PRAYERS TO THE ANCIENTS

by Ruth Bunzel

AN OFFERING OF FOOD TO THE ANCESTORS

The offering of food to the dead forms an important part of Zuñi household ritual. Cushing states that a bit of food is offered in the fire at each meal by all partaking, and that no child is weaned until he is able to make this offering with a suitable prayer. At the present time the practice is by no means universal. It is made, with very little ceremony, by priests and the female heads of their houses. The female heads of houses holding ceremonial objects make offerings to these objects before serving food. Each appointee to ceremonial office makes offerings at nightfall in the river, about a mile west of Zuñi. The food thus offered is carried by the river to the supernaturals at the village of the masked gods. Offerings of food are conspicuous at any ceremonial meal, and each man holding ceremonial office receives a package to be offered later in the river. With offerings in the house no prayer is spoken-at most only a few words are mumbled: “Eat; may our roads be fulfilled,” or “May we be blessed with life. ” With outdoor offerings, long prayers are spoken. Offerings, whether of food, corn meal, or prayer sticks, are never made specifically to one’s own ancestors, but to the ancestors.

After the crops are harvested in fall ghosts’ day or grandmothers’ day is announced by the sakisti (sacristan of the ancient mission church).[2] On this day large quantities of food are prepared, only products of that year’s harvest being used, a lamb of that spring’s lambing, bread made of new wheat and corn, and anything else that has been raised. The melons are gone by that time, but some are always saved for the grandmothers. Before eating the evening meal women make their offerings in the fire, a few ears of corn, a dish of lamb stew, a loaf of bread, a roll of paper bread. After dark the men take even greater quantities to the river. The following prayer is used, probably, with this special offering.

This day my children,
For their fathers,
Their ancestors,

[3. In 1927 it fell on November 9. For the probable Catholic origin of the feast in All Souls’ Day, see Parsons All Souls’ Day at Zuñi, Acoma, and Laguna; Journal of American Folk Lore 30:495.]

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5 For you who have attained the far off place of waters,[3]
This day
My children
Have prepared food for your rite.
10 Now our sun father
Has gone in to sit down at his sacred place.[4]
Taking the food my children have prepared at their fireplaces
(I have come out.)
15 Those who hold our roads,[5]
The night priests,[6]
Coming out rising to their sacred place
Will pass us on our roads.
20 This night
I add to your hearts.
With your supernatural wisdom
You will add to your hearts,
Let none of you be missing
25 But all add to your hearts.
Thus on all sides you will talk together.
From where you stay quietly
Your little wind-blown clouds,
Your fine wisps of cloud,
30 Your massed clouds you will send
forth to sit down with us;
With your fine rain caressing the earth,
With all your waters
You will pass to us on our roads.
With your great pile of waters,
35 With your fine rain caressing the earth,
With your heavy rain caressing the earth,
You will pass to us on our roads.
My fathers,
Add to your hearts.
40 Your waters,
Your seeds,
Your long life,[7]
Your old age
You will grant to us.

[3. That is, the dead.

4. The sun has two resting places: One above, to which he “comes out standing” at sunrise; one below the world, to which he “goes in to sit down” at sunset.

5. A:wonawil?ona–used of any supernaturals who influence human affairs. This is not a special deity, as Mrs. Stevenson believes.

6. That is the night itself, anthropomorphically envisaged.

7. Onaya:nak^ä–literally “road fulfilling.”]

{p. 623}

45 Therefore I have added to your hearts.
To the end, my fathers,
My children:
You will protect us.
All my ladder descending children [8]
50 Will finish their roads;
They will grow old.
You will bless us with life.

THE PREPARATION OF PRAYER STICKS AT THE WINTER SOLSTICE

Twice during the winter solstice ceremony each adult male makes prayer sticks. The first time he makes for himself offerings to the sun, and to the ancestors. For the grown women of the family he makes offerings for the moon and the ancestors; children offer to the ancestors. If he is a member of a society he makes the special offering appropriate to his rank in the society. These solstice offerings are quite different from monthly society offerings.

The offerings of each family are deposited in an excavation in the family field, generally the cornfield, despite the fact that these are at greater distances from the village. After the offerings are made everyone is supposed to abstain from animal food, in addition to the usual requirement of sexual continence. Abstinence from meat is required because of the offering to the sun, which employs only downy feathers, which are especially potent and carry with thorn the pledge of abstinence. Among the younger people only those who belong to societies fast from meat. The others would consider it wrong to do so. “While we were away at school we ate meat, and it is a bad thing to break one’s custom.”

On the fourth day each initiated male offers to the katcinas, and each male society member offers to the beast gods. These offerings are made in the cornfield or in the fields to the east of the village. That night, after dark, special offerings are made in the corrals for the increase of horses, cattle, and sheep, for clothing and ornaments, and for medicine. Each man uses a different kind of stick and guards this secret knowledge jealously.

There are prayers to be said at each stage of the process of prayer stick making. Prayers are always offered to the trees before cutting the sticks. Corn meal is offered to the “lucky” tree. This is not cut, but another is taken. The rest of the prayers are generally

[8. That is, human, the inhabitants of Zuñi.]

