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"I am brave!" screamed Eagle as he stood with folded wings and flashing eyes not far from First Man. "I can fly among the clouds when the deep thunder rolls and the lightning flashes! I can fly straight toward the face of the sun! I fear nothing!" "I am brave," growled big Bear as he lifted his shaggy head above all who were standing near. "Look how big and strong I am, and how I can enter the darkest caves with no fear of the lion or the wolf who might be hiding there!" "I am brave!" sang fat Bumblebee as he flew above First Man's head. "Everyone knows that I carry a poison arrow, and they all step from my path when they hear my war chant." Then he buzzed his wings until they looked like silver spray, to show how fast he could fly. "Very well!" said First Man as he looked from one to the other, considering the three who claimed to be brave. "I am glad three brave people are here, for if the first one fails in this mission, the next will surely succeed." He was silent a moment and then continued, "Are you willing to go down to the mountains, that are now at the bottom of the dark waters, to find stones of four colors to bring to me? On the east mountain lies a stone of clear white crystal, on the south mountain is a stone of blue turquoise; at the west will be found a stone of yellow jasper, and at the north lies a stone of black jet. Someone must bring me those four stones; I need them to form the hearts of the four mountains." When he had finished speaking, a great silence fell upon the people who were looking hard at the three who had declared their bravery: big Bear, fat Bumblebee, and Gray Eagle. Then Eagle spoke in a low, shamed voice saying, "I cannot do that. I would lose my breath in the dark water, and if my feathers became wet and heavy I would never be able to fly back to land." Spreading his great, gray wings he flew far away into the sky. Now all the people turned to look at big Bear who had said that he was not afraid of anything. Bear stood first on one foot and then on the other while he hung his head and examined his paws, so as not to look at the waiting people. "I cannot do that!" he grumbled. "I am not as strong as the black Sea Monster, and I cannot see under water, so I could not find the four stones." Then big Bear shuffled away to hide in his dark cave where the people would not see him. "I cannot do that!" whispered fat Bumblebee as he alighted on a low bush and buzzed his wings very fast, trying not to seem ashamed. "The dark water would not be good for my wings or for my beautiful velvet coat, and I cannot swim at all." Then he flew away to his home. First Man and all the First People were very sad and disappointed when these three had gone, for it seemed that no one would carry out his plan. Everyone was afraid to go down into the dark water to find the four colored stones he needed to make this new world a safe place in which to live. No words were spoken, but everyone was thinking that someone else should be brave enough to go. Beaver looked at Turtle, and Otter looked at Frog, each one thinking that the other was a good swimmer and should offer to make the trip. Then suddenly they all heard a small, soft voice that said, "I am not brave! I am very much a coward in my heart! I cannot fly high in the face of the sun, nor can I walk into the deep cave where a lion might be hidden. No people step from my path when they meet me, for I carry no poison arrow and I sing no war chant, but if no one else will go to the bottom of the deep water for the four colored stones, at least I can try." Then small Duck stepped forward and stood in front of First Man and First Woman. Now when the First People saw that it was small Duck who had spoken these brave words, they acted very surprised and were extremely rude. They shook their heads and laughed and nudged each other. "Look," they said to each other, "what a great thing it is that small Duck thinks he can do!" And someone remarked, "As soon as he is in the deep water, the black Monster or Sea Serpent or Scaly Fish will swallow him like a ripe thimbleberry. Besides, how could such a small person bring four heavy stones from the bottom of deep dark water?"
