A Visit to the Underworld

A VISIT TO THE UNDERWORLD ¹

A man was sick for a whole year. He thought he was going to die, but he wished to live. He became weaker and weaker. One night he dreamed that person came to take him away. He followed him northward to the place where the dead go, which is called yu'ded^ec. A short time before they arrive at yu'ded^ec they came to a mountain. The trail passed by the foot of the mountain. He was following the person who had come to get him. They stopped at the foot of the mountain and he saw that the mountain consisted of ice. All around there were ledges, one over the other like the steps of a stairway. People were standing on these ledges entirely naked. He recognized some of them. He asked his guide, "What does this mean? I see all these naked people, men and women, in rows all the way up the mountain." His guide replied, "My son, this is the Iceberg. Do you see the water dripping down along it and dripping upon the people?" The man asked, "Why is this done?" His guide replied, "These are people who committed evil deeds while they were alive and they are being punished here. The ice-cold water runs over their bodies from head to foot. They have to stay here for a long time as punishment for their evil deeds."

They went on and came to another place where men and women were tied to both sides of the trail. They were tied to posts so that they could not move. They were hungry and had nothing to eat. Only animals that crawled along, the ground and came within their reach, such as lizards and birds, were their food. The guide said, "They are punished in this way on account of their evil deeds."

They came to another place and they saw an enclosure like a corral in which men and women were kept. A war chief walked about outside to see that nobody escaped. The guide told the man that

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these people were kept here as a punishment and that they were given very little food.

They went on and arrived at yu'ded^ec (or wenima. The narrator though it was more likely that it was the latter place). This was a very beautiful place. All the people were dancing ci'hwana of all kinds.

Then the guide said, "I have come to show you all these places. Only people who have done good deeds on the earth go to yu'ded^ec. The man became ci'hwana and they danced here. There are plenty of melons and watermelons."

Then the guide took the man to another place far in the south. There he saw all the shamans gathered in one room. They were all ready to perform their rites. One company was sitting in the north looking southward, another in the south looking northward, still another in the east looking westward, and another in the west looking eastward. The guide said, "Maybe you know some of these shamans." Then the man recognized some of the shamans from Cochiti who were dead. The guide told him that only shamans who had done their duty came to this place. He told them that people who had been bad would be sent to the places of punishment or that they might be put into a fire. He continued, "My chief (ck’a'ayna) ordered me to go and get you and to show you the places where the dead go. Our Mother thinks that you are a good man. You are head of the Giant shamans and you have always done your duty. You follow the orders of our Mother. Those shamans who do not follow the orders of our Mother will be punished in the fire or in the other places of punishment. They will be locked up forever. They shall have no joy and have nothing to cat. They will be given only bugs and lizards. When you go home tell the people of the town what you have seen. They shall keep to the faith that our Mother has given them. If they do not do so they will be punished in the places that you have seen. Only those who do right will have joy in the life after death. They will dance as ci'hwana."

Then the guide took him back. He awoke and told the people what he had seen.

Francisco Travers heard him tell this story.

Footnotes

255:1 Recorded by Franz Boas. see p. 128-132. Notes, p. 205.