Navajo Gambling Songs

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· NAVAJO 'GAMBLING SONGS.
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Or. WASHINGTON MATTH EWS1 U. S, A. , \%-4·'3.- \10,.,.-
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[Reprinted from The American Anthropologist. Jarhtary, 1889. !
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WASHINGTON, D: C. :
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JU.DU & _ DET\VEILEE.. PR1􀀙􁤱1'ERS. '
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15/47'1 B
8􀀆􀙦ft Lib􀀄􀐠 THE
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ANIERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST.
V c)L. 2. WASl1NG1'0N, D. C., JANUARY, 1889. No. 1 .
NAVAJO GAJ,\!BLING SONGS.
JlY DR. WASHJNGTON MATTHEWS􀀞􁸠 U. S- AR'MY.
The Navaj0s have a great nun.1ber of s9ngs which have been
handed d􀃮􎸬,vn in the tribe for gene:i:ations 􀃯􎽮nd ,vhose forms are well
established. Those SOP'gs, ,vhieh pertain to their rites and mythol­ogy.,
are so numerous that I have no hope of ever making a collec­tion
that will appr0ximate completei:iess .•
In addition to these trans1nittetl songs, they nave cbuntless im­pFovisati@
ns, heard at all dances and social gath.,erings not of a
religious character. 'The dificwlties in the ,vay o'f the Navajo im­provisators.
may 􀃰􏁯ot seem te us very important when ,ve, learn that
meaningless syl}ables 1nay be added at ,vill ·to fill out the verses, .and
that rhy1ning tert·ninations are not required. Yet they undoubtedly
have prosodicat 1a,vs understood, if not formulate<l, to confor1n
to ,vhich, they are often obliged to take liberal poetic licenses and
employ ter1ns n@t used in 0rdinary conversation.
The songs selected for prese;.1tati0n h.ere ,vere sung in a ga1ne
called Kesitce,* ,vhich, in the ,vinter season, is the favorite ga1ne for
stakes. On Ly a fe,v can I give. TQ 􀃱􏅯ollect atl, even of this 􀃲􏉡artic­ular
set of s'<:>ngs, ,vould take more time than I ,vill, probably, ever
be able to devo-te to. all btancl1es of Navajo ethnology. One old
man, in reply to my question as to the number of songs sung in
this gal''le, repUe,d that the.re ,vere fotir i􀃳􏌰0usa􀃴􏐱1..1:< .;, Of course,, this
,vas an .exaggeration and intended 􀃵􏔬,b􀃶􏘮.u11°eler􀃷􏝴t􀃸􏡯od as such; but
the statement was designed to ebnvey SOI.he idea Of tJie gre.at l1Ulll·
her that existed. Anotl1er Indian, an inveterate old gambler, ,vho
had n1ade Xesitce· '' the study of his life-, '' said that there ,vas not a
thing that walked o.r fle,v O'r crept or cra,vled in all the world (as
* Fron1 Ke, moccasins, and sitte, side by side, parallel to one another in a row.
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2 THE AMERICAN A'.NTHROPOLOGIST. [\'ol. II.
kno,vn to the Navajos, 1;>f course) that had not at· least one appxo­pxiate
song i n the game, and that many had more than one song.
He further stated. that it took nin1 four years tG learn all he kne,v.
I have not contented myself ,yii:h hearir1-g tp.ese songs fre-m the
mouth of 011e indi\t:idui.l, but have had thern sung to rrte by many
persons from widely- distant parti; 0£ the Navaj0 country-persons
,vho had, perhaps1 never excha11ged a ,vord \Vith one another in
their lives. The perfect uniforn1ity with which they were repeated
i n most cases1 and the close approach to unifQr1nity in all other
c􀃰􏁥es, \vere \V(i)nderfu1.
