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

by James Stevenson

NINTH DAY.

FIRST CEREMONY.

The final decoration of masks with ribbons, plumes, etc., began at sunrise and consumed most of the morning. About noon two sticks 1 inch in diameter and 6 inches long were colored; one, of piñon, was painted black, the other, of cedar, was colored red. Three medicine tubes were made, one black, one red, and one blue. These were placed in a basket half filled with meal; the basket stood in the niche behind the song-priest. Two men personated Naiyenesgony and Tobaidischinni. Naiyenesgony's body was painted black (from the embers of a burnt weed of which specimens were procured) and on the outside of his legs below the knee, on the upper arms, breast and scapula were bows in white but without arrows. Tobaidischinni had his body painted with the scalp knot in white in relative positions to the bows on Naiyenesgony. A third man, personating the turquois hermaphrodite Ahsonnutli, wore the usual squaw's dress with a blanket fastened over the shoulders reaching to the ground. Her mask was blue. The three left the lodge carrying their masks in their hands. Passing some distance down the avenue to the east they put on their masks and returned to the lodge.[pg 270] A buffalo robe had been spread in front of the lodge. Just as the maskers returned, the invalid, wrapped in a fine red Navajo blanket and bearing a basket of sacred meal, stepped upon the robe; he had before stood in front of the lodge by the side of the song-priest. The many spectators on foot and horseback clad in their rich blankets formed a brilliant surrounding for this ceremony, which took place just at the setting of the son. Naiyenesgony carried in his right hand a large lava celt which was painted white. Tobaidischinni followed next carrying in his right hand the black wood stick which had been prepared in the morning, and in his left hand the red stick. Ahsonnutli followed with bow and arrow in the left hand and an arrow in the right with a quiver thrown over the shoulder.

Naiyenesgony drew so close to the invalid that their faces almost touched and pointed his celt toward the invalid. Tobaidischinni then approached and in the same manner pointed the sticks toward him, after which he was approached by Ahsonnutli with her bow and arrows. This was repeated on the south, west, and north sides of the invalid; each time the invalid partially turned his arm, shoulder, and back to sprinkle meal upon the gods. The gods then rushed to the entrance of the medicine lodge repeating the ceremony there, when they hurried to the south side of the lodge (the invalid having returned to the lodge; the buffalo robe was carried in by an attendant). The gods went from the south side of the lodge to the west and then to the north performing the same ceremony. As the invalid had spent many days in the lodge and the disease at each day's ceremony exuded from his body, it was deemed necessary that these gods should go to the four points of the compass and draw the disease from the lodge. When they entered the lodge the buffalo robe had been spread in front of the song-priest with its head north. Upon this robe each god knelt on his left knee, Naiyenesgony on the north end of the robe, Ahsonnutli on the south end, and Tobaidischinni between them, all facing east. The song-priest, followed by the invalid, advanced to the front of the line carrying the basket containing the medicine tubes. He sprinkled Naiyenesgony with corn pollen, passing it up the right arm over the head and down the left arm to the hand. He placed the black tube in the palm, of the left hand of the god, the priest chanting all the while a prayer. The red tube was given with the same ceremony to Tobaidischinni, and the blue tube with the same ceremony to Ahsonnutli. The quiver was removed from Ahsonnutli before she knelt. The song-priest, kneeling in front of Naiyenesgony, repeated a long litany with responses by the invalid, when the gods left the lodge led by Naiyenesgony who deposited his tube and stick in a piñon tree, Tobaidischinni depositing his in a cedar tree, and Ahsonnutli hers in the heart of a shrub.

SECOND CEREMONY.

The scene was a brilliant one. Long before the time for the dance a line of four immense fires burned on each side of the avenue where the[pg 271] dance was to take place, and Navajo men and women clad in their bright colored blankets and all their rare beads and silver encircled each fire. Logs were piled 5 or 6 feet high. In addition to these eight fires there were many others near and far, around which groups of gamblers gathered, all gay and happy. Until this night no women but those who carried food to the lodge had been present at any of the ceremonies except at the initiation of the children. To say that there were 1,200 Navajo would be a moderate calculation. This indeed was a picture never to be forgotten. Many had been the objections to our sketching and writing, but throughout the nine days the song-priest stood steadfastly by us. One chief in particular denounced the theurgist for allowing the medicine to be put on paper and carried to Washington. But his words availed nothing. We were treated with every consideration. We were allowed to handle the masks and examine them closely, and at times the artists working at the sand painting really inconvenienced themselves and allowed us to crowd them that we might observe closely the many minute details which otherwise could not have been perceived, as many of their color lines in the skirt and sash decorations were like threads. The accompanying sketches show every detail.

The green or dressing room was a circular inclosure of pine boughs at the end of the avenue. It was about 10 feet high by 20 feet in diameter made of piñon branches with their butts planted in the ground, their tops forming a brush or hedge. Within this inclosure the masks were arranged in a row on the west side. A large fire burned in the center affording both heat and light. The different sets, when a change of dress from one set of men to another was to be made, repaired to this green room for that purpose. This inclosure was also the resort during the night for many Indians who assisted the dancers in their toilets.

At 10 o'clock the ceremonies opened by the entrance upon the avenue of the song-priest who came from the green room. He wore a rich red blanket and over this a mountain lion skin; immediately after him followed Hasjelti, leading the four Etsethle (the first ones). These represented first, natan (corn); second, natin (rain); third, nanase (vegetation); fourth, jadetin (corn pollen). Their masks were blue ornamented with feathers and were similar to the masks worn by the dancers; their bodies were painted white with many rare beads around their necks, and they wore loin skirts with silver belts; a gray fox skin was attached pendant to the back of the belt, and blue stockings, tied with red garters, and moccasins completed their dress. They carried in their right hands gourd rattles painted white. The handles of these may be of any kind of wood, but it must be selected from some tree near which lightning has struck, but not of the wood of the tree struck by lightning. Corn pollen was in the palms of their left hands and in the same hand they carried also a piñon bough. Hasjelti wore a suit of velvet ornamented with silver buttons; he never speaks except by signs. They[pg 272] advanced single file with a slow regular step and when within 20 feet of the lodge the priest turned and faced Hasjelti and repeated a short prayer, when the Etsethle sang.