Wanderings, Part XVI

WANDERINGS, PART XVI

The people were still looking for Haako. They had not lost the two eggs that had been given them. They said, "This cannot yet be the right place, our bad luck shows that." So they got out into the plains again and moved south. They passed many ruins where people had been living before and they crossed the paths of other people. These people were enemies of each other. It is not known how these others had been saved from the flood. When attacked by enemies, the Twins would go out alone to fight, and they always won by virtue of their father's power. They thought they would keep track of how many they killed. So after killing an enemy, they would put their thumb on the head and scalp it, cutting around the thumb.

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They traveled on and passed a place called Kawaíka ⁷⁴ (lake), where Laguna stands. Here they stopped for the forgetting ceremonies. ⁷⁵ There was no town here at that time. South of the lake they symbolically crossed the four mountains. When they got to a place which they called Kutsekatsa (place of antelope; antelope range), because there were very many antelope there--when they got there they asked if they could rest, as they had seen many antelope and they said it would be a good place to stop. They camped there and found water. The name of the place was Shuimi kaiya (turquoise cave). There is a big rock about 10 miles northeast of Acoma of white sandstone; on the north side is a cave with water coming from it. While they camped here they had good luck killing antelope. They traveled around the region and found a place called Dyaptsiam ⁷⁶ (dyap, a hardwood tree; tsiam, pass or gap). The people thought of moving there to build another village. Some of them said it must be Haako, as they found turkeys and antelope in plenty. So they broke camp and at Dyaptsiam built a new village.

Here they again established their altars and ceremonies. The chaianyi cleared the place of diseases. The chaianyi always took a basket of prayer sticks which they buried in the center of the proposed site, and under the basket they buried an arrowhead. This was to protect the pueblo. Some of the people wanted to live at the bottom of the mesa, but the Twins said that it would be better to live on top, where they could look around, and when they left it they could look back and see their home outstanding and think of it as a wonderful place. Also it would furnish them protection. Some others did not agree that that was the right place, so they broke away from those who agreed with the Twins, saying, "We have seen another mesa that is more imposing, we will build our home there." This was further south. This was called Katsima (braced cliff, ⁷⁷ talus cliff, the Enchanted Mesa). A few families, very few, went up but they soon ran out of water and after a time rejoined those at the other village. They built a pretty village on the low mesa, Dyaptsiam. (The ruins are still there.)

Here they lived a long time contentedly because there was much game. Here they found many turkeys. They had many ceremonies every season and got along well. They had with them masks representing Chakoya katsina. No one had ever used them. It was a different kind of mask covering only the face. They know that these Chakoya were very good hunters and fond of game. So it came to their mind that they had these masks and they recalled they were

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good hunters. Since they had no such game, they thought of calling them and bringing them to dance. All agreed that it would be good, so more of the masks were made. The men belonging to the katsina [organization] met in kiva. Country Chief brought the masks to the chaianyi to be brought to life, with the usual ceremony. The men who were going to take part went through the ceremony and went out into the country and put on their masks and costumes. The people were expecting the Chakoya, so the impersonators visited the village, The people found that these Chakoya had very pretty songs in a language easy to understand. Their songs always named game and told how to hunt. The first time they were called it was near spring time and they had plenty of snow, and they were lucky in their hunting. They found the Chakoya dance to be pleasant and interesting because it was new. When the dancers finished, the people went home and the dancers went into the country to decostume. This was a secret dance and they did not let the people know that they were not real.

It was time for planting. Antelope Man recalled that Iatiku had told him the people were to have a dance every season before planting time, so he told Country Chief to wait and not plant yet; they were going to have a dance to make all kinds of crops. All the people were told to meet in kiva where Antelope man was to tell them how to dance and for what reason. This they did and Antelope Man told them that mother Iatiku advised them to dance this Auwĕ before planting. So he told them to make images of corn, pumpkins, and beans, and bring them on the night that they were to gather to dance, These songs and dances had been taught them by Iatiku in Shipapu but they had forgotten them.

Antelope Man set up his altar in kiva. The people came to the dance and brought their images, which they placed in front of the altar. They recalled some of the songs and they had a dance. This dance lasted all night. The men would dance in a circle (inside kiva) for a while, then they would rest and the women would dance. ⁷⁸ This continued till nearly sunrise. Then Antelope Man told them to come forward to the altar and get the images they had brought. He told them that their prayers in the dances were now with these images. They were to take these and again pray to the directions, then they were to take the images to the gardens and plant them. This was done and they found that it was good. They had abundant harvests,

The twins Masewi and Oyoyewi were very helpful to the people, They were always up early ⁷⁹ and they went out into the country and yelled to the clouds (katsina). It is not known how long they lived at this place. The Twins were always traveling. One time they went

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to South Mountain, the home of Maiyochina, the Summer ruler, who is the spirit of the south direction. When the Twins got there they found that Maiyochina had a guard who was not to let anyone in. They asked him his name and he told them Gaukapuchume ⁸⁰ (busybody? someone always wanting to do something). The Twins found him to be very skillful, a good gambler, a good stick runner, and quick witted. He challenged the Twins to different games and taught them a new game; how to win arrows from each other. They had won a lot of his property. They put up a target. Whoever got closest to it would win. (Gaukapuchume wanted to get the sacred arrows, which he knew they had.)

