(Mrs.) Tilly E. (Matilda Coxe Evans) Stevenson - The Religious Life of the Zuni Child
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(Mrs.) Tilly E. (Matilda Coxe Evans) Stevenson >> The Religious Life of the Zuni Child
Transcriber's Note:
[)x] represents any letter "x" with a superior breve.
[=x] represents any letter "x" with a superior macron.
[t] represents a raised (superscript) "t"
* * * * *
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION--BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY
* * * * *
THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF THE ZUNI CHILD.
BY
MRS. TILLY E. STEVENSON.
* * * * *
CONTENTS.
Page.
Brief account of Zuni mythology................... 539
Birth customs..................................... 545
Involuntary initiation into the K[=o]k-k[=o]...... 547
Voluntary initiation into the K[=o]k-k[=o]........ 553
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PLATE Page.
XX. Zuni masks and K[=o]-y[=e]-m[=e]-shi....... 545
XXI. Group of Sae-lae-m[=o]-b[=i]-ya masks........ 548
XXII. Zuni sand altar in Kiva of the North....... 550
XXIII. [=O]h-h[=e]-i-que, Kiva of the East........ 552
Page.
THE RELIGIOUS LIFE OF THE ZUNI CHILD.
* * * * *
BY MRS. TILLY E. STEVENSON.
* * * * *
BRIEF ACCOUNT OF ZUNI MYTHOLOGY.
The Pueblo of Zuni is situated in Western New Mexico on the Rio Zuni,
a tributary of the Little Colorado River. The Zuni have resided
in this region for several centuries. The peculiar geologic and
geographic character of the country surrounding them, as well as its
aridity, furnishes ample sources from which a barbarous people would
derive legendary and mythologic history. A brief reference to these
features is necessary to understand more fully the religious phases of
Zuni child life.
Three miles east of the Pueblo of Zuni is a conspicuously beautiful
mesa, of red and white sandstone, t[=o]-w[=a]-yael laen-ne (corn
mountain). Upon this mesa are the remains of the old village of Zuni.
The Zuni 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 Zuni as the actual youth and maiden converted into stone,
and are appealed to as "father" and "mother." Many of the Zuni 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
belong 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 (T[=e] l[=i]k-tk[=i]-n[=a]-we).
Before entering upon the purely mythologic phases of Zuni child life
I will present a brief sketch of some of the Zuni beliefs. There are
thirteen secret orders in Zuni, in many of which women and children
are conspicuous, besides the purely mythologic order of the
K[=o]k-k[=o]. All boys are initiated into this order, while but few
girls enter it. It is optional with a girl; she must never marry if
she joins the K[=o]k-k[=o], and she is not requested to enter this
order until she has arrived at such age as to fully understand its
grave responsibilities and requirements.
Let us follow the Zuni tradition of the ancient time, when these
people first came to this world. In journeying hither they passed
through four worlds, all in the interior of this, the passageway
from darkness into light being through a large reed. From the inner
world they were led by the two little war gods [=A]h-ai-[=u]-ta and
M[=a]-[=a]-s[=e]-we, twin brothers, sons of the Sun, who were sent by
the Sun to bring these people to his presence. They reached this world
in early morning, and seeing the morning star they rejoiced and said
to the war gods: "We see your father, of whom you have told us." "No,"
said the gods, "this is the warrior who comes before our father;"
and when the sun arose the people fell upon the earth and bowed their
heads in fear. All their traditions point to the distant land of their
appearance in this world as being in the far northwest; from, there
they were accompanied by [=A]h-ai-[=u]-ta and M[=a]-[=a]-s[=e]-we.
These little gods occupy important positions in Zuni myth and legend.
After long journeying, it was decided that the Priest Doctor (K[=a]
wi-m[=o] sa) should send his son and his daughter in advance to
discover some favorable spot upon which to build a village. The youth
and the maiden finally ascended a peak from, which to have an extended
view of the country. "Rest here, my sister, for you are tired," said
the youth, "and I will go alone." From fatigue, the girl soon sank
into a slumber, and when the youth returned, he was impressed with the
surpassing loveliness of his sister. They remained for a time on this
mountain, and at their union they were transformed--the youth into a
hideous looking creature, the K[=o]-y[=e]-m[=e]-shi (Plate XX); the
maiden into a being with snow white hair, the K[=o]-m[=o]-k[)e]t-si.
