Post by Okwes on Apr 14, 2008 13:31:51 GMT -5
Grandmother Mole and the Sacred Bundle - Hopi
MANY years ago when the Hopis were living down at Palotquopi they were very
progressive and prosperous, on account of having water, and having an
irrigating system from the river which flows through that country. There
they had taxation by means of doing some donation work on the canals and
ditches at certain times of the year. They did not have so many ceremonies
then and their most sacred one was Laconti (Basket Dance). In this dance
baskets were used, like the ones of Second Mesa today. This ceremony always
took place late in the fall and it had always brought them rain and heavy
snow up in the mountains. And also their Jejellti (social dances) were not
many, the most joyous one was the Butterfly Dance. Being prosperous in their
way of living everything was plenty, and why shouldn't they be happy and
amuse themselves in some way? So, from one of the kivas, they held a
Butterfly Dance with which the spectators were very much pleased. Everybody
was talking about it, so the dancers again put it on for two more days, then
they thought they would pass it on to the next kiva. So they asked the men
of the other kiva to carry on the same dance, and when they had danced,
these men passed it on to the next kiva, and so it went around like that
until it came back to the kiva from where it was started. In this kind of a
dance only the young maidens are supposed to dance, but by this time some of
the young married women were taking part and instead of putting it on during
the day time in the plaza, they were dancing in the kiva at nights, so they
were having a great time of their lives, and it went on from bad to worse.
Nobody cared who was whose wife or husband, and finally they got the wife of
their chief. In those days the chief or any high priest was not supposed to
take part in social dances or was not to be seen in the kiva with the rest
of the people. As it was their general rule that they must have patience,
and above all must bear in mind peace, and think and pray for prosperity in
the years to come, for they knew that the people of any race must have good
supplies of food and water to keep their bodies in strong physical condition
to defend themselves against an enemy attack. They were good fathers and
watched over their people carefully. They were patient and neither heard nor
spoke evil. No matter what the people would do or how bad they might be,
they were always comforted. But as this dancing went on, it was carried too
far and all the rest of the priests had gone crazy except Chief Tawayistiwa,
himself. This chief they had, was quite a young man; he had only two small
children, and these babies being neglected they would cry at night when they
woke up, so the father would take them to the kiva to get the mother to
nurse the younger one. When they were quieted down the father would take
them back to bed again. On these trips to the kiva at night his wife would
sometimes ask him to come down into the kiva and look on while they danced,
and of course knowing the law and his duty he always had refused. All these
things got so heavy on him that he could bear it no longer, so one evening
he went and called on his nephew, Siwiyistiwa, who had grown up to be a good
strong young man. While this madness was with the people, men and women of
mature age had pleaded with their sons and daughters, telling them of the
wrong and crime that they were doing against their father, the chief, and
themselves. But it was of no use, it only caused the younger people to lose
respect for them, and then the old people were ill-treated, spit upon and
fed on the leftovers, which were not very much, for the house duties were
neglected by the young women. All this was unbearable for the aged people
and for the Chief. So he called at the house of his nephew. He was welcome
and seated himself by the fireplace. Siwiyistiwa got up from his seat and
handed his uncle a bag of tobacco which hung on the wall near by, and this
the uncle smoked. After finishing his smoking, the youth asked him what he
had come for.
"Yes," said Tawayistiwa, "after long wanderings in my mind about our
children (people) it seems like I am forced to come and have to depend on
you to 'sacrifice' yourself, not for the good of any one, but for
all--everybody here in my town."
"Yes, you certainly have a lot of patience," said the youth, "to hold out
this way, what with all I have seen and know of your wife. I did not want to
tell you because I did not wish to be the cause of the weight of your wrath.
Because of the sympathy that I have for you I am willing to do what you have
come to ask of me."
"I thank you, my nephew," said the Chief. "Thank you. First of all I would
like to know if you are strong on your running."
"Yes," said Siwiyistiwa, "I am quite strong."
"All right," said the Chief. "Of course you may be, but I still want you to
gain some more strength and speed. So from tomorrow on, you will start to do
your running to the foot of the mountain ridge and back. That is quite a
distance away, so the best way to time yourself would be by the rising of
the sun. For a few mornings the sun will rise before you get back here, but
if you are gaining by and by you will get back here away before sunrise, so
be sure to get up at the same time in the mornings and be off. I will call
again in a few days and will tell you what we will do next."
After the Chief had gone Siwiyistiwa was rather a little worried, but of
course, with the Hopi in those days the uncle was over the nephews and
nieces. Whenever he asked anything of them it had to be done. While the boy
was preparing himself, he didn't know for what, his uncle too was getting
things ready for him. The youth was gaining strength and speed and was very
light on his feet and he was getting back to the village away before the sun
would come up over the horizon. Then Tawayistiwa again went to see his
nephew and when he got there he found the youth was waiting for him.
