A study of Navajo symbolism - Free History Ebooks

.THE PICTURE WRITING: FISHLER7. Lightning. This is sent from the birdto the witch.8. The singer. This represents the singerwho in turn represents sa/ah na-yai bikehxozq in attacking witchcraft. The red linerepresents the witchcraft, and the red ball theblood coming from the victim. The long redline represents, "As the song goes to sing itaway." Red is the color of danger, war andsorcery, 4 but it can be used to denote protection.59. The singer. The circle represents thesinger. The rays are sa/ah nagoa binaxozf-l. 610. Witch. This is the witch. The witchis hit by the lightning and begins to bleed. Hefalls back or retreats from the lightning.1 1 Lightning protection."The people who are witches do not likeme for I can cure those who are victims ofwitches and I can cause the witches to bekilled in turn."Plate I, C: Fire Medicine.1. Hogan. This shows a hogan and a specialprayer is used in case a hogan burns down,a person burns to death, or anything else isburned — medicine bag, prayer sticks, orother things. Unless this prayer is used, all ofthe clans will have sickness because of witchcraft.7a. These are the causes of the sickness.b. This was said to represent nothing.c. This is the outline of the hogan.d. This is anything inside the hogan,person or goods, that could be burned.e. This is the fire. The black is the ashand the red and yellow is the flame.In the song, "e" should face toward the eastduring the ceremony, but it may face theother directions.Plate I,DIf a witch drew lightning on a hogan, lightningwould strike the corn field, the house,children or animals — whatever the witchwanted. 8 Witches can do this with snake bites,too.1. Two. The "2" means this is the secondceremony used.2. Man-God. This represents the Man-God.a. From his head is a flint feather whichgoes out to kill the witch.b. From his right shoulder goes onelightning for protection.c. This represents what the god holds inhis hand — a club of flint and lightning.d. This represents the lightning whichcomes from his body.e. This is the lightning from his knees.f. From the god's toe comes lightning.3. Witch. This is the witch with the reddesignating his power or witchcraft.4. A bow.a. The string of the bow.b. The back of the bow.c. This represents, "A long time agowhen the gods were created."5. Lightning Arrow. If a witch came toyour camp he could take a feather from yourarrow for use in witchcraft. These witchestake the bow outside somewhere. The objectsfrom four onward, the singer uses in a FiveNight Sing to cure sickness.6. Poker. The poker is hidden so that thewitch will not find it and make the sick persondie. Any of these from the bow to the yuccacan be sung over by a witch to make peopledie. These objects were used for a Five NightSing.7. Torch. The torch is made out of cedar(actually juniper) bark and wrapped as tightlyas possible and tied with bark. Used in thisway, it will last a month. Long ago thesewere used as matches.8. Ash. If a witch found some ash from adead person's hogan, he could use it to causepeople to die. Any of the other objects canalso be used in this way. Even things that youhave touched can be taken and given to a*Reichard, 1950, pp. 198, 200.sReichard, 1950, p. 199. Kluckhohn, 1944, p. 17,states that all of his informants denied red as beingassociated with witchcraft.'Although this term is similar to sa'ah na-yai,which is to live to old age, it means the fear of dyingbefore your time — with witchcraft implied. Fishier,953- P- 44- fn -7Kluckhohn and Wyman, 1940, p. 57, note a separateceremony similar to this one, which is calledFire Medicine.8 Haile, 1950, p. 195, suggests that perhaps it ismerely the thought behind the action which is theimportant thing in witchcraft.