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5

   Fire Ceremonies

The procedures on the first four mornings of the Coyoteway cere­monial are collectively called Fire Ceremonies (kQ ' baa na'aldeehígíí) or Rebuilding the Fire (ach'i' déédíljah). Each of these four morning ceremonies features a ritual in which Reed-prayerstick Bundles (lók'aa k'eet'áán násdizí) are presented to various gods of the four directions. This procedure is followed each day by a Sweating Rite. The four mornings of dual rites begin on the first morning with Making New Fire. At the end of the fourth morning the Fire Ceremonies are con­cluded with a Washing Ritual.

Making New Fire

       The old fire in the hogan is extinguished and the remains are care­fully gathered and carried away. A dry piece of wood, cut from the soft stem of a century plant, is placed as bottom piece on a handful of shredded cedar bark. Notches are cut in the soft wood. Into these notches are trickled some grains from a lightning-struck rock (tséghá-hindélii), not only to transfer to the wood the fire-producing power of lightning, but also "to increase friction." The drilling stick is made of some kind of hardwood; the species of the wood may be varied. The stick is twirled between the strong hands of two men, who take turns. But the wooden base refuses to glow for quite some time. All the while the singer chants the words that relate the present effort of making fire to the overall objective of healing:

 

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6. Song, First Morning, Fire-making Song

 By sternness, whatever your name is, the Firestick stands upright.(1)

 By sternness, whatever your name is, the Firestick stands upright.

By Earth and Sky, and

by sternness, whatever your name is, you are brought back.

By sternness, whatever your name is, the Firestick stands upright.

By the Long-life Happiness One, and

      by sternness, whatever your name is, you are brought back.

      By sternness, whatever your name is, the Firestick stands upright.

      By sternness, whatever your name is, you are brought back.

(This song may be repeated as often as is necessary until the fire burns; it ends as it begins with a repetition of the first line: "By sternness, whatever your name is, the Firestick stands upright.")

       With all that effort in drilling and in singing, fire is still slow at coming forth. Unfavorable foreign influences are suspected as being the cause. A moratorium is put on my attempts in flash photography until there is fire. The patient's battery-powered lantern is also switched off. Quite obviously, the problem is a conflict between quali­tatively different kinds of fire. Indeed, these measures succeed. New fire appears—sacred and pure fire, which is suited for the purification of a patient, of a hogan, and of all participants who take part in the ceremonial.

 

The Reed-prayerstick Bundle Rites

PREPARATIONS

       The ritual of presenting Reed-prayerstick Bundles (lók'aa k'eet'áán násdizí) as offerings to various gods begins on the first morning immediately after the fire making. From the second through the fourth mornings preparations for the ritual are the first activity after awakening. Throughout the four mornings the rite remains quite uniform; it always begins with the same song, and it ends with a song that also remains the same. Four bundles are made on each of the first three days; only two bundles are needed on the fourth day. This variation is reflected in the prayers. They refer each day to different divine recipients of the offering bundles; only two deities are prayed to on the fourth day. Because the four Reed-prayerstick Bundle Rites are

________________________________

       (1) Sternness (hashké yił deeyá) means also "anger" and "severity."

 

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The stick is twirled between the strong hands of two men, who take turns,
but the wooden base refuses to glow for quite some time.

 


New fire appears—sacred and pure fire....

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The ritual of presenting Reed-prayerstick Bundles as offerings to various
gods begins on the first morning immediately after the Fire Making.

nearly identical, I can discuss them here as one unit. The differences that by this method may appear, from one day to the next, do not interfere with the presentation.

       Allowing for some flexibility when it is dictated by the scarcity of some materials, all offering bundles should, in addition to a Reed-prayerstick, contain six items: a feather of a blue jay (ch'íshii sháshii), of a bluebird (dólii), of an eagle (átsá), of a turkey wing and beard (tązhii, tązhii bé'ézhóó'), together with a piece of cotton string (ndik'ą'). While the bundles are assembled, the divine recipients are addressed by a song:

7, 22, 37, 55. Song, First Through Fourth Mornings

       I bring, these to you, I bring these to you,

       I bring these to you, I bring these to you.