"Come right in and have a seat," said his nephew, getting up and handing him
a bag of tobacco as usual. After smoking a pipe he said to the boy, "Again I
am here, hoping to find you with more strength and speed."
"Yes," said his nephew, "I have gained some."
"Very well," said his uncle, "I have everything ready for you, so tonight
you can come over to my house and there I will tell what to do. But be sure
to come after everybody goes to the kiva."
Late that night Siwiyistiwa went to his uncle's house. Upon entering, the
Chief took him away into the back room. There they sat down and there his
uncle smoked his pipe solemnly over the pahos which he had prepared. Then he
said, "Here I have these things ready for you and tomorrow morning early you
will take these pahos out with you toward the same direction you have been
going and up over the mountain ridge. On the other side is an open range.
There you will come upon a herd of deer. Look them over carefully, then make
your selection of a young buck with a pair of good weapons (horns), but wait
for the sun to appear. Now watch very closely and just as it peeps over the
horizon run into the herd. It is those weapons that you are going to get for
me, so be sure to keep after your selected buck until you run him down, then
after cutting off his two front horns you will deliver to him these pahos
that I have here made ready for him, and also my message."
The next morning Siwiyistiwa went out to where he was directed and when he
got there he went over the mountains and there in the open he saw a herd of
deer. He looked them over very carefully while he was waiting for the sun to
rise and just as the sun peeped over the horizon he ran into them and how
they made the dust fly! But he kept after them along the side of the
mountain range so as to keep them away from the rocky hills. The deer kept
falling away one by one, until at last his selected buck was left alone. Now
finally this deer gave out and lay down. The boy jumped on him quickly and
took hold of his horns and turned his head over. But alas, the deer cried,
"Mercy me, have a heart," in plain Hopi, which was of course a very
astonishing thing to the youth and he held his breath for a moment. Then he
said to the deer, "I am not going to hurt you, I am not going to kill you, I
only want your horns, your weapons. My uncle, Tawayistiwa, would like to
have them, so he has sent me out here to get them but I don't know why."
"Mercy be upon us!" said the deer. "Has he lost his mind and forgot his
'theory' and law, and is he angry with us all, and will he use my weapons to
destroy his town?" Then he sank down in sorrow and in sympathy for all that
were ignorant of the coming calamity. Shedding quite a few drops of tears,
he then looked up and said, "Take my weapons, but please do not use your
knife, because you will hurt me. Just give them a little twist and they will
slip off and another pair will grow out again soon."
"Thank you," said the youth as he took off the horns. Then he brought forth
his bundle and said to the deer, "Here, I have some pahos which my uncle,
Chief Tawayistiwa, has made and sent them to you, hoping to make you all
happy. He also said that all you people (game ) living down here in the
lower country must get to moving and drift over to the higher mountains to
the northeast, that you may be saved, so take these pahos to your people and
tell them what the Chief has said about moving."
The deer got up and went away with the bundle of pahos which he distributed
among his people and told them about the Chief's message, which of course,
was a great grief to them all.
The youth went on home taking the two horns which he had taken from the
young buck. When he got home Tawayistiwa was waiting for him and as he
entered the doorway, "Thanks," said the Chief. "Thanks that you have come
already. I did not quite expect you so soon, but you have proved yourself
strong and swift. All right, have a seat." As the youth seated himself the
Chief got out his bag of tobacco and pipe and then he said to his nephew,
"If you have anything that you have brought me you may lay it here before me
that I may give it a welcome smoke." So the boy laid the two horns down on a
plaque on the floor before the Chief. He was very much gratified with the
little horns as though they were for some benefaction of his people. After
smoking his pipe, the Chief asked Siwiyistiwa about his trip and the boy
told him all about it.
After hearing his nephew's story of his trip, Tawayistiwa said, "You have
done well, but there is some more to be done and I have everything ready, so
tonight when you come again I will tell you what you will do next."
Late that evening the boy went back to his uncle, and when he got there his
uncle was waiting for him. As he entered the house he was welcomed. The
Chief was already smoking and the boy seated himself by his uncle. "The
weight of all this worry is getting heavier every day as I am preparing
these things and I am sad to think that here I am working only for the
punishment of my children (people) but this will be the only way out of the
trouble and it is necessary to sacrifice you." As he said this he could not
help but cry. Tawayistiwa had made masks for him, each one
different--Kachina, Yaponcha, Masauwu, and one portion was of fat meat.
"Tonight you will wear these masks, one upon another, and carry these
weapons of the deer, and you will go the same direction where you have been
going for your running, up the mountain range where there is some wood.