But First Man walked over to small Duck and said, "Very well! You can try! No one could do more than that!" Then he took off his beaded medicine bag and slipped the strap over small Duck's head so the bag hung down on the soft feathers of his breast. "Take this with you," he commanded, "and when you find the stones of four colors, slip them quickly into this bag where they will be safe. Whatever is placed in this medicine bag belongs to me, and no one will dare to touch it or take it from you. When he had finished speaking, he sprinkled small Duck from head to foot with sacred pollen taken from the great bulrushes that grew at the edge of the lake. This he did so small Duck need fear no harm from the deep dark water. But First Man had no magic words or powerful medicine to give small Duck to use against the slimy Sea Serpent, Scaly Fish, or the black Water Monster. The First People stood around watching these preparations and feeling very sorry for small Duck. They knew now that he really was going to dive into the deepest part of the ocean and try to find the four colored stones which First Man needed to build his mountain wall. They said, one to another, "He is much too small! His wings are not wide enough and he cannot stay under water long enough! See how the medicine bag hangs down in front of him! It will slow his progress so the monsters will overtake him! He cannot swim fast with that on his neck! I fear we will never see small Duck again." Small Duck paid no attention to these remarks, but they did little to bolster his courage, and his heart beat fast with fear as he walked toward the water. At the water's edge he spread out his swift, smooth wings and widened his long beautiful tail of which he was very proud. No other water bird boasted a tail as long and graceful as that of small Duck. He looked around quickly to see if his friends were watching and then, with a couple of hops, he soared into the air and flew far away over the dark water. He flew and he flew until he had left the land out of sight behind him and, finally, he came to the center of the ocean where the water was the deepest. There he folded his wings over the medicine bag, pointed his bill straight down and dropped fast. Oh, so fast! into the dark water. Down, down went small Duck like a swift arrow, and the water grew colder and colder and the light grew dimmer and dimmer. "How can I ever know when I reach the mountains?" thought Duck. But suddenly the medicine bag, which had led the way, hit something solid. "This is one mountain," thought small Duck. "This is where I must find one of the stones. Gazing about, he saw a white stone that shone so brightly he knew it must be one of the stones First Man wanted. Picking it up quickly, he popped it into the medicine bag. Now he must move to the south before the sea monsters knew he was here. At the southern mountain he found the blue stone; at the western mountain he picked up the yellow stone; and in the north he found a stone of shining black jet. Now small Duck had the four stones safe in his medicine bag, and, so far, he had not been bothered by the Water People. He had come as fast as a streak of silver light and he had worked so quickly that the stones had been found before the Water People could recover from their surprise. But when he turned his bill upward and started paddling his feet to swim toward the surface of the water, he saw a long, shining serpent with open jaws coming straight toward him. Small Duck paddled this way and then he paddled that way, but all the time he did not forget to go upward as fast as he could. When he looked to the other side he saw a great scaly monster with many teeth swimming dangerously near. Again he was obliged to dodge this way and then that way to avoid being caught, while still going upward to reach the surface. Small Duck was becoming very tired now and the medicine bag, which had been of help when he was going down into the water, was so full of heavy stones that the strap rumpled the feathers and hurt his neck. He had not realized that the stones would be so heavy. "Shall I slip this strap from my neck and drop the bag of stones into the deepest part of the dark water," thought small Duck, "or shall I open the flap and drop just one stone to make the bag a little lighter?" As he was slowing down to do this, he saw a great, brown monster moving toward him with three long arms reaching out to grab him. Quick as a flash small Duck changed his course and darted upward, forgetting all about his decision to throw away some of the stones. He remembered that First Man and all the First People would be waiting for him at the edge of the water and that they would expect him to have all four of these colored rocks. Nor could he drop the medicine bag which belonged to First Man, no matter how much it hurt his neck, for if it was gone, First Man would lose all his magic power. Bravely small Duck clung to his heavy load and paddled faster with his feet. Just when the great-fish-with-many-teeth made a grab at him, small Duck's head popped out of the water into the clear air. Then his shoulders came above water and he spread his wings with a cry of joy. But alas! At that moment Scaly Fish leaped ahead and made a grab at him, and closed his jaws with a snap right on small Duck's long, beautiful tail! For a moment the brave little duck felt himself being pulled back and back toward the dark water. "Oh! No!" he cried, "this will never do at all!" And with a great flapping of wings he broke loose and flew upward leaving the longest feathers of his beautiful tail caught in the shark's cruel teeth. It was not easy to fly with most of the feathers missing from his tail, and he was so very tired from his swim, but he would not give up now. Straight as an arrow he flew toward