Beautiful Things I bring to you. Beautiful Songs I bring to you.

Under the Two Rising, I bring these to you.(2)

With the White One walking, I bring these to you,(2)

The White Prayerstick I bring to you.
______________________________________

(2) These lines were omitted on the first morning. The song, as a whole, is very loosely structured.

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Beautiful White Beads I bring to you.
Beautiful Feathers I bring to you.
Beautiful Tobacco I bring to you ,(2) 
Beautiful White Teeth I bring to you.
Beautiful White Salt I bring to you.

I bring these to you, I bring these to you.
Beautiful Cornpollen I bring to you.
Your own Son I bring to you,

the White Kinsman I bring to you,

the White Prayerstick I bring to you.
Multi-colored Shells I bring to you.

Beautiful Feathers I bring to you.

Beautiful White Teeth I bring to you.

These things are beautiful.

       I bring these to you, I bring these to you,

       I bring these to you, I bring these to you.

A Tobacco Stick of the Two Setting I bring to you,

the Yellow Prayerstick I bring to you.

The Yellow Cornpollen I bring to you.

Beautiful Feathers I bring to you.

Beautiful Teeth I bring to you.

Beautiful Things I bring to you,

Beautiful Things I bring to you.

Your own Son I bring to you,

the Yellow Kinsman I bring to you,

the Yellow Prayerstick I bring to you.

The Multi-colored Shell I bring to you.

Beautiful Feathers I bring to you.

Beautiful Teeth I bring to you.

       Beautiful Things I bring to you. Beautiful Things I bring to you,

       Beautiful Things I bring to you. Beautiful Things I bring to you.

A Tobacco Stick of the Two Above you I bring to you,

The Blue Prayerstick I bring to you.

Blue Turquoise Beads I bring to you.

Beautiful Feathers I bring to you.... (continued as in second stanza)

The Songs of the North I bring to you.

The Black Prayerstick I bring to you.

Beautiful Cornpollen I bring to you.

Beautiful Feathers I bring to you.... (continued as in second stanza)

       / bring these to you, I bring these to you,

       I bring these to you, I bring these to you.

 

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…all offering bundles should, in addition to a Reed-prayerstick,
contain six items.




While the bundles are assembled, the divine recipients are
addressed by a song.

 

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       The Reed-prayerstick is the most important ingredient of the bundles. In fact, the offering bundles are named after it. With a tradi­tional flint arrowhead a four-inch section is cut from the hollow stem of a common reed. The first ingredient of the stick is pollen; then it is stuffed with Navajo tobacco (nát'oh waa'í)—with white-blossomed, blue-blossomed, yellow-blossomed, and black-blossomed tobacco. Both ends of the prayerstick are then plugged with a paste made of water and pollen. Each stick is finally painted with the color that belongs to the direction for which it is intended—white for east, blue for south, yellow for west, and black for north. The colors and paints are obtained by grinding white bead (yoołgaii), turquoise (dootł'ishii), yellow abalone shell (diichiłí), and jet (bááshzhinii).

       The Reed-prayerstick is actually intended to be a cigarette for the gods. Before it is put in the bundle it is "lighted" and made ready for the Holy Ones to smoke. For that purpose a quartz crystal is used to touch the tip of the prayerstick; fire from the sun is mediated by way of the quartz crystal.

       From all this it would seem that the prayerstick is a very straight­forward gift to the gods—a sort of friendly smoke between them and men. But this is not entirely so. Along with the various types of tobacco a small feather is smuggled inside. These cigarettes for the gods are loaded. The feathers represent the missiles of witchcraft. And so, while the Holy People enjoy and smoke their cigarettes, they unwittingly burn the arrows that have affected the patient. After the helper has finished his prayersticks he looks over his work. This gives him the idea of lighting a cigarette for himself. His smoke-stick is not loaded—it happens to be a King-size Salem that I have brought along.