Build your fire there and when you get enough live coals, take one and put
it in the mouth of the top mask and blow on it and this will give the look
of having eyes of fire and your fire will be seen from the pueblo. Then come
running and when you get here, come through the small south alley and run up
the ladder to the top floor of this house. Up there you will find corn in
metates. Start grinding for a few moments and then go down again and out the
same way. If the men in the kiva be brave and big-hearted they will come out
and try to catch you.
With these instructions Siwiyistiwa was dressed up in a dreadful and fearful
costume and he went out to where he was directed. He built a fire and the
people seeing it from the village wondered who or what it was having a big
bonfire, and by the reflected firelight the people could see, even at that
distance, something standing in the glow. The fire went down lower and lower
and finally it died out. Then they saw a light coming toward the town,
coming closer and closer. When it came up they saw that this terrible being
had eyes of fire and those who saw him fell with fright in their doorways or
wherever they happened to be. He entered through the alley into the plaza
and went to the Chief's house, where he ascended to the top floor and could
be heard grinding corn. Then down he came and went out again toward the
direction he had come from. Now it happened that there was a little boy who
was just thought to be an outcast and he was with some other boys who were
looking down at the dance from the kiva top. This boy was not at all
frightened and saw everything. He called down into the kiva to the dancers
and told them that some dreadful ghost had come, but everybody called him a
liar and would not believe him. This boy, whose name was Kochoilaftiyo
(Poker Boy) was just a poor boy and was living with his old grandmother.
Regardless of what Kochoilaftiyo had told the people in the kiva about the
ghost, the dancing went on with full force until morning. But that day,
everybody was telling about this terrible ghost and so the young men
declared that they could catch the ghost that night.
After dark the young men placed themselves in many hiding places from where
they might leap out at the ghost. But when he came, they all fell down with
fright and after coming to they ran for their lives. Kochoilaftiyo was
watching the dance from the kiva top, wrapped up in his little mouse skin
robe and he was not a bit scared. The young men tried for two nights, but
alas, the creature was so frightful that he could not be caught.
The next day the little boy told his grandmother about the ghost. "Grandma,"
Kochoilaftiyo said, "for three nights some frightful ghost has been coming
to the village and the young men have tried to catch him but all have
failed."
"It is time," said the old lady, "that we get our warning because of what
has been going on. This is a warning of punishment or some calamity which
will fall upon us all and it will be something that no one can escape."
"Tonight," said the boy, "they will lay for him again and I would like to be
with them. If he is caught I would like to see what he is. It must be
something more than man who can handle this thing with magic or witchcraft
power."
"So go," said the grandmother, "and get me a sumac branch."
Kochoilaftiyo obeyed his grandma and went out after a little branch. When he
came back with it the old woman brought out from the back room her materials
of feathers and cotton yarns of which she made two prayer plumes and put
them on this sumac twig and with her little pipe she smoked her earnest
prayer over her offering to the gods. "Take this, my son," she said to the
boy, "to the Masauwu shrine and set it therein and pray for the best, but
before you leave look around carefully and if you find there Masauwu's
digging stick, pick it up and replace it with this one. This is the exact
duplicate of it." As she said this she handed him an old digging stick
pretty well weathered. Kochoilaftiyo took the stick and the prayer offering
to the shrine. There he placed the pahos, looked around carefully, and
seeing the stick he picked it up and replaced it with his grandmother's.
Then he came back. The grandmother was very thankful for the stick. "This
stick of Masauwu's is a wand of power and with it you might be able to knock
down that ghost. So, my dear child," said the old woman, "it may be best
that you station yourself in the narrow alley through which he comes and
goes."
That evening after dark Kochoilaftiyo, instead of going to the kiva top to
look on the dance, went into the alley to wait for the ghost. As he was
sitting there in the dark someone came and the boy looked and alas, there
was Masauwu himself, standing before him and Kochoilaftiyo was stunned with
fright for a moment and could not speak. "You certainly did a wise thing,"
said Masauwu to the boy, "by taking my stick, but here is something that
will hide you and keep you from being seen," and he handed him four grass
brush bristles and advised him what to do. Kochoilaftiyo was very thankful
and he sat down with the bristles in one hand, the stick in the other, and
waited for his chance on the ghost. Now; some of the strong young men had
also stationed themselves outside the village to await the coming of the
ghost. At the same time, the dancing was still going on in the kiva. Toward
midnight the ghost was seen coming and all the supposed brave-hearted fell
down with fright, but Kochoilaftiyo was still himself. When the ghost passed
him he got up and waited for his return and got ready for the attack. The
ghost jumped off the house, ran into the alley, and with all his might
Kochoilaftiyo struck him with Masauwu's stick and knocked him down. As he
fell, the boy was on top of him and he held his breath for he was half
scared then. Finally he asked, "Who are you?"