The [t]K[=o]-thl[=a]-ma (hermaphrodite) is the offspring of this
unnatural union. The youth said to his sister, "We are no longer like
our people; we will therefore make this mountain our home. But it
is not well for us to be alone; wait here and I will go and prepare
a place for our others." Descending the mountain, he swept his foot
through the sands in the plains below, and immediately a river flowed
and a lake appeared, and in the depths of this lake a group of houses,
and in the center of this group a religious assembly house, or kiva,
provided with many windows, through which those not privileged to
enter the kiva might view the dance within. After he performed this
magic deed, he again joined his sister on the mountain, from which
they could see their people approaching. The mountain has since that
time borne the name of K[=o]-k[=o]k-shi--k[=o]k-shi meaning good.
The first of the [=A]h-shi-wi, or Zuni, to cross this river were
the Aen-shi-i-que, or Bear gens; T[=o]-w[=a]-que, Corn gens; and
[t]Ko-[=o]h-l[=o]k-t[=a]-que, Sand Hill Crane gens. When in the
middle of the river the children of these gentes were transformed into
tortoises, frogs, snakes, ducks, and dragonflies. The children thus
transformed, while tightly clinging to their mother's necks, began to
bite and pinch. The mothers, trembling with fear, let them fall into
the river. [=A]h-ai-[=u]-ta and M[=a]-[=a]-s[=e]-we, missing the
children, inquired, "Where are the little ones?" The mothers replied,
"We were afraid and dropped them into the water." The war gods then
cried out to the remainder of the people, "Wait, wait until we speak
with you," and they told the women to be brave and cling tightly to
the children until they crossed the river. Obeying the gods' commands,
they carried the little ones over, though they were transformed just
as the others. Upon reaching the opposite shore, they were again
restored to their natural forms, excepting their hands, which were
duck-webbed. These webs were cut with [=A]h-ai-[=u]-ta's stone knife
and thus restored to perfect hands.
The mothers whose children fell into the waters were grieved and
refused to be comforted. The Priest Doctor was also grieved, and
said, "Alas, where have the little ones gone?" [=A]h-ai-[=u]-ta and
M[=a]-[=a]-s[=e]-we replied, "We will go and learn something of them,"
and upon descending into the lake they found the beautiful kiva, in
which the children were assembled; but again they had been changed;
they were no longer reptiles, but were of a similar type to the
K[=o]-y[=e]-m[=e]-shi and K[=o]-m[=o]-k[)e]t-si, and since that
time they have been worshiped as ancestral gods, bearing the name
of K[=o]k-k[=o]; but the little war gods knew them, and addressed
them as "My children," and they replied, "Sit down and tell us of
our mothers." When they told them that their mothers refused to be
comforted at their loss, they said, "Tell our mothers we are not dead,
but live and sing in this beautiful place, which is the home for them
when they sleep. They will wake here and be always happy. And we are
here to intercede with the Sun, our father, that he may give to our
people rain, and the fruits of the earth, and all that is good for
them." The [=A]h-shi-wi then journeyed on, led by [=A]h-ai-[=u]-ta
and M[=a]-[=a]-s[=e]-we, to the present site of Zuni. Many, however,
lingered at a spring some fifteen miles west of Zuni, and there
established the village Tk[=a]p-qu[=e]-n[=a] (Hot Spring).
The K[=o]-y[=e]-m[=e]-shi and K[=o]-m[=o]-k[)e]t-si passed down
through the interior of the mountain into the depths of the lake, the
waters of everlasting happiness. In the passageway are four chambers,
where the couple tarried on their way and where at the present time
the two priests of the K[=o]k-k[=o] rest in their journey to the
sacred waters. So credulous are the people that the priests delude
them into the belief that they actually pass through the mountain to
the lake.
