Ceremonial of Hasjelti Dailjis and Mythical Sand Painting of the Navajo Indians

by James Stevenson

SIXTH DAY.

Preparations for a great sand painting began at daylight. Sand for the ground work was carried in in blankets; the fire which had burned through the previous ceremonies was first removed and all traces of it covered with sand. As the artists were to begin the painting with the center of the picture only a portion of the ground color was laid at first, in order to enable them to work with greater facility. While the ground color was being laid a man sat on one side of the lodge grinding with a metate and mixing the colors. A quantity of coals were taken from the exhausted fire from which to prepare black paint. A small quantity of red sand was mixed with the charcoal to give it body or weight. The colors used in this sand painting have all been referred to in the description of the rainbow over the sweat house. After the central portion of the ground work for the painting was smoothed off a Jerusalem cross was drawn in black. The eye usually was the only guide for drawing lines, though on two occasions a weaving stick was used. As a rule four artists were employed, one beginning at each point of the cross. Each arm of the cross was completed by the artist who began the work. For illustration of painting see PL CXXI.

The black cross-bars in the illustration denote pine logs; the white lines the froth of the water; the yellow, vegetable debris gathered by the logs; the blue and red lines, sunbeams. The blue spot in center of cross denotes water. There are four Hostjobokon with their wives the Hostjoboard; each couple sit upon one of the cross arms of the logs. These gods carry in their right hands a rattle, and in their left sprigs of piñon; the wives or goddesses carry piñon sprigs in both hands; the rattle brings male rains, and the piñon, carried by the women, female rains; these rains meet upon the earth, conceive and bring forth all[pg 262] vegetation. Their heads are ornamented with eagle plumes tied on with cotton cord. (Note: In all cases the round head denotes male and octangular head female.) The gods have also a bunch of night-owl feathers and eagle plumes on the left side of the head; both male and female wear turquois earrings and necklaces of the same. The larynx is represented by the parallel lines across the blue. A line of sunlight encircles the head of both males and females. The white spots on the side of the females' heads represent the ears. The arms of the goddesses are covered with corn pollen, and long ribbons of fox skins are attached to the wrists, as shown on painting number one. All wear beaded moccasins tied on with cotton cord. Their chins are covered with corn pollen and red sunlight surrounds the body. The skirts only have an additional line of blue sunlight. Hasjelti is to the east of the painting. He carries a squirrel skin filled with tobacco. His shirt is white cotton and very elastic. The leggings are of white deer skin fringed, and the moccasins are similar to the others. His head is ornamented with an eagle's tail, and to the tip of each plume there is a fluffy feather from the breast of the eagle. A bunch of night-owl feathers is on either side of the eagle tail where it is attached to the head. The horizontal and perpendicular lines on the face were referred to in the description of the first sand painting. The projection on the right of the throat is a fox skin. Hostjoghon's headdress is similar to that of Hasjelti's. Two strips of beaver skin tipped with six quills of the porcupine are attached to the right of the throat. The four colored stars on the body are ornaments of beads. The shirt of this god is invisible; the dark is the dark of the body. Hostjoghon carries a staff colored black from a charred plant. The Navajo paint their bodies with the same plant. The top of the staff is ornamented with a turkey's tail tied to the staff with white cotton cord; eagle and turkey plumes are alternately attached to the staff with a cord.

The Naaskiddi are to the north and south of the painting; they carry staffs of lightning ornamented with eagle plumes and sunbeams. Their bodies are nude except the loin skirt; their leggings and moccasins are the same as the others. The hunch upon the back is a black cloud, and the three groups of white lines denote corn and other seeds of vegetation. Five eagle plumes are attached to the cloud backs (eagles live with the clouds); the body is surrounded with sunlight; the lines of red and blue which border the bunch upon the back denote sunbeams penetrating storm clouds. The black circle zigzagged with white around the head is a cloud basket filled with corn and seeds of grass. On either side of the head are five feathers of the red shafted flicker (Colaptes cafer); a fox skin is attached to the right side of the throat; the mountain sheep horns are tipped with the under tail feathers of the eagle, tied on with cotton cord. The horns are filled with clouds. The rainbow goddess, upon which these gods often travel, completes the picture.