Tlie:,e, like all other transn1ittea songs of this tribe, depend on a
legend for their explanation. Recited by the1nselves, they seen1
almost mea1iingless; sung irr 􀃱􏅢bnnection ,vith the story tb'.ey are i􀃲􏊭­tended
t0 en1be1lish, their signific.anoe is a:t once apf)arent. It cis,
therefore, necessary that I should tell semething of the myth of the
Kes£tce; and, in order that the myth may be fully itnderstood, ·a
brief description of the game \nust be given.
TJIE GA¥E OF THE KESITCE.
This is, to some eX,tent, sacred in its nature, fo.r the play:i11g is
confined to the ,vi.titer, the 011ly time. when their mytl:is m-ay be told , ,
and their 1nost important ceremonies conducted. It is practiced
only during the dark hours. 1'he real reason foi- this i-s pro.bably
that the stone used in the game cannot be hidaen successfully by
daylight; but if you ask an Indian ,vhy the game is played only at
night, he ,vill account for it by referring you to the 1nyth and say­ing
that he on. ,vhom tl1e sun shines ,vhile he is engaged in the gaJne
,vill be struck b.Ji,nd. I nave heard that on some occasions, ,vh.en
the stakes are heavy and the day begins to da,vn. oh an undecided
contest, they close all the apertures of the lodge wit11 blankets,
blacke.n the skin around their eyes, place a watch outside to prevent
intrusion, and for a short tin1e cont-inue their sport.
The iu1plements of the game are eight n1oc.casins; a roundish
stone or pebble about an incl1 and a half in diameter; a blanket
use·d as a si;reen; a stick ,vith ,vhich to strike the moccasins; a
chip blackened on one side that they t􀃳􏍳ss up to decide which party
shall begin the game, and one hundred and t,vo counters, each
about nine inches long n1ade of a stif, slend􀃴􏑲r root-leaf of the
Yucca angustzfolt'a. Two of these counters are notched on the
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margins.
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Jan. 1889.J NAVAJO G.Al>IBL!NG SONGS.
TJ1e· moccasins are buried in the grouud so that only about. an
inch 0f their tops appea.t'and tl1ey are filled to the group,d level \Vith
po,vdered earth or sand. They are placed side by side a fe,v in·ehes
apart in two ro,vs, one on each side of the fire. The players are di­v:ided
i11t0. !\VO parties, each controlling one ro,v of moccasins. Whe11,
by tossing llp the chip, they have decided whit.11 party sh.all begin
the lucky ones· bold up a screen to conceal their operations and
hide the ball in one of the moccasins, covering- it ,veil with
sap.d.
,vhen all is ready they l.o,ver the streen and allb,v tha,t person to
co1ne forward ,vh0n1 their opponents have selected to find the ball.
He strikes ,vith a stick the moccasin in which he supposes the' ball
to lie. If his guess is cor.i:ee,t h􀃾􏸠 takes 'tbe stone, his comrades be­come
tJ1e hiders an.d his G>'pponents the seekers; but if h􀃿􏼠 fails to
indicate the plaee wherein the pebble is hid the hiders ,vin sotne of
the counters, the nu1nber ,von depending on the position 0f the
mo.cca.c;jn stru5!lk and the position of the one containing the stone.
Thus eaeh party i$ always bound to \Vin while it hole:Js the sto1re and
ahvays bound to lose ,vhile its opp0ne11t h@lds it.
'the syste1n of counti'ug is rather intricate, and though I perfectly
co1np,rehead it I do not consider a full description of it in this con­nection
􀄀􀀠 necessary to tlfe proper understanding of tl1e myth. It
will sufice to say that the number of counters lost at any one un­successfnl
guess can only be either four, six, or ten; these are the
only "eounts'' i n the game.
When the game begins the tQunters are held by son1,e u11interested
spect􀅴tor and handed ·to either side according as it wins. When
this original holder has given all the counters out, the ">inners take
from the losers. When one side has won all the counters the game
is do11e. The 0rigiual holder parts ,vith 􀄂􀉨he two notehed eounters,
called " grandmothers," last. One of the party reGeiving them '
sticks them 1.ip i11 the rafters of the hogan (lodge) a11d says to the1n
''Go seek your grandchildren" (z'. e. bring the other counters back
to ouI .side). The possession of the "grandmothers" is supposed
to bTillg good luck.