Having heard of the wonderful cave in this mountain, our little party
visited the place, prepared to explore it. Mr. Stevenson and Mr.
H.L. Turner entered the fissure in the rock and squeezed through the
crevice for sixteen or eighteen feet to where the rock was so solid
that they both determined no human creature could penetrate farther.
They examined the place most carefully by means of an artificial
light. Through a small aperture stones could be thrown to a depth from
which no sound returned, but excepting this solitary opening all was
solid, immovable rock. In this cave many plume sticks were gathered.
Near the opening of the cave, or fissure, is a shrine to the
K[=o]k-k[=o], which must be very old, and over and around it are
hundreds of the plume sticks and turquoise and shell beads.
I would mention here a little incident illustrative of the
superstitious dread these Indians entertain of violating the priestly
commands. We found it very difficult to persuade an old Zuni guide,
who had visited the sacred salt lake, the mountain of the war gods,
and other places of interest with us (to these he had gone by special
permission of the High Priest), to accompany us to the spirit lake and
the mountain of the K[=o]k-k[=o]. Our persuasive powers were almost
exhausted ere we could induce him to guide us to them, but having
consented he was willing to go even if he should be punished by death.
He was a man renowned for bravery, but he was so overcome by his
superstitious fears that his voice sank to a whisper and finally
became scarcely audible. The morning of the day on which we reached
this place, the old man, who had been riding by my side, ahead of the
rest of the party, suddenly halted and said in a half-angry voice,
"Why do I go ahead? I am not the chief of this party. Those who belong
at the head must go to the head." And he would not move until Mr.
Stevenson and I went in advance. By this change he sought to transfer
the responsibility to us. Finally he rode up to us and said in a
whisper, "We will camp here." The whole expression of the old man's
face was that of ghastly terror. I was much annoyed, for I thought
that, at the eleventh hour, his fear had overcome his desire to
gratify us. Just then a Mexican lad on horseback approached; we were
all mounted. I asked the lad, "Is there a lake near by?" He replied,
"Yes, a half a mile off." The old Indian said, speaking in a whisper,
"And you have seen it?" "Yes." "And you were not afraid?" "No; why
afraid?" "And you looked into the waters and you did not die!" With a
look of bewilderment the youth rode off. I signaled to the old man to
accompany us to the lake. "No, no; I would only die, and you must not
go or you will die." "No," said I, "we will not die if our hearts are
good, and if you will not go it is because your heart is not good and
you are afraid."
We found the lake so surrounded by marshes that we could not get
within an eighth of a mile of the waters. One of our party attempted
to reach it on foot, but could get very little nearer. We made a
circuit of the lake along the slightly elevated ground and could
distinctly see it.
On completing the circle a striking picture met our eyes. Boldly
outlined by the setting sun stood the old man, his hair blown by the
evening breeze, for he had bared his head of the usual kerchief worn
around it, and, with his hand holding the sacred meal extended toward
the glorious sunset, he stood repeating a prayer. We halted, and he
continued his prayer, wholly unconscious of our presence; as he turned
we surprised him. I extended my hand and said, "Now I am happy, for
you are again brave and strong." "Yes," said he, "my heart is glad. I
have looked into the waters of my departed people. I am alive, but I
may die; if I die it is well; my heart is glad." From that moment the
gloom was gone and he was bright and happy. We could not induce the
old man to ascend the mountain of the K[=o]k-k[=o] with us, as none go
there except certain priests; but the lake is visited by those who are
designated by these priests.
Several days were consumed by us in exploring this immediate vicinity.
On breaking camp, our old Indian guide seemed determined to tarry
behind. I remained with him. As the party rode off he took a large
quantity of food which he had carefully stored away behind a tree--he
having observed an almost absolute fast in order to make a large
offering to the spirits of the departed--and heaped this food upon
the embers of the camp fire, by the side of which he stood for a long
time, supplicating in a most solemn manner the spirits of the departed
to receive his offering.
