Wanderings, Part VI

WANDERINGS, PART VI

Before leaving, Iatiku said to Country Chief, "You have made me cry. I feel hurt that I can no longer be with my people. It has been ordered that these eggs which are still left in the basket should be taken by the people till they reach a place called ha’ako (the real name for Acoma today). This is in a south direction. Wherever the echo returns the clearest, they are to search, calling haako! haako! Where the echo comes best will be the right place. When you find this place you are to break one of the eggs. One of these is parrot, the other is crow." She told them to break the parrot egg at haako and to take the other one farther south to kŭyŭpukauwăk, "southwest end." ²⁰

Even before this Iatiku had told them to move from Shipapu to the south, saying, "You will increase and scatter out." So the people had moved and settled down at kashkachu. (White House). This was where they began playing the game and where famine was to strike them. After the people increased, they did not know how many there were and they did not know how to count them, so the Country Chief, whose business it was to know, asked Iatiku how he might know their numbers. And Iatiku showed him how to count. She spread out her fingers and started to count, beginning with the little finger of the left hand:

Iatiku and Tiamuni disappeared. The people found out that they had done wrong and the katsina and the rulers of the directions found it out also. So the katsina said, "Well, let it go at that, and see if they can run the world by themselves. We will have our Father (Antelope Man) there. But we will let them alone a while and not visit them." So Spring came and it was dry. No clouds appeared. The harvest was very short. So Country Chief went to pray to Iatiku to come back. He made prayer sticks for the katsina, and Antelope Man did the same. They also prayed to the Kopishtaiya, who bring the seeds of all the plants. The chaianyi worked as hard as they could; they set up altars, made prayer sticks, and prayed. But many seasons passed and they heard nothing from the gods. Everything

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dried up and famine came upon them. Each year things were more scarce, although Country Chief told the people to gather all they could. When this happened, the boys stopped their jokes and once more took part in the prayers, but nothing seemed to help. The people had no power.

There was living at this time a man by the name of Tsaiaiduit. ²² He was a very good and quiet man, who never mixed much with the people and who was like a hermit, living alone with his mother. He was always very careful and saving with crops; he gathered every grain without wasting any and he picked up any he found on the ground. So Country Chief thought of him. Country Chief had tried every other way to call the katsina. He visited Tsaiaiduit and found out he was the only man who still had some provisions. (All of the game was hidden and the hunters could find none.) Country Chief spoke to him, saying, "I have come, my son, I would like to get your help. I know you do not mix much with the people but I know you believe in Iatiku. You were always first in prayers and have always made your offerings faithfully. I know that you will take care of yourself in these things." He told him, "I came to you for help. I want you to call the clouds. Maybe something will work for you. Maybe someone will listen to you. Maybe your prayers are stronger than ours. You have seen that we have tried and failed." But the man answered, "I have no power and nothing to give. I am just a common human." ²³ But his mother said to him, "Why don't you receive his words? It may be that the one that gives us life Iatiku) will listen to you. We will depend on your prayers." So the man said, "I do not know that I have any power. My mother has asked me to do as you ask." So Country Chief brought him sacred corn meal, prayer sticks, pollen, beads, tobacco. He took them. Country Chief prayed first and told him to pray with these and that be was counting on him. The man said he did not know where to pray, or whom to ask to help. So Country Chief said, "It is up to you; I can only name the different kivas and the medicine." So Tsaiaiduit asked them how many days were set aside for him and when he was to work. "Four days to prepare," said Country Chief. "When the sun rises the fourth day you are to try." Then Country Chief left him.