A go@d kJ:10\vledge of the songs is thenght to assist the gamblers
in tl1eir ,vork, probably under the impression that the SJ)irits of the
primeval aui1nal gods are there to help such as sing of them. A
song begun during an "in11ing" (to borro,v a term fro1n: the field)
must be continued ,vhile the inning last. Should this inning be
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4 THE AMER10AN AN'l'HROPOLOG:r.;T. [Vol. IL
short i't is not considered lucky to sing th:e sa1ne song again d.uring
the game .
EPITOl\1E O'Ji' '£HS MYTH OF THE KESlTCE.
In the ancient dacys there wer􀄋􀬬, as there are n􀄌􀰢"v, s0me an-i1nals
\vho sa,v be' tter, cot1l:;<l hunt better, and ,vere altogether hap􀄍􀵩ier in
the :darla1ess thain in the light; and there ,vere 'others who liked
not the darkness and ,vere h􀄎􀹰ppy only in the light of day. The
animals of the night wjs)J.ed it ,vould ren1ain dark forever a!1d the
animals of the day wished tlJat the l?Ull ,vou1d r;hine for,ever. At
last they met in council in the t,vilight to talk the n1atter ovei: and
the council resolved that they sho4ld play a 􀄏􀽡ame by hiding a stone
in a moccasin (as i n the game- no.w called Kesitee) to settle their
diferences. If the night animals ,vqn the sun shoulcl never ri􀄐􁁥e
again, if the day animals succeeded 11ever n1ore should it set. So
when night fell they lit a fire and commenced the gan1e.
In order t0 detern1ine which side should first. hide the stone they
took a small ,vea.ther0stained frag1nent of ,vood a.nd rubbed @Jle side
\vith charcoal. 'l'hey tossed it up; if it fell ,vith the black side up
the noctur11al party were to b.egin, but it fell with the gray side up
and those of the diurnal side took the stone. These raised a blanket
t0 conceal th.eir operations and sang a st>ng, which is sung to this
day b y the Navaj0s when they raise the screen in tbis ianie [No.
1, Screen Song], ai1d tb:e gaine went 011.
They co1nmenced the game with only one hundred counters but
a little whitish, old-loE1kiug snake calle.d lie-bite/Ji, £. e. maternal
grandmother of the snakes, said they ought to have tw0 more
eounters. 'l'herefore they made t,vo, n6tchea the1n so that they
would look like snakes and called them biteoz'
., 1naternal grand-inothers,
\vhich name the two notched counters used in the game
still bear.
The cunning G:oyote ,vould not c·ast his lot per1nanently ,vith
either side. He usually stood between the contending parties, but
occasionally ,vent over to one si.de or the other as the tide of fortune
s-eeme·d to turn.
Some of the genii of th0se days joined the animals in this co11test.
On the side of the night anit'Uals ,vas the great destroyer Yeitso,. the
best guesser of all, who soon took the stone a,vay from the day an­iJX/-als.
Whenever the latter found it i n the moceasins of their m00n-
1oving enemies they could not bold it long for the shre,vQ-gue.ssing
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Jan. 1889.] NAVAJO GAMBLING SONGS. 5
Yei'tso.,vould recover it. 'they lost heavily and began to tremble
for tl1eir cba11ces4 when some one proposed to then1 to call in tbe
aid of the· gQp,her, nasiti. F.{e dug a tunnel under the moc􀄮􂹡asins
leading fro1n 0ne to another and ,vl:ren Yez·tso ,v01.1ld guess t,lie right
1noccasin the-gopher, unseen by all, w0uld transfer the Stone to
al1other place [See Song No. 7]. Thus was Yeitso deceived, the
day-party retrieved their losses anti sa:ng a taunting song of J-111n
[No. 2, Yeitso S0ng].