       Over all the contents in the offering bundles, before they are folded, a powdered mixture composed of the following ingredients is sprinkled: pollen from blue corn, from cattail reeds, from blue flowers, and from pine trees, along with powdered seaweeds, ocean foam, jewel dust, charcoal, and soil. After this, pollen is sprinkled toward the four directions and in a circle. The singer explains with a subdued voice the purpose of his action: "The offering bundles are blessed and become efficacious only with pollen." The blessings of pollen are also sprinkled on the patient; pollen is also put in the patient's mouth. Then the practitioner proceeds to fold the bundles and gives them to the patient to hold.

       At this point in the preparations, on the first morning, some concern can be noted on the face of the leader. He suspects that some­how in the process the stack of offering bundles has been turned over and that the sequence is now confused. The bundles must be arranged in the sequence in which the prayers will be spoken; also, they must be

 

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arranged so that after the prayer they will be carried in the proper direction. To make sure that all is well with the bundles, they are opened once more to verify their destinations. The color of the prayer-sticks identifies each bundle for the directional deity for whom it is intended.

       The plant bundles that lie ready on the floor (first through third mornings) are for the purification of the patient. In a similar manner as in the wooltáád ceremony on the evening before—except for the pulling of strings—the priestly practitioner touches his patient with plant bundles of four or five ingredients, chosen from among snake-weed (ch'il diilyésii), blue grama grass (tł'oh nástasí), Artemisia frigida (tóyikááł), rock sagebrush (ché'ézhííh), and spruce twigs (ch'ó). On the fourth morning, however, the snow outside is so deep that the necessary plants can not be found; therefore the singer improvises and touches the patient with what he has available—the offering bundles. In any case, the patient is eventually given the Reed-prayerstick bundles to hold.

 

 


The first ingredient of the stick is pollen, then it is stuffed with
Navajo tobacco.

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After the helper has finished his prayersticks he looks over his work.
This gives him the idea of lighting a cigarette for himself.

 


Over all the contents in the offering bundles, before they are folded,
a powdered mixture... is sprinkled....

 

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After this, pollen is sprinkled toward the four directions
and in a circle.

 

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The blessings of pollen are also sprinkled on the patient.

 


...pollen is also put in the patient's mouth.

 

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Then the practitioner proceeds to fold the bundles.

 


To make sure that all is well with the bundles they are opened once
more.... The plant bundles that lie ready on the floor are for
the purification of the patient.

 

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On the fourth morning... the snow outside is so deep that the necessary
plants can not be found… therefore the singer improvises
and touches the patient with... the offering bundles.

PRAYERS

       Holding the offering bundles, the patient repeats the prayers as the words are first spoken by the leader. In doing so he trails about a half sentence behind his teacher. Each of the deities spoken to at the begin­ning of a prayer receives a bundle. Only on the second day is each bundle intended to be shared by two gods. The prayers for the first morning are as follows:

8. Prayer, First Morning

       Early Morning, Shouting, Young Man! (White Coyote)

From you I have the essences of life.

Today we smoke tobacco together.

Today you will remake my feet.

Today you will remake my legs.

Today you will remake my whole body.

Today you will remake my whole mind.

Today you will remake the sound of my voice.

Today the magic that is doing this removes it from me.

You will remove them from me.

You have removed them from me.

You are taking them far away from me.

 

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Holding the offering bundles, the patient repeats the prayers
as the words are first spoken by the leader....

 

 

They are far away from me.

Today I will be made well again.

Today I am not hurting anymore.

Today you have removed them from me.

The illness is moving.

It has moved out.

It is moving away from me.

You made me as well as I have been before.

I have been made well, as well as I have been before.

I am healthy now.

I am walking, as before.

I am walking in health,

I am walking with a body free of fever.

I am walking with a light body.

I am walking with a perfect body.

I am walking with a body that is never to suffer again.

       Happiness is before me.

       Happiness is behind me.

The Long-life Happiness One, I am.

       All is Happiness.

       All is Happiness.

 

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       This prayer is repeated on the first day for Yellow Evening Young Woman (Shouting Yellow Coyote Woman), then for Sunbeam Young Man (Shouting Blue Coyote), then for Darkness Shouting Young Woman (Black Coyote Woman). The sequence, "Happiness before me" and "Happiness behind me," is reversed with each successive prayer. Finally, the ending of the fourth prayer is more elaborate than the previous endings:

       Happiness is behind me.

