Ceremonial of Hasjelti Dailjis and Mythical Sand Painting of the Navajo Indians | Page 7

nine o'clock. Several large rocks were heated and placed
in the sweat house and as before white sage and Bigelovia Douglasii
were thrown in, the fumes of which were designed as medicine for the
sick man. After the invalid entered the sweat house, buckskin blankets,
etc., were drawn over the entrance. The song-priest, accompanied by
two attendants, sat a little to the south. He sprinkled meal around the
west base of the house and over the top from north to south and placed
the wands around its base in the manner heretofore described (the

twelve wands and medicine used were the special property of the
theurgist). The song-priest holding the rattle joined the choir in a chant.
To his right were two Navajo jugs filled with water and an Apache
basket partly filled with corn meal. A bunch of buckskin bags, one of
the small blue medicine tubes, a mountain sheep's horn, and a piece of
undressed hide lay on the meal. Near by was a gourd half filled with
water in which meal was sprinkled; near this was a small earthenware
vase containing water and finely chopped herbs. At the conclusion of
the chant the song-priest passed his rattle to one of the choir and stirred
the mixture in the bowl with his forefinger, and after a few remarks to
the invalid, who was still in the sweat house, he threw some of the
mixture in upon the hot rocks. This was repeated four times, when the
song-priest returned to his former position. The sweat-house priest took
from his shoulders a Navajo blanket and spread it near the door a little
to the right. A call from one of the attendants was a signal for Hasjelti
and Hostjoghon to appear. The two men personating these gods were
behind a tree south of the sweat house, their bodies, arms, and legs
painted white. Foxskins were attached pendent to the backs of their
girdles. As the gods approached the sweat house, the patient came out
and sat upon the blanket, and Hasjelti took a mountain sheep's horn, in
the right hand and the piece of hide in the other and rubbed the sick
man, beginning with the limbs; as he rubbed down each limb, he threw
his arms toward the eastern sky and cried "yo-yo!" He also rubbed the
head and body, holding the hands on opposite sides of the body. After
this rubbing, the sick man drank from the bowl of medicine-water, then
arose and bathed himself with the same mixture, the filled gourds being
handed to him four times by Hasjelti, each time accompanied with his
peculiar hoot. Hostjoghon repeated the same ceremony over the invalid.
There was a constant din of rattle and chanting, the gods disappeared,
and immediately thereafter the theurgist gathered the twelve wands
from the base of the sweat house. He removed the blue reed from the
basket and laid it a little to the left of the priest of the sweat house, who
in turn handed it to an attendant to be deposited with the wood of the
sweat house in a neighboring tree. The invalid proceeded to the
medicine lodge followed by the song-priest uttering a low chant. After
entering the lodge the invalid took his seat on the west side; the
song-priest, still standing, took from a small buckskin bag white

powdered material which he rubbed on the soles of the feet, palms,
knees, breast, shoulders, and head of the invalid; then taking a pinch of
the same material he extended his hand first toward the east and then
toward the heavens and the earth. After these attentions he took his
accustomed seat in the lodge and joined in conversation with his
attendants.
[Illustration]

SECOND CEREMONY.
Two sheepskins, a blanket, and cotton cloth were spread one upon the
other in front of the song-priest; and from the long reeds that had been
first rubbed with a polishing stone, then with tobacco, were cut ten
pieces an inch and a quarter long and two pieces 2 inches long. These
were colored black and blue, one long piece and five small ones being
black, the others blue. While these were being decorated the song-priest
and choir sang "My fathers, see, we are getting ready! We do our work
well, and you would better go into the house for we are to have rain!
Now, mothers, send down rain upon us!" This song was constantly
repeated.
The tubes when completed were laid in position to form a dual person.
The long black tube representing the body was first placed in position.
The long blue tube was then laid by its side and south of it. The pollen
end of the tubes pointed to the east. The right black leg was the next
placed in position, then