They had a race on which they bet arrows. The guard was old and lost, so the Twins won everything he had to bet. The old man got angry. He still had a baby's head made up to look like a ball. It was full of blood. They did not want to gamble for this yet, so they asked him where Haako was, they had come to ask Maiyochina, but since they had not yet seen Maiyochina they would ask the guard. So he answered, "'Maybe you know the place Katsima. Haako is just southwest of that place, a large rock. You will find it by going to the northeast end and yelling. Then you will hear the echo very distinctly. This is the place you are looking for." He asked the Twins to give him back what they had won in return for this information. But the Twins would not do so, saying, "You were the one who started betting and you taught us how to gamble. You lost, so the winnings are ours." Gaukapuchume asked them once more to give them back, and the Twins said no. He asked a third time with the same result. He asked the fourth time. Still they refused. Then the old man hit the ball with a stick up against the wall of the house. It splattered blood and, on falling to the floor, started to cry like a baby. This frightened the Twins and they ran out, taking their winnings with them. The old man chased them hitting toward them the ball, which always cried. Piece by piece, Masewi and Oyoyewi dropped the things they had won as they fled. After getting away from Gaukapuchume, they stopped to talk it over, saying, "This is the first time I have ever been frightened; were you frightened, too? He must have supernatural power." But they did not think much about it, and returned to their home.

Upon returning, they stayed a long time, but one day they went to Country Chief and told him what they had learned. They told him that it was that place farther south that was the real Haako and they left it up to him to find out. He was the one to look for it and see if the echo was there. So Country Chief called the chaianyi to a meeting and told them the message Masewi and Oyoyewi had brought back

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from South Mountain. He told the chaianyi also that he still had the two eggs which Iatiku had given them to bring to Haako. "We should not stay here longer," he said. "I will go on ahead and find if it is the right place." So they set a date for him to leave with some of the chaianyi. The chaianyi invited Masewi and Oyoyewi to come along, So they went to the south to look for Haako.

They saw this rock and went toward the northeast end. Country Chief cried out, "Haako!" and they all listened. He yelled four times to make sure, and every time the echo came back clearly. They all agreed this must be the place. They returned to the people and had another meeting. They recalled that they had been instructed to break the parrot egg at Haako and they were to take the crow's egg on afterward to Kuyapukauwak. They decided to move, as the distance was not far and they had been told by Iatiku to go to this place. Country Chief told all the people to prepare for 4 days and to move. He told them to get everything ready so as to leave nothing behind. The people were glad they were near Haako and were anxious to move.

On the fourth day they left, and on the same day reached the foot of the rock. They gathered close around Country Chief who held up the two eggs, telling them, "These were given us by Iatiku. One is a parrot egg. The other is a crow egg. You are to choose the egg you think is the parrot egg." He told them to step up one at a time. He placed the two eggs on a piece of buckskin and told each person to stand on the side they chose as the one which was the parrot egg. (The one to choose was the head of the family, the father). ⁸¹ The chaianyi were the first to make their choice, then came the people. After this was done there was a woman just about to bear a child. She said, "When my baby comes she will belong to the Parrot clan."

Country Chief picked up the egg the Twins had chosen, and said, "This will be the parrot egg [?]. Those who have chosen this egg will live here, at Haako." He told them they must not retract their choice, but must stay on the side they had chosen. He told them the parrot was supposed to be a very pretty bird and would be useful, while the crow would be a pest and good for nothing. Most of the chaianyi and Country Chief himself were on the side of the egg he was going to break. He stepped back, telling the people to watch very carefully. This egg was blue and was very pretty, while the other was a dull color. He started to count, one, two, three, four. On the fourth count he threw it against the rock. When it hit it broke and a number of crows flew out of it. The losers felt badly, ⁸² but they could not retract, because Iatiku had told them if they did so they would never live happily there [?anywhere]. Country Chief told them, "This ends our journey,

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[paragraph continues] The rest must journey on to Kuyapukauwak and take the other egg with them."

They all camped at this place. There were some chaianyi who were with those who were to go on south. They were given their altars and some of the masks to take with them. Most of the officers were to remain, so they had to make new officers for the other group. They were to make a new Country Chief, so the old Country Chief chose a man and instructed him in his duties, giving him duplicates of the necessary things. Antelope Man did the same, appointing a man to take his place with the other group. When the time came to separate, a meeting was held and Country Chief and Antelope Man told the departing people who their officers were to be. This was a very sad time for both groups. The parrot group then left toward the south and it is not known how far they went.

The people who remained were told by Country Chief to build a village at the foot of this rock. They did this and it is not known how long they lived in this village. They carried on their ceremonies as before. They were lucky and happy because they had come to their permanent home.

Footnotes

78:73 Keresan informants invariably use the English word "work" to designate the exercise, or manipulation of supernatural power.

79:74 The Keresan name for Laguna. The Informant is translating from Spanish, not from Keresan.

79:75 Actually at Laguna there is a grooved rock for pebble pushing (Parsons, 1923, fig. 20). For Zuñi see Parsons, 1923, figs. 21, 22; Benedict, 1935, vol. 1, p. 117.

79:76 Cf. White, 1932, p. 145.

79:77 Cf. White, 1932, p. 26.

80:78 At Cochiti and Jemez the women in this dance form an inner circle.

80:79 A great virtue among the Pueblos.

81:80 See White, 1942.

82:81 This is not a Pueblo Indian conception; the father is not "the head of the family." This informant, who had left Acoma and who wanted to adopt white man's ways. was, however, unquestionably the head of his family.

82:82 Apparently not because they cared about their destination but because they had lost the parrots.