The man felt helpless and sorry for himself but soon light came to his mind. He knew a medicine man of the Flint altar, who was quiet like himself, so he went to him, saying, "I come to you. Power has been given to you, so I ask your help." So he told him that Country Chief had left it to him to bring rain. Flint Chaianyi felt sorry for

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him, and said, "Even I, who have been given power like the other chaianyi, find I can do nothing. But I am going to got myself together and help you." So the chaianyi asked if he wanted help from all the chaianyi of the altar. He replied, "No, just yourself." The chaianyi said, "All right. I will help you." The medicine man told Tsaiaiduit to go to North Mountain. "You are to cut tru'kana (willow) which is still green. You will also cut spruce branches." He taught him a song he was to sing and told him to sing it when he reached the mountain and while gathering spruce. So the man did as told and brought back all that was asked for.

The medicine man was waiting for Tsaiaiduit at Tsaiaiduit's house. When Tsaiaiduit got back, Flint Chaianyi said to him, "This is where you are going to work." The Flint altar was already in place. So the chaianyi met Tsaiaiduit at the door and took his bundle, making a path for him with his cornmeal. The chaianyi told him, "Tomorrow we will purify ourselves by vomiting with medicine."

They kept away from the people. Country Chief was sent to watch and guard the house. Tsaiaiduit's mother was encouraging him all the while. The next day they made prayer sticks and prayed to the North after first praying to Iatiku. Every time they made prayer sticks they would purify themselves. They offered prayer sticks to the West (Wenimats katsina), then to West Mountain, and to all the other powers in that direction. Thus they worked, one day in each direction, till after 4 days they had prayed to all the powers in till the directions. Every night they sang, and every night Country Chief watched the house until the songs were finished. All the people knew what was going on and all were helping with their prayers.

When the sun came up on the fourth day, Tsaiaiduit dressed up like the katsina Tsaiaiduit but without mask. He made up his own decorations. He had been named after this katsina, hence the costume. So Country Chief and officers brought him out first to the north, then to the west, south, and east. The chaianyi stayed in the house singing the same song as the dancer. Tsaiaiduit danced and sang on each side of the Plaza. His mother encouraged him before he left. He was a very good singer and dancer. Everyone came to see him and the people all encouraged him; many of the women cried in sympathy for him. But he was very brave and did not slacken his singing or dancing till he had finished his four songs. While he was dancing, Country Chief was urging the people to stay with him in the plaza and to continue to encourage him. Tsaiaiduit was escorted back to his house to rehearse four more songs.

When he came, out the second time a very small cloud appeared in the South. Iatiku, also the katsina, felt sorry for Tsaiaiduit. They had seen him working alone, so they decided to answer his prayers. While he was dancing the second time, in the south the small cloud

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began to grow. When he was dancing on the south side of the plaza, it began to rain very hard, but Country Chief did not let the people go, home. 24 Tsaiaiduit kept on dancing in the rain. After finishing his second dance, he was escorted back home to break his fast. After eating, he came out the third time and it was still raining and the people stayed on. So he returned and came out the fourth time. It continued to rain for 4 days and 4 nights. Country Chief thanked Tsaiaiduit very much and said a prayer for him as he released him from his duties. So the people even today believe that the common people are the last resort and have the most power. If something should happen and the medicine men could not help, the final resort would be a common man. 25

This rain did not bring a large harvest but gave them a lot of wild food plants which they gathered and saved for the winter. (The rain came too late for the crops.) Game again appeared. This was the reawakening of the katsina and afterward they continued to visit the people when they were asked. When the Kopishtaiya were called, they came also. So they continued having their pleasure dances and the games that were given them and for a long time they quit the gambling game.

Footnotes

47:20 Cf. White, 1932, p. 145.

47:21 Cf. Santo Domingo (White, 1935, p. 200).

48:22 There is an important katsina mask at Santo Domingo and at Santa Ana called Tsaiyaityuwitsa (White, 1935, pp. 97, 107, 172, fig. 22).

48:23 Tsaiyaityuwit is a stereotyped picture of a Keresan hero--modest, quiet, unassuming, virtuous, thrifty,--a good hunter, living alone with his mother, a man able to influence the gods and to save the people.