800 



ZUNI RITUAL POETRY 



Ere our sun father goes in to sit 

 down at his sacred place 



Then our father ^ 



160 Will spread out his fathers' mist 



blanket, 

 Their perfect cloud house he will 



prepare, 

 Their rainbow bow he will lay 



down. 

 Their lightning arrow he will lay 



down, 

 And there will sit down quietly. 

 165 Far off from all directions 



Our fathers will make their roads 



come forth. 

 Making their roads come hither 

 They will sit down quietly. 

 170 Sitting behind them 



This many days, 



Anxiously waiting 



We shall pass our days. 

 175 When we reach their appointed 

 time,'' 



Yonder from all directions 



The ones who are our fathers, 



Life-giving priests, 



Life-giving pekwins, 

 180 Life-giving bow priests. 



All the Beast Priests, 



The divine ones. 



With no exceptions. 



All will make their roads come 

 hither. 

 185 Near-by, into the rain-filled rooms 



Of their daylight fathers. 



Their daylight children. 



They will bring their roads. 



At the place where they sit down 

 quietly, 

 190 Our child wiU pass his fathers on 

 their road. 



Into a being like themselves '' 

 They wiU transform him. 



155 yam te'Jaci-nakwi 



i-'muna kwa'tokatun te'kwi 



ko-w a'nte'we'tcikwi 



hon tatc i'lap a"'teona 



yam a''tatcu 

 160 a'wan ci'pololon pe'wuna 



a"'wan a'weluyan Ea'kwen ya''na 



ye'lete'una 

 a"'wan a'mitolan pi"lan a"una 



a"'wan wi'lolonan co'l a"una 



ti'nan la'Eupa 

 165 la'lhok" le'si te'kwi 



hon a''tatc i'lapona 



o'neal kwai"iEana 



o'neal i'Eana 



i-'tinan i-'laEiKapa 

 170 a''wan ma'si'a 



i'mialana 



le'si !e'wanan-e 



a'ntsume'na 



hon le'wanan a-'teEana 

 175 hoi a-'wan hai'tokwin te"tcij5a 



la'lhok" le'si te'kwi 

 hon a-'tatc i'lapona 

 o'naya''naka a''ciwan-i 

 o'naya'naka f3e'kwi"we 

 180 o'naya'nak' a'pi'ta-ci'wan-i 

 le- we'm a-'ciwan-i 

 Ea'pin a''ho'i 

 kwa tcuw i'metcam'e 

 o'neal i'Eana 



185 la'lik yam te'Eohanan a''tatcu 

 yam te'Eohanan tca'we. 

 a''wan Ea'cima te'li'tonankwi 

 o'neala kwa'tokana 

 i-'tinan i''laEika te'kwi 



190 ho"na-wan ?,e'apEunan-e 

 yam a"'tatcu 

 a''wona-e'latepa 

 yam ko'nhol ho"i te"ona 

 ho"i ya''Eana'wa{3a 



3! The pekwin of the society, who sets up the altar and makes the meal painting. This is done before 

 the novice is summoned to plant his prayer sticks. 

 " The fourth night of the retreat, when the ceremony of initiation takes place. 

 3^ The painting of the face and the body of the novice. There is power inherent in body paint. 



