| Show I T i IAN Tt t A N KS NG I An A 11 Old Indian Custom p Indian Dance at Taos durin 2 f fa a thanks festival q thanksgiving By EDITHA L. L WATSON of oi Shun Pueblo PuebloS I G on the edge of his hist lIttle little lit lIt- g 1 la l t tle tie cornfield the Hopi farmer I looks at his crop and smiles His Ills lips move and gentle words come from them words them words which carry I so much of that we I might guess their meaning from I the warmth with which they are I uttered and know because they are spoken softly as well as earnestly that the they were addressed to Those f Ir Above whom we call The Almighty Kwa kwI kwa kwi is what the Hopi says f S t f b. b thanks thanks 1 And in these words he be expresses ex ez presses one of the most characteristic of InI In In- r d. d s. s i Ck J r r I dlan customs that of giving Ing thanks on every occasion occasion and no matter how slight the pretext pretest W We Ve e may smile at the thought of uttering S l- l inside the p Pueblo thanks for the tLe presence of a visitor that his health Is good if it a child who has fallen tallen and hurt Itself slightly begin to smile again If 11 1 Ifrain f t rain comes for comes for any or all of the small matters gi which fill every day Yet we who pride our our- ourselves ourselves selves on our manners and who are prompt to acknowledge the slightest favor or from a fellow fellow- jI human cannot help but admire the et uette which calls for acknowledgment to Goo God also and when we realize that all these seemingly a s 's slight events are be beyond ond the unaided power of to about feel that have been man bring we we ungrateful to take so much for granted without 1 z I V bothering to acknowledge the source 4 o Not content with unending thankfulness the 4 I Indians also said grace sometimes both before 1 Cy Ss Ott r Sc find and after meals To the words of the little prayer were added an offering of food foo which x was cast into the fire as the grace was spoken xA Receive e oh source of my ancestry and eat I Isaid A Group of Santa Clara Pueblo Indians said the Zuni as he performed the rite Spirit By EDITHA L. L WATSON I G on the edge of his hist lIttle little lit lIt- l t tle tie cornfield the Hopi farmer I looks at his crop and smiles His Ills lips move and gentle words come from them words them words which carry I so much of that we I might guess their meaning from I the warmth with which they are I uttered and know because they are spoken softly as well as earnestly that the they were addressed to Those Above whom we call The Almighty Kwa kwI kwa kwi is what the Hopi says thanks thanks 1 And in these words he be expresses ex ez presses one of the most characteristic of InI In In- I dlan customs that of giving Ing thanks on every occasion occasion and no matter how slight the pretext pretest W We Ve e may smile at the thought of uttering thanks for the tLe presence of a visitor that his health Is good if it a child who has fallen tallen and hurt Itself slightly begin to smile again If 11 1 Ifrain rain comes for comes for any or all of the small matters which fill every day Yet we who pride our our- ourselves ourselves selves on our manners and who are prompt to acknowledge the slightest favor or from a fellow fellow- human cannot help but admire the et uette which calls for acknowledgment to Goo God also and when we realize that all these seemingly slight events are be beyond ond the unaided power of man to bring about we feel that we have been ungrateful to take so much for granted without bothering to acknowledge the source o Not content with unending thankfulness the Indians also said grace sometimes both before find and after meals To the words of the little prayer were added an offering of food foo which was cast into the fire as the grace was spoken Receive e oh source of my ancestry and eat I Isaid said the Zuni as he performed the rite Spirit partake I murmured the Dal Dakota ota woman and her husband echoed the whispered prayer and offering of gratitude In the Pueblo land lanel no cooking was undertaken en without an offering A pinch of meal preceded preceded preceded pre pre- ceded the bread Into the oven oyen a bit of each sort Eort of food was placed in the tile fire with a thought of thanksgiving for past and future before meals The smallest children had their hands guided In this little ceremony for the spirit of gratitude to Those Above for everything everything everything every every- thing and for tor food above e all was strong In every every ev ev- every ery Indian heart Clothing they could skimp If necessary shelter the they could do without but life itself depended on food and they were grateful for It It Is strange h how w nearly the grace before meals of