A study of Navajo symbolism - Free History Ebooks

.1947, pp.THE PICTURE WRITING: FISHLER67Haile, 16-29. ward Reaching Way.5. Pollen Footprint. This is the pollen footprint6. Wind. The Wind of four colors orof the person who is sick.directions.6. Pollen Fingerprints. These are the pollenfingerprints of the person who is sick. Plate VI 20These pollen prints are made from pollen duringIf a person is hurt under the heavens or onthe ceremony.the earth, there is a ceremony which can beheld to cure him. If a person has Mirage Rock7. Pollen Sitting Print. This is a pollensitting print made during the ceremony.in his medicine bag and it is broken, he must8. Pollen Trail. This is like a trail going give a gift before he can fix it. If you getany place — home, on a trip, hunting or anywhere.hurt in the horizon where there is a mirage,a gift of the five (white shell, turquoise, oyster9. Long; life. This is sa/ah na-yai: "I am shell, jet and red stone) will cure you. If aimmortal (have long life) until the time I willdie of old age."twosinger knows such prayers he can cure a sickperson from these causes.1. Earth. This is the earth. Inside the eartha. This connects the together, sa/ahna-yai and bikeh xozq.are twelve colors, but only four need to be10. Happiness or bikeh xozq.used in this ceremony. Beneath the earth are1 1 This is also part of bikeh xozq.the four colors. The things inside the earthAfter this ceremony is done over vou, all are plants, trees, flowers — just to show thatpeople will be friendly and no one will witch this represents the earth. 30you. 272. Heaven Black. This is the Black Heaven.Plate VThe informant stated that there was no specialreason for the red or yellow around heaven.This is a short ceremony for protection3. Mirage Rock. This is Mirage Rock withagainst witchcraft. The singer may pray to all the four colors: Black Mirage Rock, Blue,protect himself or to protect the patient. The Yellow and White Mirage Rock. The yellowpatient can decide whether he wants this and black lines show this to be Mirage Rock.prayer or not during a ceremony. 284. Mirage God. You can pray for help:"Black Mirage, rise before me so no enemy1. Sun.a. The lines represent the direction, east. will see me. Can you see anything beyond2. Gifts. These are gifts which are given me?"to the Bear, Big Snake, Thunder and the A gift of the five must be given to theWind.earth or heaven for help and protection.Bear. 3. This is the Bear and the colorsbeneath represent bears of the four directions: Plate VII: A Self-Protection Prayer. 31the Black Bear of the east, the blue one to the1. Witch. This is the witch and the redsouth, yellow to the west and the White Bear coming from him is his pow r er or thoughts.to the north.2. Shield. This is the shield of the singer —4. Big Snake. This is the Big Snake with the power of the singer or the actual ceremony:four colors."Stand your shield before me."3. Shields. The arrow is the power 5. Thunder. The four colored Thundersof theare represented here.witch and the four vertical lines represent27The above representation of the concept of28 Alterations may be made in the order of componentceremonies, for these may be reversed in theirLong Life and Happiness is an interesting and complexone. Why or how the informant used such order as to the need of the patient. Kluckhohn andsymbols to represent these ideas cannot be answered, Wyman, 1940, p. 21.for as Father Berard Haile states, 1947, p. 17, these29 This could be Lifeway for injuries, but there istwo are never reproduced in sand paintings. These nothing in the symbols to suggest it.two may be discussed separately, but as shown in the30 In a sand painting by Oakes, 1943, p. 30, thediagram they are thought of as intimately linked. colors similarly are spotted and represent the seedsNote Fishier, 1953, fn, p. 12, for additional information.Father Berard discusses some aspects of this,This may be Wind Way, Shooting Way orof the earth.Up-