Certain men are selected, who, with bodies nude save the loin skirt
and with bare feet, walk from Zuni to the lake, a distance of 45
miles, exposed to the scorching rays of the summer sun, to deposit
plume sticks and pray for rain. If the hearts of those sent be pure
and good, the clouds will gather and rain will fall, but if evil be in
their hearts no rain will fall during the journey and they return with
parched lips and blistered skin. The K[=o]k-k[=o] repeat the prayers
for rain with their intercessions to the Yae-t[=o]-tka, the Sun, and
by them the plume sticks are sent to the same great god. So constantly
are the lesser gods employed in offering plumes to the great god
that at night the sacred road (the Galaxy) can be seen filled with
feathers, though by day they are invisible. They believe that the soul
or essence of the plumes travels over this road, just as the soul from
the body travels from Zuni to the spirit lake, and in their offerings
of food the food itself is not received by the gods, but the spiritual
essence of the food.
One of the most important characters in Zuni mythology, the Kaek-l[=o],
finding himself alone in the far Northwest, saw many roads, but could
not tell which one led to his people, and he wept bitterly. The tear
marks are still to be seen on the Kaek-l[=o]'s face. A duck, hearing
some one's cries, appeared and inquired the cause of the trouble. "I
wish to go to my people, but the roads are many, and I do not know the
right one." The sagacious duck replied, "I know all roads, and I will
lead you to your people." Having led the Kaek-l[=o] to the spirit lake,
he said, "Here is the home of the K[=o]k-k[=o]; I will guide you
to the kiva and open for you the door." After entering the kiva the
Kaek-l[=o] viewed all those assembled and said, "Let me see; are all my
people here? No; the K[=o]-l[=o]-oo-w[)i]t-si (plumed serpent) is not
here; he must come," and two of the K[=o]k-k[=o] (the Soot-[=i]ke)
were dispatched for him. This curious creature is the mythical plumed
serpent whose home is in a hot spring not distant from the village of
Tk[=a]p-qu[=e]-n[=a], and at all times his voice is to be heard in the
depths of this boiling water.
In the days of the old, a young maiden, strolling along, saw a
beautiful little baby boy bathing in the waters of this spring; she
was so pleased with his beauty that she took him home and told her
mother that she had found a lovely little boy. The mother's heart told
her it was not a child really, and so she said to the daughter; but
the daughter insisted that she would keep the baby for her own. She
wrapped it carefully in cotton cloth and went to sleep with it in her
arms. In the morning, the mother, wondering at her daughter's absence,
sent a second daughter to call her. Upon entering the room where the
girl had gone to sleep she was found with a great serpent coiled round
and round her body. The parents were summoned, and they said, "This is
some god, my daughter; you must take him back to his waters," and the
maiden followed the serpent to the hot spring, sprinkling him all the
while with sacred meal. Upon reaching the spring the serpent
entered it, the maiden following, and she became the wife of the
K[=o]-l[=o]-oo-w[)i]t-si.
The K[=o]-l[=o]-oo-w[)i]t-si soon appeared with the two Soot-[=i]ke
who had been dispatched for him. They did not travel upon the earth,
but by the underground waters that pass from the spring to the spirit
lake. Upon the arrival of the K[=o]-l[=o]-oo-w[)i]t-si, the Kaek-l[=o]
issued to this assemblage his commands, for he is the great father
of the K[=o]k-k[=o]. Those who were to go to the North, West, South,
East, to the Heavens, and to the Earth to procure cereals for the
[=A]h-shi-wi he designated as the Sae-lae-m[=o]-b[=i]-ya. Previous to
this time the [=A]h-shi-wi had subsisted on seeds of a grass. "When
the seeds are gathered," he said, addressing the serpent, "you will
carry them with water to the [=A]h-shi-wi and tell them what to
do with the seeds. I will go in advance and prepare them for your
coming." "But," said his people, "you are our father; you must not
walk," and the ten K[=o]-y[=e]-m[=e]-shi accompanied him, carrying
him on their backs, relieving each other when fatigued. The
Kaek-l[=o] visited the [=A]h-shi-wi nine days in advance of the
Sae-lae-m[=o]-b[=i]-ya and K[=o]-l[=o]-oo-w[)i]t-si, instructing the
people regarding the K[=o]k-k[=o], how they must represent them in the
future and hold their ceremonials, and telling them that the boys must
be made members of the K[=o]k-k[=o], and that this particular ceremony
must occur but once in four years. He also gave to the people the
history of himself, how the duck had befriended him and led him to the
home of his people.