the land where all the First People were waiting to see if he would ever come back. Hosteen Hawk was the first to see him from a great distance and began screaming, 'Here he comes! Here he comes! I can see him! I can see him!" Then Falcon, whose eyesight was very keen, cried, "He is carrying the heavy medicine bag! He has the stones! He has the stones!" By that time everyone could see small Duck flying toward them over the dark water. They were all very excited and jumped up and down crying, 'He has returned from the deep ocean! He has brought the four stones!" Small Duck was flying slowly now as he was very weary and the bag was fast becoming too heavy. He folded his wings and landed in front of First Man, who was standing not far from the water's edge. Small Duck was glad that his perilous mission had been accomplished. He said nothing for he was having a hard time gasping for breath. When he slipped the strap from his neck, First Man took the bag and started to open the flap; all the others crowded around to get a glimpse of the contents. While this was being done and no one was looking at him, small Duck slipped away and hid himself in the tall reeds that grew by the water's edge, for he was quite ashamed of his short tail. He was hoping that when the big scaly fish opened his jaws the long, beautiful feathers from his tail would float to the shore where he could find them. So he stayed in the shallow water among the reeds to watch for them, but he never found them, and to this day all ducks have short tails. First Man had taken the heavy medicine bag to open it while all the First People crowded around to obtain a glimpse of the four stones that had been brought from the mountains under the dark water. They were quite disappointed when they saw them, for they did not look any different from the stones they had used for building their houses in the lower world. But First Man seemed satisfied and said, "Yes, these are the right ones! Now we will soon have four mountain walls to protect us from the raging ocean waves." He took out the white stone and carried it to the eastern edge of the land; he blew on it four times so that it grew higher and higher with each breath, until he ceased blowing. Going to the north of the land, he again blew four times, and the tall white rock spread in that direction until it could go no further. First Man then blew on the opposite side and the land grew in that direction, forming a long range of white mountains that completely shut out the ocean along the eastern side. First Man took the blue turquoise stone to the south and shaped a long range of blue mountains there, in the same way he had created those in the east. Then he created a range of still higher mountains in the west, and in the north he made many black peaks. Now the land was completely surrounded by high mountains, but in growing so large and wide, they had spread over the countryside so far that little space remained on which the First People might live. When First Man saw how small the level land had become, he called the four Wind People to come to his assistance. Each of the four winds blew with all its might against one of the mountain walls and, one by one, each of the mountain ranges moved slowly back into the water, leaving mesas, small hills, valleys and desert land where they had been standing. So when the winds ceased blowing, all kinds of land were present on which the First People could make their homes.
Now when all this was finished and the First People felt safe from the ocean waves and the hungry sea monsters, they began looking around to see what had become of small Duck. They wished to thank him for his bravery and to say they were sorry they had made fun of him. They searched and searched, but small Duck was nowhere to be found. He had hidden himself in the reeds and tangled grasses, as he did not want the First People to laugh at his short tail. When they failed to locate his hiding place, First Man said to all the people, ''Small Duck proved himself the bravest of all. He undertook the hard and dangerous task even when his heart was full of fear. He brought us the four stones that now stand like a great fortification between us and the dangerous waters. From now on, no one of us shall ever try to harm small Duck, or destroy his nests." And to this day, that law is carefully observed by the Navaho people.
The dimensions of a basket often exceed twelve to fourteen inches in diameter, and are usually a fraction more than three inches in depth. As a material, the twigs of sumac (ki, or chilchin) are used. A triple incision is made into the butt end of the twig, one part of which is held between the teeth while the other two are torn off with the fingers. Each part is then scraped clean of its bark with a knife of piece of tin, and the twigs to be dyed are laid aside in a heap, while the natural color of the twig furnishes the lighter shades of the designs. The dyes used are identical with those used for coloring wool, though, obviously, the mordant of boiled sumac leaves (ki) becomes superfluous. Cedar ashes supposedly add luster to the color and contribute to its adhesive quality. Black was obtained from surface coal (lejin), added to boiling sumac leaves (ki), or from a sulfurous rock (tsekho), slightly roasted (ilt'es) with pine gum or rosin (je'). When ready this was added to the boiling twigs giving them a lustrous black color similar to charcoal (t'esh nahalin). The root of juniper (gad behetl'ol) and mountain mahogany (tseesdasi behetlol) are boiled together, after which the ground bark of alder (kish yikago) is added to obtain a pale red, into which the twigs are immersed. At times the joint fir (tlo' azehi, Ephedra trifurcata) is substituted for alder bark, while cedar ashes add luster to the color.