"It is I," said the ghost, "but don't ask me more, but take me into the
kiva. In there you will see who I am."
As they walked over to the kiva the dancing was on with full force, and when
they got on top Kochoilaftiyo called in and he was not heard on account of
the beating of the drum and again he called at the very top of his voice.
This time he was heard, so he said, "Be courteous to this guest who is my
companion for I am not alone." Hearing Kochoilaftiyo's voice, the whole kiva
became silent and all held their breath. Finally a voice called out, "Come
in. Come right in."
The ghost started down the ladder first with Kochoilaftiyo following him,
and the people in the kiva were all looking up to see what was coming in.
When the ghost exposed himself to the firelight the people were stricken
with fright and fell to the floor. One by one, when they came to, they
crawled out of the kiva. Only a few old men were left and the ghost and
Kochoilaftiyo seated themselves in front of the firelight. Seeing this
frightful creature the old men hung their heads and were silent.
Finally, one of them spoke and said, "For all our conduct of crime it is
already too late and we must suffer and who knows what will become of us.
Perhaps we may learn from this man, whoever he is, but we can do nothing.
Call our father, the Chief," and at this request Kochoilaftiyo went out and
called the Chief. He pretended to be very much surprised at being called
away in the night, but he took his bag of tobacco and his pipe and went to
the kiva with the boy. Coming, he seated himself on the left side of
Kochoilaftiyo and before anyone else, he lit his pipe of tobacco and started
smoking. Having taken four puffs of smoke out of his pipe he passed it on to
the rest of the old men. The pipe went around and was finished up, and then
the chief spoke and said, "My dear fellowmen, I wondered why I was called at
this time of the night, but I see that you have someone with you."
"Yes," said one of the old men, "this ghost has been coming for the last
three nights and this being his fourth night he is caught. He has been going
up to your house to the top floor. Therefore, perhaps you might explain to
us the meaning of all this. Though we know that we have done wrong against
you, we are wondering now if this might not mean more than just to stop this
dancing, and worry is upon us now."
"Of all this I do not know," said the chief, "and also the meaning of it I
cannot explain. So without any further questions take the masks off the man
that we may see who he is." Kochoilaftiyo was asked to take the masks off
and as he came to the piece of fat meat the Chief said to put it aside as it
is food that the men in the kiva may cook and eat. As the last mask was
taken off they saw that he was the Chief's nephew, Siwiyistiwa, his only
nephew, and alas he hung his head and wept.
"Being your own nephew," said the kiva chief (Kiva mongwi), "take him and do
what you want with him."
"No," said the Chief, "him I deliver unto you."
Said the kiva chief, "You being our chief, we cannot do otherwise from your
wishes, so we demand your advice."
"If you do," said the Chief, "I advise you to bury him alive in the plaza in
front of the shrine, with all his masks, before the day comes. But be sure
and make a good job of it that he may not escape."
At this command Kochoilaftiyo went out and dug a hole deep enough that
Siwiyistiwa's head would be covered under ground when he was sitting down.
When he had done this he went back to the kiva and brought Siwiyistiwa out
to the plaza and buried him, but before he had him all covered up
Siwiyistiwa asked him to come there for four mornings and to take a look for
signs of the approaching disaster.
That night the whole town was weary and the old men and women of good mind
were stricken with fear. The next morning Kochoilaftiyo went to look at the
grave, and behold, there was Siwiyistiwa's hand sticking up out of the grave
with four fingers open, which meant that something would happen in four
days. The second morning he went again and saw that there were three fingers
up and one finger down or closed. Now every morning one more finger would be
closed down, until on the fourth morning all the fingers had been closed and
his whole hand had disappeared under the ground. The day was gloomy. Clouds
were gathering in the skies overhead and around the grave the earth was all
wet and boggy. Toward noon it began to rain, coming down heavier and
heavier, and then out of the grave a great water serpent of enormous size
appeared and stood swaying back and forth and also, at every corner of the
plaza others appeared but they were not quite of the size of the one at the
shrine, who had come up out of the grave. Now water came shooting up out of
the corners of the plaza where these serpents stood swaying, and soon there
was water everywhere. The rain kept up and the waters were raising higher
and higher. Now the people began to move to the higher ground, taking what
they could in the way of food and bedding, and there was much suffering and
fear, and all this continued for four days. The only thing they could do was
to look at their village standing in the midst of the water, where the great
serpent was still swaying back and forth. Of course, the people were in
great trouble and hated to leave their homes but still this serpent was so
fearful and they wondered if it ever would go away. With weary thoughts of
sadness the men set to work making their prayer offerings of many pahos, and
when this was done the Chief asked of the people who would be willing to
sacrifice their children, because they must make all this offering to the
Great Serpent and ask him to make peace. Now who would part with beloved
children?
