Post by Okwes on Jun 14, 2007 10:57:39 GMT -5
Directions and Formula for the Brush Dance - Hupa[1]
Directions and Formula for the Brush Dance.
I always get up at dawn. I go to the south corner of the house and rap and
call [2], then I do the same at the north corner, and last at the west
corner. I do this to notify the people of the under-world that they must
give back the soul of the sick person who is to be treated.
THE FORMULA.
In the middle of the world there lived a woman with her granddaughter. After
a time the granddaughter became pregnant. "Hei," exclaimed the grandmother,
"it looks as if the Indians were about to appear," she said. "Their smoke in
everywhere." The baby contracted some sort of sickness from its mother
before its birth. The child was born.
"What shall we steam the baby with," thought the grandmother. "You must go
out and try to find the medicine," she told the granddaughter. She went out
and looked over the world. She was surprised to see something standing
toward the southeast. Then she saw it was the herb, and going to it she dug
it out. It was wild ginger. Placing it in a basket she put it under the baby
and steamed it with it. It was then evening. At dawn she noticed the baby
was feeling around in her armpit.
The old woman went out. When it was light she was surprised to see pitch
sticks lying there. She carried two of them into the house. Having lighted
them in the fire she waved them over the baby. When it was broad daylight
she stopped. "Hei," she thought, "Indians are soon to come. It may be their
babies will take sick from them. They will think about us. With what shall
we make them think about us?" "Oh, yes," she thought, "one night will
intervene between the dances. That is the way they will do. There will not
be one medicine only," she thought.
Then she told her granddaughter again, "Go out and look for an herb." She
went out again to look for it. She looked everywhere in vain. As she looked
toward the east she saw Mount Shasta standing there. She started toward it
and when she came near she saw a basket-cup floating at its base. She looked
into the cup but saw nothing in it. There was not even a leaf which she
could put into the baby's mouth.
She walked along after it. She turned her eyes away and when she looked
again the cup was gone. She saw it floating by Kitokût. She looked into it
but there was nothing there. "I wonder why I can't find the medicine which I
am to put into the baby's mouth?" she thought.
Again she missed the cup. She saw it floating by Kilaigyadiñ. It had floated
by her. When she came where it was, she looked into it again. She looked
away again and it was gone. She found it floating by Bluff creek. She went
to it and looked into it. Again it disappeared and reappeared in a fog above
Weitchpec. "Where am I to find that medicine?" she thought.
When she looked away again it was floating around below Weitchpec. She
looked into it but there was no medicine in it. Again she looked away and
the cup floated down the middle of the river. She saw it a little above
Tcexoltcwediñ below the rock that stands in the water. Again she looked into
it in vain. The cup did the same thing again. It went down the middle of the
river and she followed it. Below Cappel it stopped until she came up and
looked into it. There was nothing in it. It did that way again. It floated
right down the middle of the river. She went after it. She was surprised to
find it at Pecwan creek. She came up and looked into it. There was nothing
in it. "Where am I going to find that medicine?" she thought. And then it
did that again. It floated right down the middle of the river. She went
after it. When she came to the mouth of the Klamath river she saw it
floating across to the north. "Hei!" she thought. When she turned her head
slowly about, the tears fell. "How can I find that medicine?" she thought.
When she looked for it again it floated back. Then she went along the shore
toward the south. The cup came back and floated along beside her. South of
Redwood creek she came down to the beach. The cup floated back to her. She
went along again and the cup floated after her. At Fresh-water Lagoon she
again came down to the beach. She saw the cup was floating across the ocean
toward the west, but it came back to her as if it had been shot from a bow.
She looked into it. There was nothing in it.
She was surprised to see a house standing in the distance toward the east.
"I will go there," she thought. She went to the house and went in. She saw
an old woman sitting there. "You can't find that medicine anywhere," the old
woman told her. " Day before yesterday it came into my head. This is what
they said of you, 'This way her child does. In vain she will look for it.'