Blue was frequently obtained with indigo, though a native blue is also prepared from a bluish clay or ocher called adishtl'ish, which is pulverized and mixed with water. Various shades of yellow are obtained with plants like Bigelovia (kiltsoi), the sneeze weed (naeeshja ilkhei, Helenium hoopesii), or the sorrel (jat'ini), the flowers of which are crumpled and boiled, with cedar ashes thrown in.
The dyeing done, the twigs, both colored and uncolored, are placed in water to render them moist and pliable. The butt ends of the first twigs are wound around a small stick known as the bottom of the basket, and secured there with yucca. An awl, made of deer-bone (bi' bikhetsin), is now used in sewing the basket for which an iron awl is found impractible. The sewing is always done sunrise, or from left to right, giving the basket the shape of a helical coil when finished. Much deftness and constant application are required to obtain a close weave which will hold water after a few minutes moistening, while baskets of inferior quality require moistening much longer. The designs are, of course, woven with the colored twigs. Yellow and blue, however, are now rarely used, and the usual pattern is a band three to six inches wide, woven with zigzag edges in black with a line of red running through the center, and set, as it were, on a light background made of the natural color of the twig. Or, this band is sometimes displaced by a set of four or more square figures woven at intervals, with a colored circle entwining the lower part of each square. The colors in this and the first pattern might be increased to two or more according to taste. Both patterns are designated as tsa', basket, without reference to their designs. Of the two extinct patterns, the tsa' netse', or coiled basket, presented a design of vari-colored coils following each other, while the tsa' hokhani, or basket of enclosures, presented a set of four triangles whose apices rested on the center or bottom of the basket. From the base of each of these triangles three squares, increasing in width, extended to the rim of the basket, giving the whole design a shape similar to the Maltese Cross. While no special rules were laid down with regard to the blending of colors, or the number of figures and circles in a design, it was essential that every design be broken or intersected by a line of uncolored twigs. In baskets with circular designs this was comparatively easy, but in the tsa' hokhani, or basket of enclosures, it was found necessary to intersect one set of squares in order to make this line quite apparent. It was therefore called qaatqin (qatqin), the way out, or chohot'i, the line leading out, and was prescribed lest the sewer, in bending all her energies and applications upon her work, enclose herself and thus lose her sight and mind. A parallel is found in overdoing weaving, singing, in amassing fortune, or in the opening left in the figure of the queue and bow. This intersection always runs in a radial line with the close of the seam on the imbricated rim of each basket, which in turn serves as a guide in the directional assignment, as the close always faces eastward. Hence the singer always looks or feels for the closed rim, designated as bida' astl'o, where the rim is woven (instead of sewed). The details involved in mending this rim, as well as the taboo placed upon the wearing of a basket as a headgear, the legends of the origin of the basket, and relative subjects, are beyond the scope of the present work. Suffice to say, that the basket is made exclusively for ceremonial use, and is an integral part of every rite, as none is holy (diyin) without it.
The strength and elasticity of the Navaho basket renders it serviceable as a drum, in other words, it is turned down and beaten with the drumstick. Should it be turned up again before the close of the ceremony, it indicates that the singer has suspended the continuation of the ceremony. The basket is also used as a receptacle for the rattles, prayersticks, stones, herbs, medicines, and like ceremonial paraphernalia. The ceremonial bath is administered in the basket. The mask of the Fringed Mouth (zahodolzhai) is supported on a basket from which the bottom has been cut out. At the marriage ceremony a new basket is required in which to serve the porridge. As it is frequently impossible for the couple to consume its contents, the basket is passed around to the visiting guests. Whosoever consumes the final portion of the porridge also takes possession of the basket, wherefore baskets thus obtained are designated as tsa' na'obani, or the basket which was won. It is otherwise referred to as danakhan bi'odani, the basket from which they eat the porridge. The so-called wedding basket is therefore unknown. In the early days baskets were woven of yucca braid. The pith of the yucca leaf was extracted and dyed in the same manner as sumac twigs today. It was also permissible to use the designs of the basket in the decoration of the uppers for moccasins made of yucca. The remnants of twigs used for baskets are employed in constructing the so called owls (naeshja). Pgs. 291-296
Even such everyday tasks as weaving must be done only in moderation. Many women will not weave more than about two hours at a stretch; in the old days unmarried girls were not allowed to weave for fear they would overdo, and there is a folk rite for curing the results of excess in this activity. Closely related is the fear of completely finishing anything: as a "spirit outlet," the basket maker leaves an opening in the design. Pgs. 225-226
According to Washington Matthews the Navahoes have many legends with which baskets are connected. Here is a description of the first baby baskets ever made. Surely none but a poetic and imaginative people could ever have conceived so wonderful a basket. Their gods of war were born of two women, one fathered by the sun, the other by a waterfall, and when they were born they were placed in baby baskets both alike as follows: The foot-rests and the back battens were made of sunbeam, the hoods of rainbow, the side-strings of sheet lightning, and the lacing strings of zigzag lightning. One child they covered with the black cloud, and the other with the female rain.