MANY years ago when the Hopis were living down at Palotquopi they were very
progressive and prosperous, on account of having water, and having an
irrigating system from the river which flows through that country. There
they had taxation by means of doing some donation work on the canals and
ditches at certain times of the year. They did not have so many ceremonies
then and their most sacred one was Laconti (Basket Dance). In this dance
baskets were used, like the ones of Second Mesa today. This ceremony always
took place late in the fall and it had always brought them rain and heavy
snow up in the mountains. And also their Jejellti (social dances) were not
many, the most joyous one was the Butterfly Dance. Being prosperous in their
way of living everything was plenty, and why shouldn't they be happy and
amuse themselves in some way? So, from one of the kivas, they held a
Butterfly Dance with which the spectators were very much pleased. Everybody
was talking about it, so the dancers again put it on for two more days, then
they thought they would pass it on to the next kiva. So they asked the men
of the other kiva to carry on the same dance, and when they had danced,
these men passed it on to the next kiva, and so it went around like that
until it came back to the kiva from where it was started. In this kind of a
dance only the young maidens are supposed to dance, but by this time some of
the young married women were taking part and instead of putting it on during
the day time in the plaza, they were dancing in the kiva at nights, so they
were having a great time of their lives, and it went on from bad to worse.
Nobody cared who was whose wife or husband, and finally they got the wife of
their chief. In those days the chief or any high priest was not supposed to
take part in social dances or was not to be seen in the kiva with the rest
of the people. As it was their general rule that they must have patience,
and above all must bear in mind peace, and think and pray for prosperity in
the years to come, for they knew that the people of any race must have good
supplies of food and water to keep their bodies in strong physical condition
to defend themselves against an enemy attack. They were good fathers and
watched over their people carefully. They were patient and neither heard nor
spoke evil. No matter what the people would do or how bad they might be,
they were always comforted. But as this dancing went on, it was carried too
far and all the rest of the priests had gone crazy except Chief Tawayistiwa,
himself. This chief they had, was quite a young man; he had only two small
children, and these babies being neglected they would cry at night when they
woke up, so the father would take them to the kiva to get the mother to
nurse the younger one. When they were quieted down the father would take
them back to bed again. On these trips to the kiva at night his wife would
sometimes ask him to come down into the kiva and look on while they danced,
and of course knowing the law and his duty he always had refused. All these
things got so heavy on him that he could bear it no longer, so one evening
he went and called on his nephew, Siwiyistiwa, who had grown up to be a good
strong young man. While this madness was with the people, men and women of
mature age had pleaded with their sons and daughters, telling them of the
wrong and crime that they were doing against their father, the chief, and
themselves. But it was of no use, it only caused the younger people to lose
respect for them, and then the old people were ill-treated, spit upon and
fed on the leftovers, which were not very much, for the house duties were
neglected by the young women. All this was unbearable for the aged people
and for the Chief. So he called at the house of his nephew. He was welcome
and seated himself by the fireplace. Siwiyistiwa got up from his seat and
handed his uncle a bag of tobacco which hung on the wall near by, and this
the uncle smoked. After finishing his smoking, the youth asked him what he
had come for.
"Yes," said Tawayistiwa, "after long wanderings in my mind about our
children (people) it seems like I am forced to come and have to depend on
you to 'sacrifice' yourself, not for the good of any one, but for
all--everybody here in my town."
"Yes, you certainly have a lot of patience," said the youth, "to hold out
this way, what with all I have seen and know of your wife. I did not want to
tell you because I did not wish to be the cause of the weight of your wrath.
Because of the sympathy that I have for you I am willing to do what you have
come to ask of me."
"I thank you, my nephew," said the Chief. "Thank you. First of all I would
like to know if you are strong on your running."
"Yes," said Siwiyistiwa, "I am quite strong."
"All right," said the Chief. "Of course you may be, but I still want you to
gain some more strength and speed. So from tomorrow on, you will start to do
your running to the foot of the mountain ridge and back. That is quite a
distance away, so the best way to time yourself would be by the rising of
the sun. For a few mornings the sun will rise before you get back here, but
if you are gaining by and by you will get back here away before sunrise, so
be sure to get up at the same time in the mornings and be off. I will call
again in a few days and will tell you what we will do next."
After the Chief had gone Siwiyistiwa was rather a little worried, but of
course, with the Hopi in those days the uncle was over the nephews and
nieces. Whenever he asked anything of them it had to be done. While the boy
was preparing himself, he didn't know for what, his uncle too was getting
things ready for him. The youth was gaining strength and speed and was very
light on his feet and he was getting back to the village away before the sun
would come up over the horizon. Then Tawayistiwa again went to see his
nephew and when he got there he found the youth was waiting for him.