But when they had ,von baek nearly all the cou11ters, luck ap­peared
􀄯􂽯o again desert the1n. 1'he noctivagant beasts came into
p0ssession of the pebble, and kept it so. long that it seemed as if
their oppo'neuts could nev-et regain it. Guess as e1ever1y as they
might, the stone was n􀄰􃁴t to be fo'und in the n10.ccasin indieated by
those ,vho loHged for an eternal day. 1'hen the o,vl sang a song
expressive of his desi1·es [No. 4, O,vl's Song], and when be )ad
done, one of the' ,vind-gods ,vhispered irtt© the ear of one 0f the
diurnal part'y that the O\vl held the stone in his cla,v.s all the time,
and never allo,ved it to be buried in 'the n1ocoasin. So, when next
the screen ,vas \vith:dra,vn, the enlightened day animal a<;l.vanced.,
apd, instead of striking a mcrccasin, struck the o,vl's claws, and the
hidden stone dropped out on the ground.
}\.fter this the gan1e proceeded ,vith little advantage to either side,
and the -auin1als turned th􀄱􃅩ir attention to composing songs ab<,>ut
th.e personal peculiarities, habits, and history of their 0pp0n.ents,
just as in social dances to-day the Navajos ridicule one another in
song. Thus all the songs relating to animals [Nos. 7 ad fin.],
,vhich form the great majority of the songs of the Kesitce, origi­nated.
Later the players began to gro,v 'drowsy and tired and son1e,vhat
ifldifereut f.o the ganTe, and again the ,vind-god whispered-this
time into the ear of th􀄲􃈠 naagpie-and said, "Sing a song o[ ,the
morning,." ,vhereat the n1agpje sang his song [No. 5]. As he
uttered the last ,vords, "Qa-yel-ka I Qa-yel-ka I" j(It da,vns ! It
da,ms !) the players_ looked fortl1 and beheld the pale streak of
da,vn along the eastern horizon. Then all hastily picked up their
counters and blankets and fled, eac;h to his proper home-c:;ine to
the forest, another to the desert, this to the gully, that to the rocks.
The beat l1ad lent l1is n10ccasins to be' used in the ga1ne. 'fhey
,vere, therefore, partly buried in the ground. In his haste to be of
he put them on ,vrong-the right m@.ccasin on the left foot, and
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6 'l'HE AMERICAN .AN'l'UB.0.POBOGIS'.1'. [Vol. ll.
vir:e versri; and this is ,vhy the b.ear's feet are now misshapen. His
coat was th.en as black as mjdnigb-t, but he dwelt 011 top. of a high
1nountajn, and ,vas so late jn gettii1g back to ms lair that the red
bea1ns of the rising sun shone u1Jon him, imparting their ruddy hue
to the tips of hiJ; hairs, and thus it is that the be.ar1 s hair is tipped
with red to this day.
The home of the ,vood-rat, /etsq, was a long way off, and he ran
so far a11d so fast to get there that he raised great blisters on his
feet, and this accounts for the callosities '"'e see 110,v on the soles of
the rat.
So t11e day da,vned on the undecided gaJ'ne. As the animals
never 1uet again to play for the san1e stakes, th.e original alternatio1-1
of day and night has never been changed.
TEXT .AND TRANSLATI0N OF SONGS OF THE KESI1'CE.
N@T.e:.-.In the Navajo words as they appear in this paper the vowels 1,ave the
continental sounds. 'fhere is only one diphthong, ai; ·' denotes· an aspirated
vo,vel ; c has the sound of sh in sltine; d before a vowel has the sound of th in
this; .I has the French sound; l is ahvays aspiJated, as if spelled hl; n above
the, line (n) is nasal; q has the sound of German ch in 111achen; tbefore a vo,ve1
has the sound 0f th in thzjig; the other letters ha-.,e the Qrdinary English .sounds.