Another form of this story says that the boy born first was wrapped in black cloud. A rainbow was used for the hood of his basket and studded with stars. The back of the frame was perihelion, with the bright spot at its bottom shining at the lowest point. Zigzag lightning was laid in each side and straight lightning down the middle in front. Niltsatlol (sunbeams shining on a distant rainstorm) formed the fringe in front where Indians now put strips of buckskin. The carry-straps were sunbeams. Pg. 23
In many Indian ceremonies baskets play a most important part. For nine days these ceremonies last, the first day being devoted to the building and dedication of a medicine hogan and a sweat house. Around this sweat house wands of turkey feathers were placed, which were brought hither in one of these sacred baskets; and when the sweating process was over the wands were collected, placed in the basket and removed to the medicine hogan. On the fourth day two of these baskets figured prominently in the ceremonies. A medicine basket containing amole root and water was placed in front of a circle made of sand and covered with pine boughs. A second basket contained water and a quantity of pine needles sufficiently thick to form a dry surface, and on the top of these needles a number of valuable necklaces of coral, turquoise and silver were placed. A square was formed on the edge of the basket with four of the turkey wands before mentioned. The song priest with rattle led several priests in singing. The invalid sat to the northeast of the circle, a breech cloth his only apparel. During the chanting an attendant made suds by macerating the amole and beating it up and down in the water. The basket remained in position; the man stooped over it, facing north; his position allowed the sunbeams which came through the fire opening to fall upon the suds. When the basket was a mass of white froth the attendant washed the suds from his hands by pouring water from a Paiuti basket water-bottle (Fig. 20) over them, after which the song priest came forward and with corn pollen drew a cross over the suds, which stood firm like the beaten whites of eggs, the arms of the cross pointing to the cardinal points. A circle of the pollen was then made around the edge of the suds." This crossing and circling of the basket of suds with the pollen is supposed to give them additional power in restoring the invalid to health. The invalid now knelt upon the pinion boughs in the center of the same circle. "A handful of the suds was placed on his bead. The basket was now placed near to him, and he bathed his head thoroughly ; the maker of the suds afterwards assisted him in bathing the entire body with the suds, and pieces of yucca were rubbed upon the body. The chant continued through the ceremony and closed just as the remainder of the suds was emptied by the attendant over the invalid's head. The song priest collected the four wands from the second basket, and an attendant gathered the necklaces; a second attendant placed the basket before the invalid, who was now sitting in the center of the circle, and the first attendant assisted him in bathing the entire body with this mixture; the body was quite covered with the pine needles, which had become very soft from soaking. The invalid then returned to his former position at the left of the song priest, and the pine needles of the yucca,or amole, together with the sands, were carried out and deposited at the foot of a pinion tree. The body of the invalid was dried by rubbing with meal." This taking out of the sands, pine needles, etc., used in the ceremony was supposed to take away so much of the disease that had been washed from the invalid.