"Come right in and have a seat," said his nephew, getting up and handing him
a bag of tobacco as usual. After smoking a pipe he said to the boy, "Again I
am here, hoping to find you with more strength and speed."
"Yes," said his nephew, "I have gained some."
"Very well," said his uncle, "I have everything ready for you, so tonight
you can come over to my house and there I will tell what to do. But be sure
to come after everybody goes to the kiva."
Late that night Siwiyistiwa went to his uncle's house. Upon entering, the
Chief took him away into the back room. There they sat down and there his
uncle smoked his pipe solemnly over the pahos which he had prepared. Then he
said, "Here I have these things ready for you and tomorrow morning early you
will take these pahos out with you toward the same direction you have been
going and up over the mountain ridge. On the other side is an open range.
There you will come upon a herd of deer. Look them over carefully, then make
your selection of a young buck with a pair of good weapons (horns), but wait
for the sun to appear. Now watch very closely and just as it peeps over the
horizon run into the herd. It is those weapons that you are going to get for
me, so be sure to keep after your selected buck until you run him down, then
after cutting off his two front horns you will deliver to him these pahos
that I have here made ready for him, and also my message."
The next morning Siwiyistiwa went out to where he was directed and when he
got there he went over the mountains and there in the open he saw a herd of
deer. He looked them over very carefully while he was waiting for the sun to
rise and just as the sun peeped over the horizon he ran into them and how
they made the dust fly! But he kept after them along the side of the
mountain range so as to keep them away from the rocky hills. The deer kept
falling away one by one, until at last his selected buck was left alone. Now
finally this deer gave out and lay down. The boy jumped on him quickly and
took hold of his horns and turned his head over. But alas, the deer cried,
"Mercy me, have a heart," in plain Hopi, which was of course a very
astonishing thing to the youth and he held his breath for a moment. Then he
said to the deer, "I am not going to hurt you, I am not going to kill you, I
only want your horns, your weapons. My uncle, Tawayistiwa, would like to
have them, so he has sent me out here to get them but I don't know why."
"Mercy be upon us!" said the deer. "Has he lost his mind and forgot his
'theory' and law, and is he angry with us all, and will he use my weapons to
destroy his town?" Then he sank down in sorrow and in sympathy for all that
were ignorant of the coming calamity. Shedding quite a few drops of tears,
he then looked up and said, "Take my weapons, but please do not use your
knife, because you will hurt me. Just give them a little twist and they will
slip off and another pair will grow out again soon."
"Thank you," said the youth as he took off the horns. Then he brought forth
his bundle and said to the deer, "Here, I have some pahos which my uncle,
Chief Tawayistiwa, has made and sent them to you, hoping to make you all
happy. He also said that all you people (game ) living down here in the
lower country must get to moving and drift over to the higher mountains to
the northeast, that you may be saved, so take these pahos to your people and
tell them what the Chief has said about moving."
The deer got up and went away with the bundle of pahos which he distributed
among his people and told them about the Chief's message, which of course,
was a great grief to them all.
The youth went on home taking the two horns which he had taken from the
young buck. When he got home Tawayistiwa was waiting for him and as he
entered the doorway, "Thanks," said the Chief. "Thanks that you have come
already. I did not quite expect you so soon, but you have proved yourself
strong and swift. All right, have a seat." As the youth seated himself the
Chief got out his bag of tobacco and pipe and then he said to his nephew,
"If you have anything that you have brought me you may lay it here before me
that I may give it a welcome smoke." So the boy laid the two horns down on a
plaque on the floor before the Chief. He was very much gratified with the
little horns as though they were for some benefaction of his people. After
smoking his pipe, the Chief asked Siwiyistiwa about his trip and the boy
told him all about it.
After hearing his nephew's story of his trip, Tawayistiwa said, "You have
done well, but there is some more to be done and I have everything ready, so
tonight when you come again I will tell you what you will do next."
Late that evening the boy went back to his uncle, and when he got there his
uncle was waiting for him. As he entered the house he was welcomed. The
Chief was already smoking and the boy seated himself by his uncle. "The
weight of all this worry is getting heavier every day as I am preparing
these things and I am sad to think that here I am working only for the
punishment of my children (people) but this will be the only way out of the
trouble and it is necessary to sacrifice you." As he said this he could not
help but cry. Tawayistiwa had made masks for him, each one
different--Kachina, Yaponcha, Masauwu, and one portion was of fat meat.
"Tonight you will wear these masks, one upon another, and carry these
weapons of the deer, and you will go the same direction where you have been
going for your running, up the mountain range where there is some wood.
