The Sia: (1894 N 11 / 1889-1890 (pages 3-158))Stevenson, Matilda Coxe
History
The Sia: (1894 N 11 / 1889-1890 (pages 3-158))
Stevenson, Matilda Coxe
Zia Indians
On the opening of the third stanza all arose and the hónaaite reaching
over the altar took a yá-ya in either hand, he having previously
laid his rattle and eagle plumes by the altar. This stanza was sung
with great vivacity by the men, who swayed their bodies to the right
and left in rhythmical motion, while the women waved their wands
monotonously. The movement of the arms of both the men and women was
from the elbow, the upper arms being apparently pinioned to the sides;
there was no raising of the feet, but simply the bending of the knees.
At the close of the stanza, which continued thirty minutes, the
hónaaite gave a weird call for the cloud people to gather; all, at the
same instant, drew a breath from their plumes and took their seats. A
woman then brought a vase of water and gourd from the northeast corner
of the room and placed it in front of the altar. (Pl. XVI.)
In a moment the song was resumed, and the yáni-ᵗsi-wittäñi (maker of
medicine water) proceeded to consecrate the water. He danced in front
of the altar and south of the line of meal, which had been sprinkled
from the altar to the entrance of the chamber, raising first one heel
and then the other, with the knees slightly bent, the toes scarcely
leaving the floor; he held his eagle plumes in his left hand, and
shook the rattle with the right, keeping his upper arms close to his
side, excepting when extending his plumes toward the altar, which he
did three times, each time striking the plumes near the quill end with
his rattle as he shook them over the medicine bowl. He then waved his
plumes toward the north, and giving a quick motion of the rattle in
unison with those of the choir, he drew a breath from the plumes as the
fourth stanza closed, and in a moment the song was resumed. The three
members of the Snake order then put on necklaces of bears’ claws, each
having attached, midway, a whistle. The yániᵗsiwittänn̄i, who had not
left his place in front of the altar, danced for a few minutes, then
dipped a gourd of water from the vase, raised it high with a weird
hoot, and emptied it into the medicine bowl. A second gourdful was
also elevated, and, with a cry, it was emptied into the cloud bowl,
which stood on the sand-painting of the clouds. The third gourdful
was emptied into the same bowl, the raising of the gourd and the cry
being omitted; the fourth gourdful was uplifted with a cry and emptied
into the medicine bowl. The fifth gourdful was also hoisted with a
cry, as before, to the snake hónaaite to implore the cloud rulers to
send their people to water the earth, and emptied into the cloud bowl.
The sixth gourdful was raised with the call and emptied into the same
bowl. The seventh gourdful was elevated with a wave from the south to
the altar and emptied into the medicine bowl. The eighth gourdful was
raised with a similar motion and emptied into the cloud bowl. The ninth
gourdful was elevated and extended toward the east and returned in a
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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