Later in the day at another most elaborate ceremony baskets filled with food are placed in a circle around a fire in the medicine lodge. One of the priests takes a pinch of food from each basket, and places it in another basket. This is then prayed over, smoked over and thus made a powerful medicine by the song-priest. After the priest has gone through several performances with it, the invalid dips his three first fingers into the mixture, puts them in his mouth, and loudly sucks in the air. This is repeated four times. Then all the attendants do likewise, with a prayer for rain, good crops, health and riches. This food is afterwards dried by the chief medicine man, made into a powder, and is one of his most potent medicines. On the sixth day a great sand painting is made in the medicine lodge, and the invalid, as he enters, is required to take the sacred medicine basket, which is now filled with sacred meal, and sprinkle the painting with it. The chief figures of the painting were the goddesses of the rainbow, whose favor it was desired he should gain. Again and again in the ceremonies these sacred baskets are used, and on the ninth day in the concluding dance the invalid takes it full of sacred meal and sprinkles all the dancers. The full description of this wonderful series of ceremonies is found in the Eighth Annual Report of the U. S. Bureau of Ethnology.
If the margin is worn through or torn, the basket is unfit for sacred use. The basket is one of the perquisites of the shaman when the rites are done; but he, in turn, must give it away, and must he careful never to eat out of it. Notwithstanding its sacred uses, food may be served in it by any other person than the shaman who has used it ceremonially. Fig. 29 shows the other form of Navaho sacred basket. It is also made of aromatic sumac, and is used in the rites to hold sacred meal. The crosses are said to represent clouds, heavy with rain, and would indicate that this basketry design may have had its origin in its use during ceremonies intended to bring the rain. Another important ceremony of the Navahoes in which this basket figures is that of marriage. Another interesting thing about this Navaho wedding basket it is well to notice, and that is that the finishing off of the last coil of the basketry always comes directly opposite to the Shipapu opening. This is for the purpose of enabling those who use the basket at night to determine where the Shipapu opening is, so that they may hold the basket in the proper ceremonial way, which requires that the Shipapu opening shall always be turned towards the East. This finishing off place on the rim of the basket is called by the Navahoes the a-tha-at-lo. According to Matthews, the sacred basket used in all these ceremonials has another important function to perform. It is used as a drum. He says: "In none of the ancient Navaho rites is a regular drum or tomtom employed. The inverted basket serves the purpose of one, and the way in which it is used for this simple object is rendered devious and difficult by ceremonious observances." Then over a page of description is required to tell how the shamans proceed when they "turn down the basket" to make a drum of it at the beginning of the songs, and "turn up the basket" at the close. Everything is done with elaborate ceremony. "There are songs for turning up and turning down the basket, and there are certain words in these songs at which the shaman prepares to turn up the basket by putting his hand under its eastern rim, and other words at which he does the turning. For four nights, when the basket is turned down, the eastern part is laid on the outstretched blanket first, and it is inverted toward the west. On the fifth night it is inverted in the opposite direction. When it is turned up, it is always lifted first at the eastern edge. As it is raised an imaginary something is blown toward the east, in the direction of the smoke-hole of the lodge, and when it is completely turned up hands are waved in the same direction, to drive out the evil influences which the sacred songs have collected and imprisoned under the basket."
Even in the making of this sacred basket many ceremonial requirements must be heeded. In forming the helical coil, the fabricator must always put the butt end of the twig toward the center of the basket and the tip end toward the periphery, in accordance with the ceremonial laws governing the disposition of butts and tips. Pgs. 33-37
By 1973 there were over 100 basket weavers on and off the reservation, and 125 potters in Chinle Agency alone. At least in part, commercialization stimulated the revival of these crafts. . . . . In the Oljeto area, basketweavers began producing baskets with yei figures woven into their designs. While such baskets could not be used in religious ceremonies, they found a ready market with non-Indians. Pg. 252
The Navajo wedding basket also reflects many values of traditional life and so often contains all six sacred mountains, including Huerfano and Gobernador Knob, though the size of the basket may determine the number of mountains in the design. The center spot in the basket represents the beginning of this world, where the Navajo people emerged from a reed. This is where the spirit of the basket lives. The white part around the center is the earth, the black symbolizing the sacred mountains upon which are found water bowls. Above them are clouds of different colors. The white and black ones represent the making of rain. A red section next to the mountains stands for the sun's rays that make things grow. Pg. 19
The basket for the emetic in the first War Ceremony was of crystal.
An indispensable requirement of a chant is the basket; at least one is believed
to represent whiteshell. All the precious stones are mythical basket materials.