Build your fire there and when you get enough live coals, take one and put
it in the mouth of the top mask and blow on it and this will give the look
of having eyes of fire and your fire will be seen from the pueblo. Then come
running and when you get here, come through the small south alley and run up
the ladder to the top floor of this house. Up there you will find corn in
metates. Start grinding for a few moments and then go down again and out the
same way. If the men in the kiva be brave and big-hearted they will come out
and try to catch you.
With these instructions Siwiyistiwa was dressed up in a dreadful and fearful
costume and he went out to where he was directed. He built a fire and the
people seeing it from the village wondered who or what it was having a big
bonfire, and by the reflected firelight the people could see, even at that
distance, something standing in the glow. The fire went down lower and lower
and finally it died out. Then they saw a light coming toward the town,
coming closer and closer. When it came up they saw that this terrible being
had eyes of fire and those who saw him fell with fright in their doorways or
wherever they happened to be. He entered through the alley into the plaza
and went to the Chief's house, where he ascended to the top floor and could
be heard grinding corn. Then down he came and went out again toward the
direction he had come from. Now it happened that there was a little boy who
was just thought to be an outcast and he was with some other boys who were
looking down at the dance from the kiva top. This boy was not at all
frightened and saw everything. He called down into the kiva to the dancers
and told them that some dreadful ghost had come, but everybody called him a
liar and would not believe him. This boy, whose name was Kochoilaftiyo
(Poker Boy) was just a poor boy and was living with his old grandmother.
Regardless of what Kochoilaftiyo had told the people in the kiva about the
ghost, the dancing went on with full force until morning. But that day,
everybody was telling about this terrible ghost and so the young men
declared that they could catch the ghost that night.
After dark the young men placed themselves in many hiding places from where
they might leap out at the ghost. But when he came, they all fell down with
fright and after coming to they ran for their lives. Kochoilaftiyo was
watching the dance from the kiva top, wrapped up in his little mouse skin
robe and he was not a bit scared. The young men tried for two nights, but
alas, the creature was so frightful that he could not be caught.
The next day the little boy told his grandmother about the ghost. "Grandma,"
Kochoilaftiyo said, "for three nights some frightful ghost has been coming
to the village and the young men have tried to catch him but all have
failed."
"It is time," said the old lady, "that we get our warning because of what
has been going on. This is a warning of punishment or some calamity which
will fall upon us all and it will be something that no one can escape."
"Tonight," said the boy, "they will lay for him again and I would like to be
with them. If he is caught I would like to see what he is. It must be
something more than man who can handle this thing with magic or witchcraft
power."
"So go," said the grandmother, "and get me a sumac branch."
Kochoilaftiyo obeyed his grandma and went out after a little branch. When he
came back with it the old woman brought out from the back room her materials
of feathers and cotton yarns of which she made two prayer plumes and put
them on this sumac twig and with her little pipe she smoked her earnest
prayer over her offering to the gods. "Take this, my son," she said to the
boy, "to the Masauwu shrine and set it therein and pray for the best, but
before you leave look around carefully and if you find there Masauwu's
digging stick, pick it up and replace it with this one. This is the exact
duplicate of it." As she said this she handed him an old digging stick
pretty well weathered. Kochoilaftiyo took the stick and the prayer offering
to the shrine. There he placed the pahos, looked around carefully, and
seeing the stick he picked it up and replaced it with his grandmother's.
Then he came back. The grandmother was very thankful for the stick. "This
stick of Masauwu's is a wand of power and with it you might be able to knock
down that ghost. So, my dear child," said the old woman, "it may be best
that you station yourself in the narrow alley through which he comes and
goes."
That evening after dark Kochoilaftiyo, instead of going to the kiva top to
look on the dance, went into the alley to wait for the ghost. As he was
sitting there in the dark someone came and the boy looked and alas, there
was Masauwu himself, standing before him and Kochoilaftiyo was stunned with
fright for a moment and could not speak. "You certainly did a wise thing,"
said Masauwu to the boy, "by taking my stick, but here is something that
will hide you and keep you from being seen," and he handed him four grass
brush bristles and advised him what to do. Kochoilaftiyo was very thankful
and he sat down with the bristles in one hand, the stick in the other, and
waited for his chance on the ghost. Now; some of the strong young men had
also stationed themselves outside the village to await the coming of the
ghost. At the same time, the dancing was still going on in the kiva. Toward
midnight the ghost was seen coming and all the supposed brave-hearted fell
down with fright, but Kochoilaftiyo was still himself. When the ghost passed
him he got up and waited for his return and got ready for the attack. The
ghost jumped off the house, ran into the alley, and with all his might
Kochoilaftiyo struck him with Masauwu's stick and knocked him down. As he
fell, the boy was on top of him and he held his breath for he was half
scared then. Finally he asked, "Who are you?"