       Happiness is before me.

       Happiness is under me.

       Happiness is above me.

       Happiness is all around me.

With Yellow Cornpollen, from my mouth, happiness will come.

The Long-life Happiness One, I am.

       All is Happiness.

       All is Happiness.

       After these prayers, spoken to specific gods, follows what might be termed a "Prayer of Assurance." This prayer is identical on each of the four mornings, regardless of what deities are addressed in the pre­ceding prayers.

       According to these. Happiness will come to me from all places:

From the Flat Country, Happiness will come to me.

From the Plains, Happiness will come to me.

From the Thickets, Happiness will come to me.

From the Fogs, Happiness will come to me.

From the Hills, Happiness will come to me.

From the Gullies, Happiness will come to me.

From beneath Plants, Happiness will come to me.

From the Cornpollen path on which we walk, Happiness will come to me.

From Holy Places in the Earth, Happiness will come to me.

From our Dwellings, Cornpollen Houses, Happiness will come to me.

From out in the Woods, Happiness will come to me.

From beneath the Trees, Happiness will come to me.

From out of Canyons, Happiness will come to me.

From all red Canyons, Happiness will come to me.

From all black Canyons, Happiness will come to me.

From under the Rocks, Happiness will come to me.

From the Echoes of Canyon Walls, Happiness will come to me.

From stratified Rocks, Happiness will come to me.

 

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From Cliffs, Happiness will come to me.
From Shrubs, Happiness will come to me.
From Places eroded by Water, Happiness will come to me.
From Valleys with Spruce Trees, Happiness will come to me.
From the Holy Mountains, Happiness will come to me.
From the House of Darkness, Happiness will come to me.
From the House of Early Morning, Happiness will come to me.
From the High Places, Happiness will come to me.
From where Sunlight strikes first, Happiness will come to me.
From Mountain Peaks, Happiness will come to me.
From the Sky, Happiness will come to me.
From Places beyond the Sky, Happiness will come to me.
From Places where White Wind walks, Happiness will come to me.
From Places where Yellow Wind walks, Happiness will come to me.
From Places where Blue Wind walks, Happiness will come to me.
From Places where Black Wind walks, Happiness will come to me.
From Places where the Sons of Wind are walking, Happiness will come to me.

I will walk in places where good Dark Clouds keep coming.

I will walk in places where good Male Rain keeps falling.

I will walk in places where benevolent Lightning keeps flashing.

I will walk in places where good Black Fog is moving.

I will walk in places where good Female Rain keeps falling.

I will walk in places where good Rainbows float about.

I will walk in places where good Thunders are rolling.

I will walk in places where I hear the Water Bird.

I will walk in places where on cliffs the Birds are heard.

I will walk in places where the good Yellow Bird is heard.

I will walk in places where the Cornripener Beetle is heard.

I will walk in places where chirps of good Young Birds are heard.

In places like these I will walk.

I will walk in places where every kind of Plant is growing.

I will walk in places where all sorts of Flowers are blooming.

I will walk among Dew and Pollen,

Pollen and Dew will touch my feet.

They will reach my legs.

By these the Breeze will blow through my hair.
By these the Breeze will penetrate my voice.
By these the Breeze will touch my sight.
By these the Breeze will enter my head.
By these the Breeze will affect my travels.


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       Happiness will come, behind me.

       Happiness will come, before me.

       Happiness will come, under me.

       Happiness will come, above me.

       Happiness will come, all around me.
With Cornpollen, Happiness will come from my mouth.
The Long-life Happiness One I am, walking.

       All is Happiness.

       All is Happiness.

       All is Happiness.

       All is Happiness.

       The four Prayerstick bundles on the second morning are each made for two deities—for a divine Wind and a divine Coyote-person. The content of the bundles is identical with those of the day before, except for additional diagonal stripes that are painted on the prayersticks. These stripes are the symbol of the Wind People. Accordingly, the formal prayers for presenting the offering bundles are repeated on the second day for White Wind and White Coyote in the east, for Yellow Wind and Yellow Coyote in the west, for Blue Wind and Blue Coyote in the south, and for Black Wind and Black Coyote in the north (niłch'i and mą'ii łigaii, łitsooí, dootł'izhí, łizhiní). (Prayer 23.)