No. , .-SCREEN SONG.
Atc-a' dilpa'li taoskle,
Atca' dilpu.' li tavskte.
Kolqga atnlt.
TRANSLATION.
The old screen hangs in front
The old screen hangs in front .
NOTEI,.
ate a', in front of; before.
dilpa'lii it hangs. This is applicable only to sornething broad and
flexible that hangs ten1porarily. Of a curtain o r portiere that hangs
permanently they say nipa'l£.
taos􀃥􎕬le, s0111ethi11,g otd, frayed, OT ,vo,rn; usually appl,ied only to
textile _fabrics and cloth0ing; ragged .
.k olaga aind is probably nreaningless.
Jan. 1889.] NAVAJO GAMBLIN(f SONGS.
No. 2.-YEITSO SONG.
Yeitso tci1u'/a' n£ee,
Teal azdetsel tci1t£ "'Haena I''
Yeitso tcz'nila! 1u'ee,
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Taal azdetsll tcitii C( Haena I .Fiane I''
' ( Ca'nenanoa' '' -'IIZ)'eko.
Teal azdetsel tcin£ '' Haena -' Ratte 111
TRANSLATION.
Thus says Yeitso,
Weeping ,vhile he st.rikes (at the moccasins,) he says, "Alas I"
Thus says Yei'tso,
Weeping ,vhile he strikes, he says, '' Alas ! Alas l ''
"Put it ye·back for me (where it ,vas before)" he says.
vV<;eping ,vhi1e lie stxikes, he says. "Alas! Alas!"
;i:-iOTES.
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xeitso, an importa11t aharacter in Navaj,o mythology, a giant who
was slain by the children 9f t.he Sun.
tcinil<f', thus he .says, exactly thus he says.
teal, he cries (while doing something else)-synchronal fornl.
azlets:el􀄲􃈠 he is striking at it.
tcini, he says. ·rhis woi-d may be said of one either absent or
present. Vide "infra, niyeko.
liaenal lzane 'I excla1nati0ns of Yeitso expressive of his chagrin
and disappointiuent; herhaps equivalent to Alas!
ca'nenan:oa, ca'nanoa, means '' replace it all ye for 1ne, '' and •
conveys the idea that it must be replaced e􀄳􃍡actly v,here it ,vas be­fore.
For the extra syl1able tte I kno,v no 1neaning. I have fueen
told by the Indians it is "just to make out the song." The luck­less
Yeitso hoped be inight find the stone if his opponents were siUy
·errough to d0 as he requested.
niyeko. Here the singer takes poetic license ,v1th the ,vor:d nigo,
he says-z'. e., some one absent or at a distance-says. Yeitso is sup-
1􀄴􃑯osed to make his plea ,vhile still on t)le opposite side of the lire,
bef􀄵􃕲re he approaches to seek the stone. But he says "Alas!"
after he comes over.
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8 Tll.lil AMEEICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST.
,. No. 3.􀀷􃝙YEBITUAI SONG.
Yen,,aqanzya kejo;'i ke,
Yen'aqa11iya ()OtJ ke;oji ke ee;
Yenaqaniya ad,
Apa1ia bitsidi alkiajdotkego,
Yenaqaiziya k􀃼􏱊Jo;i' ke, y-enaflanZ:a ke:fo},i kt,
'Yenaqantya aa.
TRANSLATION.
He comes to us on toes -and feet,.
He comes to us on tees and fe.et,
He comes to us on toes and feet,
With coat upon coat of fine-dressed skin,
[Vol. II.
He comes t0 us on toes and feet, he comes t.o us on toes and feet,
:fie comes tq us.