BIRTH CUSTOMS.
Having now briefly sketched the mythology relating to the ceremonials
to be described, I invite your attention to the main subject of the
present paper: the Religious Life of the Zuni Child.
First we will notice the birth customs.
Zuni child life may be divided into two parts. One I will call the
practical or domestic; the other, the mythologic or religious. The
former is fairly exemplified in the habits, customs, games, and
experiences of our own domestic child life. The other is essentially
different; in it are involved the ceremonials, legends, and myths
which surround the Zuni child from its birth.
Previous to the birth of a child, if a daughter be desired, the
husband and wife proceed together to the "mother" rock, and at her
feet make offerings and prayers, imploring her to intercede with
the great father, the Sun, to give to them a daughter, and that this
daughter may grow to be all that is good in woman; that she may be
endowed with the power of weaving beautifully and may be skilled in
the potter's art. Should a son be desired, the couple repair to the
shrine above, and here, at the breast and heart of the "father" rock,
prayers and plume sticks are offered that a son may be given them, and
that he may have power to conquer his enemies, and that he may become
distinguished in the K[=o]k-k[=o] and other orders, and have power
over the field to produce abundant crops. In both cases the sacred
meal is sprinkled, and, should the prayer not be answered, there is
no doubt that the heart of one or the other was not earnest when the
prayer was offered.
The Zuni child is born amid ceremony. At its birth only the maternal
grandmother and two female doctors are present. After the birth of the
child, the paternal grandmother enters, bearing as offerings to the
new born babe a large pottery bowl and inside of it a tiny blanket.
She then prepares warm suds of yucca root in the bowl, in which she
bathes the infant, at the same time repeating a prayer of thanks for
the life that has been given them and praying for the future of the
child. She then rubs the entire body of the child, except the head,
with warm ashes held in the palm of the hand and moistened with water.
This process is repeated every morning during infancy and the same
paste is put upon the face of the child until it is several years
old. I would remark that this paste is seldom noticed upon the older
children because it is put on in the morning and drying soon is
brushed off by the child. It is asserted by the Zuni that in four days
after the birth of a child the first skin is removed by exfoliation
and is supplanted by a new one. After applying the ashes, the paternal
grandmother places the infant in the arms of the maternal grandparent,
who performs other offices for the little one and wraps it in a piece
of cotton cloth. The paternal grandmother prepares a bed of warm sand
by the right side of the mother (leaving a cool spot for the child's
head); she then receives the infant and lays it upon its bed, and over
it she arranges the little blanket which she brought; she then places
upon the sand and at the right side of the child an ear of white
corn; if the child be a girl, the mother, or a three-plumule, corn is
selected; if a boy, the father, or single ear, corn. The fourth day
after the birth the child is again bathed in the yucca root suds by
the same grandmother, who again repeats a long prayer. During the
first ten days of the child's life the paternal grandmother remains in
the daughter-in-law's house, looking after the mother and helping in
the preparation of the feast that is to occur. On the morning of the
tenth day the child is taken from its bed of sand, to which it is
never to return, and upon the left arm of the paternal grandmother it
is carried for the first time into the presence of the rising sun. To
the breast of the child the grandmother carrying it presses the ear of
corn which lay by its side during the ten days; to her left the mother
of the infant walks, carrying in her left hand the ear of corn which
lay by her side. Both women sprinkle a line of sacred meal, emblematic
of the straight road which the child must follow to win the favor of
its gods. Thus the first object which the child is made to behold at
the very dawn of its existence is the sun, the great object of their
worship; and long ere the little lips can lisp a prayer it is repeated
for it by the grandmother.
The Zuni are polytheists; yet, while they have a plurality of gods,
many of whom are the spirits of their ancestors, these gods are but
mediums through which to reach their one great father of all--the Sun.