624 



ZUNI RITUAL POETRY 



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 ' 



Appeared, still small; 



When but a short space yet re- 

 mained 



Till she was fully grown, 



Then out daylight father,'" 



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 appointcfl 

 time. 



My children, 

 15 All my children. 



Will make plume wands. 



My child, 



My father," sun, 



20 My mother, moon, 



All my children will clothe you 

 with prayer plumes. '- 



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 aU. 



To this end, my father, 

 30 My mother: 



May I finish my road; 



May I grow old; 



May you bless me with life. 



le'si ^e'wanan'e 

 lion ya'onaka tsit i'lai5ona 

 li-'wan Kaliciankwin ta"na 

 ko''wi tsana ye'tsaKana 

 5 ho"i ya''k:atun te'kwi 

 ko-'w a'nte'we'tcikwi 



hon le'Eohanan tatc i'lap a''te'ona 



pi'tcik a'nota pe'kwin ci'wan-i 



yam ya'toka ta'tcu 

 10 an le'wanan pi"lana 



le'si ?e'wanan"e 



hon ^e'wanan a-'tea^fa 



hai'tokwin te'tcika 



horn tca'we 

 15 te'mla hom tca'we 



te'likina'we a"'ya'Eana"wa 



hom tca'le • 



hom ta'tcu 



ya'toka 

 20 hom tsi'ta ya'onan'e 



liom tcawe 



te'mla te'likina"we to"na le'ana'wa 



Ion i-'leana 



yam Ea'cima 

 25 yam lo'waconan-e 



hom tca'we te'mla ?o' ya'nhaitena 



yam kwa'hot te'mla ha'lowilin'e 



te'mla to' ya'nhaitena 



te'wuna' hom ta'tcu 

 30 hom tsi'ta 



ho' o'na ya"tu 



la'citu 



hom le'Kohanan a'niktciatu. 



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, 



Ea'eto'we,'^ 



le'si te'wanan'e 



i'tiwan-a 



hon a-'tatc i'lapona 



Eii-eto'we 



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



1" Our human father. Father is a courtesy terra applied to all supernaturals, all men who hold high 

 office. 



u " 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 endear- 

 ments between husband and wife. 



1^ A common play upon words a'lea'u means either to give into one's hand or to clothe one. Likewise 

 i'lea'u (reflexive) means either to take in one's hand or to clothe oneself. 



" Literally "the water object in the dish," the rain-bringing fetish of the priests. (M. C. Stevenson, 

 23d .Vnn. Kept. Bur. Amer. Ethnology, p. 1G3.) 