NOTES.
yenaqaniya, that by means of which one arrives, the "n1eans of
transportation." ye, a prefix forming ,vith verbs nouns denoting
means of moti0n. naqaniya, he arrives at our house, he reaches us,
he comes to us.
kejqj, toes.
ke, foot, feet.
apdna, buckskin. .
bitsidz􀃽􏴠 soft, pliable, devoid of stiffness; said of finely-dressed
buckskin, dead grass, etc.
alkiajdolkego, in layers on the person; refers to layers or coats of
flex·ible material, one on top of another, ,,vorn on the body.
Yebitcai, one of the genii or demigods, ca1ne late to the -ga1ne
and those who preceded him sang this song. In the dance of the
Yebitcai he i.vho enacts this character m0ves \vith a noisy, shufling
gait apd wears e0ats 0f fine buekskin, )vhile the other dancers are·
nearly naked.
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No. 4.-0WL'S SONG.
Ta-yolkal-nis£n-da1
To-yolkal􀃾􏹮nlsin-da.
HiJzi !uni hz'lti .
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Ja11. 188J. J NAVA.JO GAMBLING SONGS.
TRANSLATION.
I wish not the end of all the nights,
oi:,
l \Vish not the end of the last night.
NOTES.
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to-da, a 11egative adverb c0n11i1only divided so that, the first syl­lable
shall precede, and the last syllable succeed, the verb or sen­tence
\Vhicb it qualifies. Here ,ve have a n example of this arrange­ment.
yolkal, the end of all the nights, the etid of the last night; said of
the approach of da,vn on the last night.of any period as at the end
of a festival. The owl here speaks of the last night 0f all ti1ne.
nisin, I ,vish, I desire. This is usually p:i;onounced in,tz"n. Trans­positions
for euphony are com1non in the Navajo lallguage.
No. 5.-MAGPIE SONG.
:A.'a'a'£-nt I A'a'a'i-ne I
Ytt'4'ni-ai1ie I Ya'a•nt-alne l
Ezra' alktiigi b£klyiskti;< ne.
Qaye'lka' I Qayelka' .I
TRANSLATION.
Koya-azne
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The magpie! The magpie! Here t1nderneath
I n the white of his ,vings are the footsteps of morning.
It dawus ! It da,vns !
NOTES.
a'a'a'z" and ya'a!i are imitations of the magpie's call; a'a'i is the
onom􀃶􏙴topoetic name of the magpie.
kby<i, here beneath, here belo,v, or within; probably refers to a
hut or c:av:ern in ,vhich the gan1e wa.c, supposed to be played.
bita'' his ,vings.
alkdigi, in the ,vhite part; from kai or lakai, ,vhite.
bike, bis feet; hence, also, his fo0tsteps, his trail.
;viska', 1norning, the morro"'·
qayelka' 1 it dawns, it is morning.
ne and at"tie $eem t0 have no meaning.
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10 'l'H.li: AZ.fERJOAN .A NTHROT'OLOGIST. [Vol. IT.
The black quills of the magpi􀄵􃔧's "'tng!> ar:e 1nargined ,vith white,
and thus is the bla:c){ sMy of night bordered ae daybreak i hence, the
simile in .the song.
In the myth, as related to n1e, it is stated that the magpie sang
this song; but, ip the language of the song, he is referred to in the
third person.
No. 6.-Cl-IICl(EN HA \Vl{'S SONG.
Yoo qalaena, yoa qalatnd, J'OO qalaend
Qalaena end, qalqdna eno, )100 a31ee, }u:'na'' he􀄶􃙮na' /
Naes"tca qastz'1, c£zditini.
Ta'c􀄷􃜯/a' ka' nihisye; aitaj4 ci'z.aittnz'.
TRANSLATI0N.
The old owl hates me.
When alone I al,vays bring home abundance of rabbits, that is
\v,hy be Qate􀄸􃠠 1ne.
NOTES.