white men and red coincide Both express express ex ex- express press thanks the white man by words the InI Indan Indian In In- I dian dan b by his offering of food as well and both ask blessings to come A Zuni grace runs as follows Makers of the trails of our lives and ye spirits of our ancestors of this add ye unto your our hearts after the manner of your our own knowledge and bless us with fruitful seasons needed water and age of life It must have been a very lovely world In which the ancient red men lived There were all the beauties of untouched nature to behold there were tasks to keep the hands busy and prayers to occupy the heart and mind The y Navaho prayer u Make take beautiful all that Is before me Ei- Ei y j I Make take beautiful all that is behind me t I It Is done in beauty 1 7 was answered dally daily to all the tribes and out of c this serene beauty of their Earth Mother there grew a very strong religion the essence of oft t. t t which was thanksgiving r There is a beautiful Tewa ceremony which v. v I occurs about time harvest time that that of giving the perfect seeds in char charge e and allowing the Earth Mother to to rest for a while The finest seeds of all sorts are searched out by the Kossa a summer sum mer priesthood and a few of each kind are sanctified guarded and planted about ten days r before the rest of the crop is put in In the fall tall the perfect seeds of these selected plants are gathered and at the conclusion of ot a feast of thanksgiving the Kossa rossa give gle them to the a winter priesthood to guard until j the next planting time At this time out of gratitude to the Earth Mother strong medicine Is made that she may sleep Bleep after all her toll All spring and summer 1 she has bas given of her flesh In n all forms of nature na na- tore ture to her children Surely she is tired and F needs Deeds to rest The feasting is done the next years year's seeds laid by and anti now comes a period h G In which the grateful Indian people keep quiet t io I f-I making no noise that that beloved Mother may sleep Bleep loud talking Is allowed In fn Tewa I Ny towns and every noise is hushed until she has hasI had her rest Here Is true thanksgiving thanksgiving prim primi primitive F f tive Uve naturally but sincere and expressed In la terms of human humankind I i The dances and ceremonies ogles which bleb preceded l various feasts were something like an enlarge enlarge- enlargement ment meat of the grace before meals time Harvest-time w meant happiness and it also brought with it the thep p obligation of giving thanks so by combining the ther f r celebrations with rites the Indian enjoyed both t and find did not neglect either There Is Isa a little Cherokee tale which illustrates the custom of celebrating before feasting Seven wolves went out hunting and caught a fat groundhog Their prey considering that with presence of mind there might be a chance for absence of body reminded them that people people peo peo- pie always danced for far gratitude when they had something good to eat giving the Green Corn dance as an example He Ile urged the wolves to todo todo todo do likewise and offered to teach them steps and to sing for them The wolves although they were very hungry eagerly agreed to hold this dance of thanksgiving and during their celebration celebration tion the groundhog escaped The Green Corn dance to which the animal alluded Is one of the favorites among Indian ceremonies of thanksgiving although it Is held beld at the time of green corn late corn late summer Among the Creeks this festival was the occasion of forgiveness forgiveness forgiveness for for- when injury and hatred were for forgot ot ten The ceremonies lasted from four to eight days and were marl marked ed by rejoicing over the first fruits of the year ear The Tile Pueblos also hold a green corn festival beautiful ul and symbolical a sort of grace b be before fore the harvest Then later in the year about tile the time of our own Thanksgiving day there are harvest festivals when the pra prayers ers of gratitude gratitude gratitude tude rise endlessly to Those Above as the happy happy happy hap hap- py people celebrate with ceremony and feasting the gifts which the Earth Mother has bestowed In one ancient Pueblo dance great trays full of the finest vegetables bread and meats were thrown about and trampled Into the earth forming form form- tag ing a great offering to e express the thanks of the people Although shelter and clothing are as Important Important important im Im- Im- Im to us as food we have not left of off the old age-old association of food with celebration Indeed Thanksgiving day centers around the dinner table At first a fast-day fast the carl early American colonists