       On the third morning the four Prayerstick bundles are given to Hidden Boy (a yaaghá nilíní ashkii—a Coyote), to White Dawn Girl (bidah oogai at'ééd—a Coyote Girl), to Flint Hill Boy (béésh dah azk'idii ashkii—a Coyote), and to Water Girl (bił táálíní at'ééd—a Coyote Girl). The formal prayers on that day, accordingly, are ad­dressed to these deities (Prayer 38).

       On the fourth and final morning of the Fire Ceremonies only two Prayerstick bundles are made. They contain white and blue painted prayersticks. The white Prayerstick bundle is for Talking-god (hashch'ééłti'i) in the east; the blue one is for Calling-god (hashch'éoghan) in the south. Accordingly, only two prayers, plus the "Prayer of Assurance," are required for the last of the Prayerstick bundle rites (Prayer 56).

       In this manner, by the time, fourteen Prayerstick bundles have been delivered in the four directions, a total of eighteen gods have been contacted: Talking-god the chief of the Navajo pantheon and Calling-god, his closest helper; the four directional Wind People; and altogether twelve different Coyote-persons—the four Shouting Coyotes, the four Coyotes who are simply identified by their direc­tional colors, together with Hidden Boy, White Dawn Girl, Flint Hill Boy, and Water Girl.

 

 

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DELIVERY OF REED-PRAYERSTICK BUNDLES

       On each of the first four mornings, after the formal prayers to the gods who are to receive the prayerstick bundles, the patient rises, circles the fire sunwise, and carries the bundles to their destinations, about one half mile in the four directions. As the patient rises, the singer folds the ground cloth that in the process has become his. The patient walks east and south; because of the severe snow a helper carries two bundles west and north for him. All bundles are deposited under a tree or under some other living plant. The appropriate opening phrases of the prayers that were spoken in the hogan are repeated when the bundles are deposited—to bring the matter again to the god's attention. On the fourth morning the two bundles that are made are taken east and south.

       While the bundles are being carried outside, the singer in the hogan chants a song. On some days a few helpers remain to help him in the singing. The song that is being chanted recalls the adventures of the first shaman, when he walked with the four directional Coyote People, carrying prayersticks:

 

 


As the patient rises, the singer folds the ground cloth that in the
process has become his.

 

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While the bundles are being carried outside, the singer in
the hogan chants a song.

 


On some days a few helpers remain to help him in the singing. 

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9, 24, 39, 57. Song, First Through Fourth Mornings

       He has walked.

Beneath the Two Rising before you, he has walked.

With White Morning Boy, he has walked.

With Corn-pollen at his feet, he has walked.

With the White Prayerstick in his hand, he has walked,

With Early Morning on him, he has walked.

With White Wind coming from his mouth, he has walked.

With Happiness before him, he has walked.

With Happiness behind him, he has walked.

       He has walked; he has walked;

       has walked, has walked, has walked, has walked.

Beneath the Two Setting before you, he has walked.

With Yellow Evening Girl, he has walked.

With Yellow Corn-pollen at his feet, he has walked.

With the Yellow Prayerstick in his hand, he has walked.

With Yellow Evening on him, he has walked.

With Yellow Wind coming from his mouth, he has walked.

With Happiness behind him, he has walked.

With Happiness before him, he has walked.

       He has walked; he has walked;

       has walked, has walked, has walked, has walked.

Beneath the Two Above you, he has walked.

With the Sunbeam Boy, he has walked.

With Corn-pollen at his feet, he has walked.

With the Blue Prayerstick in his hand, he has walked.

With Sunlight on him, he has walked.

With Blue Wind coming from his mouth, he has walked.

With Happiness before him, he has walked.

With Happiness behind him, he has walked.

       He has walked; he has walked;

       has walked, has walked, has walked, has walked.

Beneath Where-the-Stars-turn, he has walked.