Upon completion of the painting the song-priest, who stood to the east of it holding in his hand a bag of sacred meal, stepped carefully between the figures, sprinkling pollen upon the feet and heart of each. He then sprinkled a thread of pollen up each cheek and down the middle of the face of the figures, afterwards extending his right hand toward the east. The face of the encircling rainbow goddess was also sprinkled. The song-priest placed the sacred wands around the rainbow, commencing on the west side of the painting, and repeated a prayer, pointing his finger to the head of each figure. He also placed a small gourd of medicine water in the hands of the rainbow goddess and laid a small cedar twig on the gourd. The invalid upon entering the lodge was handed an Apache basket containing sacred meal, which he sprinkled over the painting and placed the basket near the feet of the rainbow goddesses; the song-priest and choir sang to the accompaniment of the rattle. A short time after the entrance of the invalid Hasjelti appeared, and taking the evergreen from the gourd dipped it into the medicine water and sprinkled the feet, heart, and heads of the sand figures, after which the invalid sat in the center of the cross. Hasjelti gave him a sip of the sacred water from the gourd and returned the gourd to its place; then he touched the feet, heart, and head of each figure successively with his right hand, each time touching the corresponding parts of the body of the invalid. Every time Hasjelti touched the invalid he gave a weird hoot. After he had been touched with sands from all the paintings the theurgist, selecting a few live coals from a small fire which had been kept burning near the door, threw them in front of the invalid, who still retained his seat in the center of the painting. The theurgist placed herbs, which he took from a buckskin bag, on the coals from which a very pleasant aroma arose. An attendant sprinkled water on the coals and a moment after threw them out of the fire opening. The song-priest gathered the wands from around the edge of the painting and four attendants began to erase it by scraping the sands from the cardinal points to the center. Again the people hurried to take sand from the hearts, heads, and limbs of the figures to rub upon themselves. The sands were gathered into a blanket and deposited at the base of a piñon tree about one hundred yards north of the lodge. A chant closed the ceremony.

SEVENTH DAY.

The first business of the day was the preparation of an elaborate sand picture, and though the artists worked industriously from dawn, it was not completed until after 3 o'clock. The paint grinder was kept busy to supply the artists. It was observed that in drawing some of the lines the artists used a string of stretched yarn instead of the weaving stick. When five of the figures had been completed, six young men came into the lodge, removed their clothes, and whitened their bodies and limbs with kaolin; they then left the lodge to solicit food from the people, who[pg 264] were now quite thickly gathered over the mesa to witness the closing ceremonies. The mesa top for a mile around was crowded with Indians, horses, sheep, and hogans (lodges); groups of 3 to 20 Indians could be seen here and there gambling, while foot and horse racing were features of special interest. Indeed, the people generally were enjoying themselves at the expense of the invalid. The rainbow goddess, Nattsilit, surrounding the painting, was about 25 feet in length. Upon the completion of the painting the song-priest sprinkled the figures with pollen as before described and planted the feather wands around the pictures.

In the illustration of this painting, Pl. CXXIII, Hasjelti will be recognized as the leader. He carries a fawn skin filled with sacred meal; the spots on the skin are seven and in the form of a great bear. The fawn skin indicates him as the chief of all game. It was Hasjelti who created game. The first six figures following Hasjelti are the Ethsethle. The next six figures are their wives. Toneennili, the water sprinkler (to, water, and yonily, to sprinkle), follows carrying a water jug, from which he sprinkles the earth. The Ethsethle wear leggings of corn pollen and the forearms of the gods are covered with pollen. Their wives have their arms and bodies covered with the same. The skirts of the Ethsethle are elaborately ornamented and their pouches at their sides are decorated with many beads, feathers, and fringes. The gods are walking upon black clouds and mist (the yellow denoting mist), the women upon blue clouds and mist.