundred feet above is another shrine, directly
attached to the "father" rock, and to the white man difficult
of access. Here I found many offerings of plume sticks (Tē
līk-tkī-nā-we).
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account