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omitted until the stick is finished. Then the following brief prayer is spoken over it before it is set aside until the time comes to plant it:

This many are the days
Since our moon mother
Yonder in the west[9]
Appeared, still small;
When but a short space yet remained
Till she was fully grown,
Then out daylight father,[10]
Pekwin of the Dogwood clan,
For his sun father
10 Told off the days.
This many days we have waited.
We have come to the appointed time.
My children,
15 All my children,
Will make plume wands.
My child,
My father,[11] sun,
20 My mother, moon,
All my children will clothe you with prayer plumes.[12]
When you have arrayed yourselves in these,
With your waters,
25 Your seeds
You will bless all my children.
All your good fortune
You will grant to them all.
To this end, my father,
30 My mother:
May I finish my road;
May I grow old;
May you bless me with life.

AN OFFERING OF PRAYER STICKS AT THE WINTER SOLSTICE

This many are the days
Since at the new year
For those who are our fathers,

[9. The new moon, first appearing at sunset in the west.

10. Our human father. Father is a courtesy term applied to all supernaturals, all men who hold high office.

11. “My father, my child,” the most intimate form of address, used only in relations of implying intense affection. “My father, my child,” and “my mother, my child,” are sometimes used as great endearments between husband and wife.

12. A common play upon words a’lhea?u means either to give into one’s hand or to clothe one. Likewise i’lhea’u (reflexive) means either to take in one’s hand or to clothe oneself.

13. Literally “the water object in the dish,” the rain-bringing fetish of the priests. (M. C. Stevenson, 23d Ann. Rept. Bur. Amer. Ethnology, p. 163.)]

{p. 625}

5 Tcu’eto:we,[14]
The days[15] were made.
From all the wooded places
Breaking off the young straight shoots
Of the male willow, female willow,
10 In our hands we held them fast.
With them we gave our plume wands human form.
With the striped cloud wing
The one who is our father,
Male turkey,
15 We gave our plume wands human form.[16]
With the flesh of our mother,
Cotton woman,
Even a poorly made cotton thread,
20 With this four times encircling the plume wands,
And tying it about their bodies,
We finished our plume wands.
Having finished our plume wands
25 And offering our fathers their plume wands
We make their days.[17]
Anxiously awaiting their days.
We have passed the days.
After a little while
30 Your massed clouds,
Your rains,
We shall desire.
We have given you plume wands.
That with your waters,
35 Your seeds,
Your riches,[18]
Your long life,
Your old age,
You may bless us–
40 For this I have given you plume wands.
To this end, my fathers,
May our roads reach to dawn lake;[19]
May our roads be fulfilled;
May we grow old;

[14. The other half of the priestly fetish. This is the corn fetish.

15. The retreat of the priests.

16. Fashioned like human beings. The stick is the body, the feathers, the robes, the cotton cord is the belt, the paint is the flesh. This is the order of processes in the making of prayer sticks.

17. “To make days” is to observe the taboo period.

18. Clothing and ornaments, which constitute personal property, hence wealth.

19. The water that lies on the easternmost rim of the world. This is where the sun comes out, and stands, therefore, as the symbol of fulfillment.]

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45 To where the road of our sun father goes
May our roads reach;
May our roads be fulfilled;
May we grow old;
50 May we be blessed with life.

A MONTHLY OFFERING OF PRAYER STICKS

At each full moon (in some societies at the new moon) each member of a society offers prayer sticks. In addition to special offerings prescribed by the society there are two to four short black sticks for the ancestors and, for males, one similar black stick, with the addition of a duck feather, for the katcinas. The sticks are buried in the corn field or at Red Earth, a point on the river bank east of the town. The prayer sticks are deposited with the following prayer, which was secured from one of the headmen of the Wood Society.

This many are the days
Since our moon mother,
Yonder in the west
Appeared still small.
When she became fully grown
Seeking yonder along the river courses
The ones who are our fathers,
Male willow,
Female willow,
Four times cutting the straight young shoots,
To my house
I brought my road.
This day,
With my warm human hands
I took hold of them.
I gave my plume wands human form.
With the striped cloud tail
Of the one who is my grandfather,
The male turkey,
With eagle’s thin cloud tail,
With the striped cloud wings
And massed cloud tails
Of all the birds of summer,
With these four times I gave my plume wands human form.
With the flesh of the one who is my mother,
Cotton woman,
Even a poorly made cotton thread,
Four times encircling them and tying it about their bodies,
I gave the plume wands human form
With the flesh of the one who is our mother,
Black paint woman,
Four times covering them with flesh,
I gave my plume wands human form.
In a short time the plume wands were ready.
Taking the plume wands,
I made my road go forth.
Yonder with prayers
We took our road.
Thinking, “Let it be here,”
Our earth mother
We passed upon her road.
Our fathers,
There on your earth mother,
There where you are waiting your plume wands
We have passed you on your roads.
There where you are all gathered together in beauty
Now that you are to receive your plume wands,
You are gathered together.
This day I give you plume wands.
By means of your supernatural wisdom
You will clothe yourself with the plume wands.
Wherever you abide permanently,
At the place of the first beginning,
Touching one another with your plume wands,
You will bend down to talk together.
From where you abide permanently,
Your little wind-blown cloud,
Your thin wisps of cloud,
Your hanging stripes of cloud,
Your massed up clouds, replete with living waters,
You will send forth to stay with us.
They will come out standing on all sides.
With your fine rain caressing the earth,
With your weapons, the lightning,
With your rumbling thunder,
Your great crashes of thunder,
With your fine rain caressing the earth,
Your heavy rain caressing the earth,
With your great pile of waters here at Itiwana,[20]
With these You will pass us on our roads.
In order that you may come to us thus
I have given you plume wands. My fathers,
When you have taken your plume wands,
With your waters,
Your seeds,
Your riches,
Your power,
Your strong spirit,
Will all your good fortune whereof you are possessed,
Me you will bless.

