486 INTRODUCTION TO ZUNI CEREMONIALISM [eth. ann. 47 



And shield their hearts; 



May their roads come in safety, 



May their roads be fulfilled. 



Of this animate universe man is an integral part. The beings 

 about him are neither friendly nor hostile. In so far as all are har- 

 monious parts of the whole, the suiTounding forces sustain and 

 presence humanity in the status quo. 



Among these vague impersonal forces are certain clearly defined 

 individuals and classes of beings who definitely influence hmnan 

 affau's. These are such beings as the sun, the earth, the corn, prey 

 animals, and the gods of war. These are called a-'wona'wi'lona'^ 

 "the ones who hold our roads." They, too, belong to man's world, 

 and have no animus against man. But in as much as they may 

 withhold their gifts, their assistance must be secured by offerings, 

 prayers, and magical practices. 



The sense of conflict as the basic principle of life does not domi- 

 nate man's relation to the universe any more than it dominates 

 man's relation to man. The Promethean theme — man's tragic and 

 heroic struggle against the gods — has no place in Zuni philosophic 

 speculation. Nor have any of the other concepts of cosmic conflicts 

 which have always absorbed the interest of Asiatic and European 

 philosophers and mystics, the antithesis between good and evil, or 

 between matter and spuit. There is no Satan in Zuni ideology, and 

 no Chiist. 



The world, then, is as it is, and man's plan in it is what it is. Day 

 follows night and the cycles of the years complete themselves. In the 

 spring the corn is planted, and if all goes well the young stalks grow 

 to maturity and fulfill themselves. They are cut down to serve man 

 for food, but their seeds remain against another planting. So man, 

 too, has Ms days and his destined place in life. His road may be 

 long or short, but in time it is fulfilled and he passes on to fill another 

 role in the cosmic scheme. He, too, leaves his seed behind him. 

 Man dies but manldnd remains. Tliis is the way of Ufe; the whole 

 literature of prayer shows no questioning of these fundamental 

 premises. This is not resignation, the subordination of desu-e to a 

 stronger force, but the sense of man's oneness with the universe. 

 The conditions controUing human affairs are no more moral issues 

 than those, hke the blueness of the sky, to which we may well be 

 indift'erent. It is a remarkably realistic view of the universe. It is 

 an attitude singularly free from terror, guilt, and mystery. The 



1! This term Mrs. Stevenson erroneously interprets as referring to a bisexual deity; creator and ruler of 

 the universe. The term is never used in this sense, nor was I able to find any trace of such a concept among 

 them. The confusion seems to be due to the fact that the missionaries have hit upon this term as the 

 nearest equivalent to "God." The Zuriis, accordingly, always translate the term "God." When asked if 

 a'wona'wi'lona is man or woman they say, "Both, of course," since it refers to a great class of super- 

 naturals. The following texts show that the term is applied to any being addressed in prayer. 