"It is I," said the ghost, "but don't ask me more, but take me into the
kiva. In there you will see who I am."
As they walked over to the kiva the dancing was on with full force, and when
they got on top Kochoilaftiyo called in and he was not heard on account of
the beating of the drum and again he called at the very top of his voice.
This time he was heard, so he said, "Be courteous to this guest who is my
companion for I am not alone." Hearing Kochoilaftiyo's voice, the whole kiva
became silent and all held their breath. Finally a voice called out, "Come
in. Come right in."
The ghost started down the ladder first with Kochoilaftiyo following him,
and the people in the kiva were all looking up to see what was coming in.
When the ghost exposed himself to the firelight the people were stricken
with fright and fell to the floor. One by one, when they came to, they
crawled out of the kiva. Only a few old men were left and the ghost and
Kochoilaftiyo seated themselves in front of the firelight. Seeing this
frightful creature the old men hung their heads and were silent.
Finally, one of them spoke and said, "For all our conduct of crime it is
already too late and we must suffer and who knows what will become of us.
Perhaps we may learn from this man, whoever he is, but we can do nothing.
Call our father, the Chief," and at this request Kochoilaftiyo went out and
called the Chief. He pretended to be very much surprised at being called
away in the night, but he took his bag of tobacco and his pipe and went to
the kiva with the boy. Coming, he seated himself on the left side of
Kochoilaftiyo and before anyone else, he lit his pipe of tobacco and started
smoking. Having taken four puffs of smoke out of his pipe he passed it on to
the rest of the old men. The pipe went around and was finished up, and then
the chief spoke and said, "My dear fellowmen, I wondered why I was called at
this time of the night, but I see that you have someone with you."
"Yes," said one of the old men, "this ghost has been coming for the last
three nights and this being his fourth night he is caught. He has been going
up to your house to the top floor. Therefore, perhaps you might explain to
us the meaning of all this. Though we know that we have done wrong against
you, we are wondering now if this might not mean more than just to stop this
dancing, and worry is upon us now."
"Of all this I do not know," said the chief, "and also the meaning of it I
cannot explain. So without any further questions take the masks off the man
that we may see who he is." Kochoilaftiyo was asked to take the masks off
and as he came to the piece of fat meat the Chief said to put it aside as it
is food that the men in the kiva may cook and eat. As the last mask was
taken off they saw that he was the Chief's nephew, Siwiyistiwa, his only
nephew, and alas he hung his head and wept.
"Being your own nephew," said the kiva chief (Kiva mongwi), "take him and do
what you want with him."
"No," said the Chief, "him I deliver unto you."
Said the kiva chief, "You being our chief, we cannot do otherwise from your
wishes, so we demand your advice."
"If you do," said the Chief, "I advise you to bury him alive in the plaza in
front of the shrine, with all his masks, before the day comes. But be sure
and make a good job of it that he may not escape."
At this command Kochoilaftiyo went out and dug a hole deep enough that
Siwiyistiwa's head would be covered under ground when he was sitting down.
When he had done this he went back to the kiva and brought Siwiyistiwa out
to the plaza and buried him, but before he had him all covered up
Siwiyistiwa asked him to come there for four mornings and to take a look for
signs of the approaching disaster.
That night the whole town was weary and the old men and women of good mind
were stricken with fear. The next morning Kochoilaftiyo went to look at the
grave, and behold, there was Siwiyistiwa's hand sticking up out of the grave
with four fingers open, which meant that something would happen in four
days. The second morning he went again and saw that there were three fingers
up and one finger down or closed. Now every morning one more finger would be
closed down, until on the fourth morning all the fingers had been closed and
his whole hand had disappeared under the ground. The day was gloomy. Clouds
were gathering in the skies overhead and around the grave the earth was all
wet and boggy. Toward noon it began to rain, coming down heavier and
heavier, and then out of the grave a great water serpent of enormous size
appeared and stood swaying back and forth and also, at every corner of the
plaza others appeared but they were not quite of the size of the one at the
shrine, who had come up out of the grave. Now water came shooting up out of
the corners of the plaza where these serpents stood swaying, and soon there
was water everywhere. The rain kept up and the waters were raising higher
and higher. Now the people began to move to the higher ground, taking what
they could in the way of food and bedding, and there was much suffering and
fear, and all this continued for four days. The only thing they could do was
to look at their village standing in the midst of the water, where the great
serpent was still swaying back and forth. Of course, the people were in
great trouble and hated to leave their homes but still this serpent was so
fearful and they wondered if it ever would go away. With weary thoughts of
sadness the men set to work making their prayer offerings of many pahos, and
when this was done the Chief asked of the people who would be willing to
sacrifice their children, because they must make all this offering to the
Great Serpent and ask him to make peace. Now who would part with beloved
children?
