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
The boy then made two cigarettes and, after lighting one, he handed it
to the ti´ämoni; the second he gave to the companion. After a feast
of bread, stewed meat, and coffee, the ho´naaite stooped before the
altar and, taking the ya´ya from the tail of the sand-painted cougar
in his left hand, he pressed the palm of his right hand to the sand
cougar, and drew a breath from it, and, raising the ya´ya to his lips,
drew a breath from it, and clasped it close to his breast and passed
behind the altar and, reaching over it, he moved the center one of
the three ya´ya to the right, and substituted the one he carried, and
resumed his seat. In a moment or two the ho´naaite removed the two
large fetiches of the cougar to the back of the altar; and the vicar
prayed and touched the four cardinal points of the sand painting with
pollen, and then placed the palm of his right hand to the sand-painted
cougar and, after drawing the sacred breath, rubbed his hand over
his body, when all the members hastened to press their hands to the
sand-painting, draw the breath, and rub their bodies for mental and
physical purification; during which time the ti´ämoni sat back of the
altar holding his eagle plumes with both hands before his face, and
silently prayed.
The remaining sand was brushed together from the four points by a woman
with an eagle plume, and lifted, with the plume, and emptied into the
palm of her left hand and carried to her home and rubbed over the
bodies of her male children.
The ya´ya were collected by their individual owners, who blew the meal
from the feathers and carefully inclosed them in their three wrappings.
The four wands of turkey plumes in the clay holders concealed
hä´chamoni for Sûs´sĭstinnako from the ho´naaite of the Spider Society;
these were not deposited until sunrise, and then by such members of
the Spider Society as were designated by the ho´naaite. They were
planted to the north, west, south, and east of the village, whence
Po´shaiyänne departed, with prayers to Ût´sĕt to receive the hä´chamoni
for Sûs´sĭstinnako, the Creator. After examining them (the spiritual
essence) to see that they are genuine, she hands them to Sûs´sĭstinnako.
The hä´chamoni convey to those to whom they are offered messages as
clear to the Indian understanding as any document does to the civilized
mind.
The following account of the initiation of a member into the third
degree of the Snake order was given the writer by the vicar of the
Snake Society.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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