gradually assimilated the theold theold old Indian customs and today the annual feast of gratitude Is a real American institution Hence it seems all the more fitting that most of the dishes which are traditional to the tho day should be those which the Indians themselves enjoyed and celebrated In the eating First of ot all alI there Is that grand American bird the turkey Nothing like him was ever seen before and the newcomers thought that he must be he some relation to the peacock as he be strutted in his Iridescent finery Perhaps there is nothing more delicious than young wild turkey f fed d on nuts pinon-nuts which the Indians of the Southwest knew With this noble bird always go potatoes an American product which the natives natives na tives enjo enjoyed ed Ion long before the coming of Columbus Colum bus In fact In fn those pro discovery days America furnished some of ot the choicest and most palatable foods which we know of Some of them grew also In the eastern hemisphere but many were distinctly and distinctively American The Indians had real cause for tor thanks thanksgiving In the variety and tastiness of the food True Irue there was no beef but buffalo humps were a delicacy which has been celebrated In n proS pray every ery history of ot early Americans and ribs juicy and tender roasted over o coals would rival the tho famous cookery of the Old world yet requiring no other sauce than hunger But do not think that hunger was the necessary necessary sary ingredient of an Indian meal Cooking was not the haphazard operation we ve might believe believe believe be be- lieve It to ha have ye been There were three fifty-three ways of preparing corn and we should offer thanks on our own accounts for this Indian food as we eat succotash hominy and other corn dishes prepared long before our time b bj by bythe the savages of America There were deer and mountain sheep for a change from buffalo and fish from the man many streams and ducks and other birds were numerous numerous numerous numer numer- ous and varied so that no one need live on turkey The great kitchen kitch n maddens found along the coast prove pro that oysters were a greatly enjoyed Indian food and turtles also helped In n the menu While we are hunting for Indian dishes to place on the Thanksgiving dinner table we may give gi thought to the appropriate beverage bc for this truly American meal Of course the average n man will demand coffee which is not a native drink but mate which has a high caffeine content con conn tent would be the nearest drink of the sort Teas ma made e from dried flowers or flavorous twigs and roots would be truly Indian decoctions but bul scarcely enjoyable to our trained palates win the Apache beer made of sprouted corn would be appropriate but It Is alcoholic to a considerable con con- considerable degree The only real Indian beverage which appeals to modern tastes Is chocolate favorite drink of the Aztec kings After dinner In that hour when It is too early for the football game and every everyone one Is too contentedly filled fined to care about exertion anyway any any- way vay the air begins to grow haz hazy with tobacco smoke Here too loo is an nn old Indian custom closely associated with the giving of thanks Few Pew tribes used tobacco to smoke e as we do rather it carried messa messages es to the gods In Its clouds of smoke The pipe was presented or orthe orthe orthe the smoke blown i to the four world quarters s above and below helow to symbolize the offering of prayer In all directions ns It was puffed during ceremonies and at councils The Chippewa and many other tribes use tobacco as a thank offering When they cut a fi birch tree for Its bark barl they bury a little tobacco at the roots giving thanks as they do doso so The Pueblos tie small parcels of tobacco to their sticks prayer and the tribes which have havo do killing dog ceremonies fasten bundles of tobacco to the legs and neck of the sacrificed animals bidding them to carry these to the spirit land with them there to present them with prayers for health and plenty plent for the tribe Little of that ancient gratitude Is s left and we In our hard modern shells celebrate the da day of thanksgiving by feasting g without ceremony Yet In our hearts we have studied the question what are we thankful for and find man many things which made us glad to be alive amon amon them perhaps the fact that we are not Indians In In- J 1 JVe We Ve owe acknowledgment to Providence that much Is certain And because we after all are a thoughtful and a courteous people some time time during Thanksgiving day we will echo in our hearts the words said b by our predecessors cen tunes ago Thanks that It Is s so 1 i Q br by Western Union V |