Frequently the basket is of one stone with a contrasting rim - whiteshell rimmed
with turquoise or the reverse; abalone rimmed with redstone or the reverse,
jet with an abalone rim or the reverse.
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The fibers of baskets used to be of yucca. Baskets are not used much secularly but have a prescribed place in ceremonies.
They are often called "wedding" baskets because one holds the ceremonial
mush which the bride and groom eat alternatingly. The function of the basket
in curing ceremonies is perhaps greater, but not as well known. When preparations
for a ceremony are made, one of the questions asked is, "How many baskets
must be provided?" They become consequently an important item of trade.
Their manufacture is surrounded with such a number of taboos difficult to keep
that Navajo rarely make them, preferring to trade them from their neighbors,
the Ute and Paiute, who have not the prescribed taboos.
Another form of purification is the yucca bath. The "one-sung-over"
bathes from head to foot in the yucca suds which fill a ceremonial basket. He
is careful to stand within the limits of a platform made of sand from the cornfield
which has been carefully spread. On it special places are designated for the
basket and for the patient's knees and hands, for he kneels to get his hair
in the basket. The water which drains off of him must fall on the sand. When
all is over, this may be gathered up like a blotter and the evils may be carried
out and dissipated.
An indispensable requirement of a chant is the basket; at least one is believed to represent whiteshell. All the precious stones are mythical basket materials. Frequently the basket is of one stone with a contrasting rim - whiteshell rimmed with turquoise or the reverse; abalone rimmed with redstone or the reverse, jet with an abalone rim or the reverse.
The basket for the emetic in the first War Ceremony was of crystal.
Basket (tsa') has already been extensively treated. There are, however, certain points that have not been stressed; one concerns the number of baskets necessary to a ceremony-the discussions often imply that there is only one (Ch. 14). A part of the agreement between chanter and sponsor is the provision of the baskets, as important as the payment to the singer. When the chant is over, some baskets are presented to the chanter or some other participant in the ceremony; borrowed baskets are returned to the owner, who may be the chanter or almost anyone who can provide them. Certain taboos, some very strict, attach to the basket. Nowadays it has become an article of trade, procurable at a trading post. Baskets so bought may be considered neutral, having no restrictions and no evil attached to them; the ceremony gives them blessing value.
Because of the 'drawing power' of the earth, sacred objects should not touch the ground; consequently, ceremonial properties-War Ceremony rattlestick, prayersticks, hoops, bundle equipment-must be placed on or in something; it is often a basket, especially for assembled bundle equipment.
I had to provide five baskets for the Shooting Chant Prayerstick branch. I paid for four and borrowed one from RP, the chanter. One was used for the layout of branch symbol prayersticks during their preparation and for the subsequent bundle equipment layout, one for the emetic, one for the drum, one for the bath, and one for the ceremonial mush. After the bath the chanter put his bundle layout in the basket that had been used for the bath. Every ceremony undoubtedly has similar requirements; some have more, some fewer.
The basket represents jewels and therefore the potentiality of wealth, with its provision for proper offerings. Baskets are often thought of as consisting of one of the precious stones, rimmed with a contrasting jewel (Ch. 12); such baskets are prescribed for the Hail Chant. In addition, one of Heat and one of Mirage (aragonite) are required. The War Ceremony emetic was prepared and the unseasoned mush was served in a rock-crystal basket. Since the mush was inexhaustible, there is a relation between the rock-crystal basket and the yellow bowl.
The Flint Chant baskets represent jewels; the plants put into them ceremonially became meat which, with other plants eaten by rare game, became gruel (Kluckhohn-Wyman, pp. 44, 60; Matthews 1894b, pp. 202-8; 1897, p. 211, 5n; Haile 1938b, pp. 33, 105, 207, 243; 1943a, pp.15, 184, 190; Goddard, pp. 142, 164; Reichard 1944d, p.49; Shooting Chant ms.; Tschopik, pp. 257-62).
Basket drum was described by Matthews and Kluckhohn-Wyman (Matthews 1894b; 1902, pp.59-63, 163, 165; Kluckhohn-Wyman, p.44; Haile 1938b, pp.33, 243).
