73. These bundles are bundles of a root (called ocpatli) with which they make their wine. This is the woman who carried the wine to the rest until they became drunk. 76. This is a demon, much worshipped in their ceremonies, who always has a great thirst for human blood. Thus on each and every occasion when there was time and opportunity for him to be worshipped, there might be no excuses offered. It is to be noted that in addition to the sacrifice to this demon being performed at all sorts of hours, there was a law that no one might enter his temple until there had been sacrificed a jar of human blood; and in addition to this he who came up to offer a sacrifice, had to hold up his right hand smeared with blood. This they did so that this demon would be friendly to them at the time of their death. In worshipping him they place at his feet many skulls and dead bones, signifying that he was Lord of Death. In offering this blood they put a ladder up behind him, and climb up on it and pour the blood upon his head, symbolizing thus his acceptance of it. They pour this sacrifice over his head so that the god shall not be forgetful at the time of the devotee's death, of this sacrifice which he had offered. Having the mouth of the idol open and the tongue stuck out and bloody signifies that they were never to say that they did not have a sacrifice which they might offer to him. 1 45. RELIGIOUS SONGS AND PRAYERS OF THE NAVAHO1 Collected and translated by WASHINGTON MATTHEWS 1. SONG IN THE ROCK In the house of the Red Rock, There I enter; Halfway in, I am come. The corn-plants shake. In the house of Blue Water, There I enter; Halfway in, I am come. The plants shake. 2. SONG IN THE ROCK At the Red Rock house it grows, At Blue Water house it grows, 1 Washington Matthews, "The Night Chant" Memoirs of the American Museum of Natural History, volume 6, 1902, pages 77, 78, 81, 85, 143; and, the same author, "Navaho Legends," Memoirs of the American Folk-Lore Society, volume 5, 1897, pages 27, 28. The Navaho live in northern New Mexico and Arizona. 3. MOUNTAIN SONG In a holy place with a god I walk, On a chief of mountains with a god I walk, 4. A SONG TO SWEEP OFF WITH The corn grows up; the rain descends, The rain descends; the corn grows up. I sweep it off, I sweep it off. 5. FREE TRANSLATION OF A PRAYER In Tse'gihi, In the house made of dawn, In the house made of the evening twilight, In the house made of the dark cloud, In the house made of the he-rain, In the house made of the dark mist, In the house made of the she-rain, In the house made of pollen, In the house made of grasshoppers, Where the dark mist curtains the doorway, The path to which is on the rainbow, Where the zigzag lightning stands high on top, Where the he-rain stands high on top, Oh, male-divinity! With your moccasins of dark cloud, come to us. . . . In beauty I walk. With beauty before me, I walk. With beauty behind me, I walk. With beauty below me, I walk. With beauty above me, I walk. With beauty all around me, I walk. . . . It is finished in beauty. 46. MELANESIAN RELIGION1 By R. H. CODRINGTON The religion of the Melanesians is the expression of their conception of the supernatural, and embraces a very wide range of beliefs and practices, the limits of which it would be very difficult to define. It is equally difficult to ascertain with precision what these beliefs are. The ideas of the natives are not clear upon many points, they are not accustomed to present them in any systematic form among themselves. An observer who should set himself the task of making systematic enquiries, must find himself baffled at the outset by the multiplicity of the languages with which he has to deal. Suppose him to have as a medium of communication a language which he and those from whom he seeks information can use freely for the ordinary purposes of life, he finds that to fail when he seeks to know what is the real meaning of those expressions which his informant must needs use in his own tongue, because he knows no equivalent for them in the common language which is employed. Or if he gives what he supposes to be an equivalent, it will often happen that he and the enquirer do not understand that word in the same sense. A missionary has his own difficulty in the fact that very much of his communication is with the young, who do not themselves know and understand very much of what their elders believe and practice. Converts are disposed to blacken generally and indiscriminately their own former state, and with greater zeal the present practises of others. There are some things they are really ashamed to speak of; and there are others which they think they ought to consider wrong, because they are associated in their memory with what they know to be really bad. Many a native Christian will roundly condemn native songs and dances, who, when questions begin to clear his mind, acknowledges that some dances are quite innocent, explains that none that he knows have any religious significance whatever, says that many songs also have nothing whatever bad in them, and writes out one or two as examples. Natives who are still heathen will speak with reserve of what still retains with them a sacred character, and a considerate missionary will respect such reserve; if he should not respect it the native may very likely fail in his respect for him, and amuse himself at his expense. Few missionaries have time to make systematic enquiries; if they do, they are likely to make them too soon, 1 From chapter 7 of R. H. Codrington, The Melanesians, Their Anthropology and Folk-Lore, 1891. |