There in the corner stands your cup." Then the old woman took the cup and
held it up to the sky. Something fell into it.[3] She was holding it up
pointing crosswise. She gave it to her saying, "Take it along and put it
into your baby's mouth."
DIRECTIONS.
When I get through speaking I bathe the child with the medicine. In the
morning I bathe it all over. I always leave the medicine there.
In the woods I always set up two forked sticks on each side. Then I placed
the pitch sticks crosswise on them. I put four stones along side. I put
pitch sticks and incense root on these stones. When there are good coals I
put the incense roots into the fire. I always put the stones back from the
fire. I do not drop the forked sticks just anyway, I always lay them down
carefully. I tie up the pitch sticks.
I do not have my face white (unpainted). I have my face painted black. I
paint my wrists, my shoulders, my ankles, my thighs, and my breast. I tie up
my hair with tseûk.[4] I do not wear dirty things. I wear only good things.
I take along all the utensils, I do not leave any of them for the one over
whom I wave the fire.
Footnotes:
[1] Told at Hupa, December 1901, by the wife of McCann who is the only
person living that has performed the ceremony.
[2] The noise made consists of one or several knocks on the wall with the
hand and the call "ha ha ha." This is to notify the people of Tcindintax,
the world below, that they must give back the spirit of the sick. To make
sure the omission was not accidental, the attention of the narrator was
called to the fact that she had mentioned only three of the world-quarters.
She volunteered no information as to why the fourth had been omitted. The
world of the dead is underground toward the west. It is likely the east is
not associated with the dead. The Hupa are never slavish adherers to the
world-quarters.
[3] It was the bark of the yellow pine, Pinus ponderosa, which fell into
cup.
[4] Tseûk are the ribbons of mink fur with which the clubs of hair are
wound. These tseûk are sometimes covered with woodpecker scalps. See Life
and Culture of the Hupa, p. 20 and Pl. 5.
Hupa Texts, by Pliny Earle Goddard; (University of California Publications
in American Archaeology and Ethnology 1:2); [1904] and is now in the public
domain.
Directions and Formula for the Brush Dance.
I always get up at dawn. I go to the south corner of the house and rap and
call [2], then I do the same at the north corner, and last at the west
corner. I do this to notify the people of the under-world that they must
give back the soul of the sick person who is to be treated.
THE FORMULA.
In the middle of the world there lived a woman with her granddaughter. After
a time the granddaughter became pregnant. "Hei," exclaimed the grandmother,
"it looks as if the Indians were about to appear," she said. "Their smoke in
everywhere." The baby contracted some sort of sickness from its mother
before its birth. The child was born.
"What shall we steam the baby with," thought the grandmother. "You must go
out and try to find the medicine," she told the granddaughter. She went out
and looked over the world. She was surprised to see something standing
toward the southeast. Then she saw it was the herb, and going to it she dug
it out. It was wild ginger. Placing it in a basket she put it under the baby
and steamed it with it. It was then evening. At dawn she noticed the baby
was feeling around in her armpit.
The old woman went out. When it was light she was surprised to see pitch
sticks lying there. She carried two of them into the house. Having lighted
them in the fire she waved them over the baby. When it was broad daylight
she stopped. "Hei," she thought, "Indians are soon to come. It may be their
babies will take sick from them. They will think about us. With what shall
we make them think about us?" "Oh, yes," she thought, "one night will
intervene between the dances. That is the way they will do. There will not
be one medicine only," she thought.
Then she told her granddaughter again, "Go out and look for an herb." She
went out again to look for it. She looked everywhere in vain. As she looked
toward the east she saw Mount Shasta standing there. She started toward it
and when she came near she saw a basket-cup floating at its base. She looked
into the cup but saw nothing in it. There was not even a leaf which she
could put into the baby's mouth.
She walked along after it. She turned her eyes away and when she looked
again the cup was gone. She saw it floating by Kitokût. She looked into it
but there was nothing there. "I wonder why I can't find the medicine which I
am to put into the baby's mouth?" she thought.
