ZUNI RITUAL POETRY 



By Ruth L. Bunzel 



INTRODUCTION 



The Nature and Function of Prayer 



Spoken prayer in Zuni is called ?ewusu pena'we, "prayer talk." 

 This includes personal prayers, all the set prayers of rituals, chants, 

 the origin myth in its ritual forms, the "talk" of komosono and 

 other set speeches. It is also used for urgent requests. (?ewusu 

 peye'a — "he speaks prayers, i. e., begs, implores.") 



Prayer is never the spontaneous outpouring of the overburdened 

 sold; it is more nearly a repetition of magical formulae. A good deal 

 has already been said (p. 493) about the role of prayer in the ritual. 

 The prayers constitute the very heart of a ceremony. Lil^e fetishes, 

 they are sacred and powerful in themselves. Theii' possession is a 

 source of power; then- loss or impairment a great danger. Zunis will 

 describe esoteric ceremonies fully and vividly, but there are two 

 thing which they are equally reluctant to do — to exhibit sacred 

 objects or to repeat the words of a prayer. There is much less reti- 

 cence about songs, except for a few special, secret songs. Prayer fre- 

 quently forms part of set rituals. Then whether publicly declaimed 

 or muttered so as to be inaudible to profane ears, the efHcacy of the 

 prayer depends in no small measure on its correct rendition. The 

 prayers for individual use, such as accompany offerings of prayer 

 meal, food, or prayer sticks, requests for medical service, etc., are also 

 fixed in form and content, although they are indi^'idually varied in 

 degree of elaboration. "Some men who are smart talk a long time, 

 but some are just lilce babies." There are certain other occasions on 

 which men can display their skill in handling the poetic medium — 

 when they are visited in their houses by the katcinas; when they are 

 called upon to take part in the games of the Koyemci; when they are 

 appointed to office; or otherwise signaled out for honor or blessing 

 by the supernaturals. In such cases one must improvise quickly and 

 handle correctly the ritual vocabulary, rhythms, characteristic long 

 periods, and, above all, speak without any hesitation or fumbling and 

 for as long as possible. There is no time limit, no admonitions to be 

 brief and to the point. 



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