Corn meal is then sprinkled on the prayer sticks with the following prayer:

This day, my fathers,
I have given you plume wands.
The source of our water of life.
The source of our flesh,
Flesh of the white corn
Prayer meal
I give to you.
Taking your plume wand,
Your prayer meal,
with your waters,
Your seeds,
Your riches,
Your long life,
Your old age,
With all your good fortune
You will bless us.
This is all.

PRAYERS TO DEAD WIFE, WITH OFFERINGS OF PRAYER MEAL AND PRAYER STICKS

When a man’s wife dies for four days he observes the most stringent taboos. He remains continent; he abstains from eating meat, grease, and salt. He sits alone, away from the fire, and must not be touched. He should not speak or be spoken to. Each morning at dawn he drinks an emetic and goes out on the eastern road to offer black corn meal to the dead spouse. He holds the black meal in the left hand, passes it four times over his head, and throws it away as rite of exorcism. Then, using the right hand, he scatters white meal, and prays. These taboos are the same as those offered by a warrior who has taken a scalp, and are directed to the same ends, the removal of contamination and the propitiation of the ghost. The ghost, who is lonely, will try to visit her husband in dreams. To prevent this he uses black corn meal, “to make the road dark” or “to forget.”

After the four days he plants prayer sticks and resumes normal life. For 12 months he should remain continent, lest the dead wife become jealous. During this period he is “dangerous.” At the end of this period he has intercourse with a stranger to whom he gives a gift, the instrument for removing the contamination. She throws this away. Next day both plant prayer sticks. If he desires to shorten the period, he gets some man with esoteric knowledge to make him especially potent prayer sticks two or four sets-planted at intervals of four days, which are offered to the dead wife with the following prayer. These same rites are observed also by a widow and a warrior who has taken a scalp.

This is the only example which has come to my knowledge of any offering made to an individual, and even in this the ancestors are included. This prayer is also used with offerings of prayer sticks to the dead, on the fourth day after death, the day in which the spirit is believed to reach the land of the dead.[21]

My fathers,
Our sun father,
Our mothers,
Dawn
5 As you arise and come out to your sacred place,
I pass you on your road.
The source of our flesh,
White corn,

[21. Two versions follow, one dictated by a man, the other taken from the autobiography of a woman, in the account of the death of her first husband.]

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10 Prayer meal,
Shell,
Pollen,
I offer to you.
Our sun father,
15 To you I offer prayer meal.
To you we offer it.
To you we offer pollen.
According to the words of my prayer
Even so may it be.
20 There shall be no deviation.
Sincerely
From my heart I send forth my prayers.
To you prayer meal,
Shell I offer.
25 Pollen I offer.
According to the words of my prayer
Even so may it be.
Now this day,
My ancestors,
You have attained the far-off place of waters.[22]
This day,
5 Carrying plume wands,
Plume wands which I have prepared for your use.
I pass you on your roads.
I offer you plume wands.
10 When you have taken my plume wands,
All your good fortune whereof you are possessed
You will grant to me.
And furthermore
You, my mother,[23]
15 Verily, in the daylight
With thoughts embracing,
We passed our days
Now you have attained the far-off place of waters.
I give you plume wands,

[22. The dead, whose abiding place is a lake.

23. A term of endearment used for one’s wife or child in moments of great tenderness. Often “my mother, my child.”]

{p. 634}

Plume wands which I have prepared for your use.
Drawing your plume wands to you,
And sharing my plume wands,
Indeed, under no conditions shall you take anyone away. 24
Among all the corn priests’ ladder descending children,
All the little boys,
The little girls,
30 And those whose roads go ahead,
Was one, perhaps even a valuable man,
Who, his heart becoming angry be cause of something,
Injured you with his power.[25]
35 That one only you will think to drag down.
All of your good fortune whatsoever
May you grant to us.
40 Preserving us along a safe road,
May our roads be fulfilled.

[24. The dead are lonely without the living and try to draw them away. The wife longs for her living husband, the mother for her children. Therefore these individuals stand in grave danger of death.

25. The sorcerer whose ill will caused the fatal illness.]

Source Text: Ruth Benzel, From The Forty-Seventh Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, 1929-1930, the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., Public Domain, https://sacred-texts.com/nam/zuni/bunzel/zrp.htm