Again she missed the cup. She saw it floating by Kilaigyadiñ. It had floated
by her. When she came where it was, she looked into it again. She looked
away again and it was gone. She found it floating by Bluff creek. She went
to it and looked into it. Again it disappeared and reappeared in a fog above
Weitchpec. "Where am I to find that medicine?" she thought.
When she looked away again it was floating around below Weitchpec. She
looked into it but there was no medicine in it. Again she looked away and
the cup floated down the middle of the river. She saw it a little above
Tcexoltcwediñ below the rock that stands in the water. Again she looked into
it in vain. The cup did the same thing again. It went down the middle of the
river and she followed it. Below Cappel it stopped until she came up and
looked into it. There was nothing in it. It did that way again. It floated
right down the middle of the river. She went after it. She was surprised to
find it at Pecwan creek. She came up and looked into it. There was nothing
in it. "Where am I going to find that medicine?" she thought. And then it
did that again. It floated right down the middle of the river. She went
after it. When she came to the mouth of the Klamath river she saw it
floating across to the north. "Hei!" she thought. When she turned her head
slowly about, the tears fell. "How can I find that medicine?" she thought.
When she looked for it again it floated back. Then she went along the shore
toward the south. The cup came back and floated along beside her. South of
Redwood creek she came down to the beach. The cup floated back to her. She
went along again and the cup floated after her. At Fresh-water Lagoon she
again came down to the beach. She saw the cup was floating across the ocean
toward the west, but it came back to her as if it had been shot from a bow.
She looked into it. There was nothing in it.
She was surprised to see a house standing in the distance toward the east.
"I will go there," she thought. She went to the house and went in. She saw
an old woman sitting there. "You can't find that medicine anywhere," the old
woman told her. " Day before yesterday it came into my head. This is what
they said of you, 'This way her child does. In vain she will look for it.'
There in the corner stands your cup." Then the old woman took the cup and
held it up to the sky. Something fell into it.[3] She was holding it up
pointing crosswise. She gave it to her saying, "Take it along and put it
into your baby's mouth."
DIRECTIONS.
When I get through speaking I bathe the child with the medicine. In the
morning I bathe it all over. I always leave the medicine there.
In the woods I always set up two forked sticks on each side. Then I placed
the pitch sticks crosswise on them. I put four stones along side. I put
pitch sticks and incense root on these stones. When there are good coals I
put the incense roots into the fire. I always put the stones back from the
fire. I do not drop the forked sticks just anyway, I always lay them down
carefully. I tie up the pitch sticks.
I do not have my face white (unpainted). I have my face painted black. I
paint my wrists, my shoulders, my ankles, my thighs, and my breast. I tie up
my hair with tseûk.[4] I do not wear dirty things. I wear only good things.
I take along all the utensils, I do not leave any of them for the one over
whom I wave the fire.
Footnotes:
[1] Told at Hupa, December 1901, by the wife of McCann who is the only
person living that has performed the ceremony.
[2] The noise made consists of one or several knocks on the wall with the
hand and the call "ha ha ha." This is to notify the people of Tcindintax,
the world below, that they must give back the spirit of the sick. To make
sure the omission was not accidental, the attention of the narrator was
called to the fact that she had mentioned only three of the world-quarters.
She volunteered no information as to why the fourth had been omitted. The
world of the dead is underground toward the west. It is likely the east is
not associated with the dead. The Hupa are never slavish adherers to the
world-quarters.
[3] It was the bark of the yellow pine, Pinus ponderosa, which fell into
cup.
[4] Tseûk are the ribbons of mink fur with which the clubs of hair are
wound. These tseûk are sometimes covered with woodpecker scalps. See Life
and Culture of the Hupa, p. 20 and Pl. 5.
Hupa Texts, by Pliny Earle Goddard; (University of California Publications
in American Archaeology and Ethnology 1:2); [1904] and is now in the public
domain.