The first t,v0 lines have probably no l')leaning.
naestcd, the great horned o,vl, .Bubo Vi'rginianus.
qast1'1, : adj., old ; noun, chief, elder. The t,vo ,vords nar.stca
qastin I have rendered '' 9ld owl," but they might be translate<d
o􀄹􃥶vl-chief or ancient of the o,vls.
cizdz'tlni, he hates me; apparentlY, an obsolete or po.etic form ;
cizaini' is the 0rdinary, colloquial for1n.
ta'ii;"fz', I alone, l by myself.
ka', the.little wood rabbit, the '' cotton-tail."
nfhicy1!, I bring game home; said when an anin1al carries gan1e
back to its nest or den or a man canies it home (in quantities and
habitually).
ai'lapa, for that re;ison􀄺􃨠 therefore.
This song \V8$ sung by the chicken ha,vk (A"Ccipiter Cooperi),
called by the Navajos tsi"ya z'ld;'elie, or he who hunts under the
trees. The o,vl and the ha,vk ,vere out hw1ting at the same time.
The o,vl sa,v a rabbit and ·flew heavily towards it to catch it. The
ha,vk sa,v it at the sa1ne tirne, s\vooped nimbi y down, and bore it
a\vay bef0re the o,vl eottld reach it. When they met at the· ga1ne
the o,vl, angry with the hawk for his discourtesy, ,v0uld n,ot look at
, the latter or speak to hiin.
\
Jan. 1889. J .N:AV AJO G,AMBLING SONGS.
No. 7.-GOPI-lER SONG.
Naasizi tse'go i") £", £'"',
Na-asizi tse<go i", £". i",
Yintsell Yintsel I niei,
A'ha'ei a'lza'ei a'ha' ie.
TR1\NSLATlON.
Gopher sees \Vhere the stone is,
Gopher sees where the stone is.
Strike on ! Strike on !
NOTES,
11
nasi$£ or 1wsi"si, one or more spe􀄻􃭩ies of pouched gopl1er, probably
Tlimnonrys. In the soilg an extra syllable is added for poetic re­quire1nents.
tse'go, t.o the st0- ne, in t,he dire_ ction of the stone (ts- e')-i. e., tbe
stone L1idden in the moccasin during the game.
i", he sees.
yintstl, go on strik-ing it; Literally, coutinue chopping (something
1yjng on the ground). The n1otion of striking the rn0ccasin in this
ganie resembles that of chopping a pr0strate stick.
1\.s I have intin1atecl., this song ,vas sung by the diurnal party when
the gopher ,vas fraudulentlcy changing the position of the st9ne and
J!eitso ,Vas fruitlessly striking the moccasins ..
No. 8.-ELI{ S0NG.
Nisa nag' iyey- ey- e. Nisa 1taga'iye-yey- e. Nisa naga'iye.
Natsel£, naapitsilqtil,- tatli naga'
KoJac'inia. I(ola6t1zia. Kolacz"nia.
TRANSLATION.
He \\•anders far. He ,vanders far. H;,e ,vanders far.
1'he elk, I knocked him do,vn, but still he ,v·anders.
Let him go. I.,et hi1n go. Let hin1 go.
NO'.tES.
ttisa or niza, far; this fo,rm refers to motion, not to positio11.
nag-a' [ naga ], he travels, he roams, he wanders .
•
12 THE AMERIOAN A,NTI-IROPOLOGIST. L Vol. 11.
· ndt£e(i, seems t 0 be an old name fo.r the elk (no,v ea1led tse).
The Apa:ches, a tribe cognate to the Na ajos, apply, I am told, this
term to a steer.
naapitfilqal, I knocked him down \.Vitn a club or heavy in:,tru-
1nent. na, a prefix (s<ten in n4nigo, across) d:ep.oting that the blo,v
is delivered hoi:iz0ntall y; bi or pi, him; tsil i1nplies that the stroke
felled him; qal n,otes the a:ctiou perforn1ed in giving one forcible
stroke with son1e hea:vy implement, as a club.
tadi, still, yet.
kolac'inta, said t0 1nea(l let him go, or I let hi1n go, I allo,v.ed hiu1
to de.part (not I released him); but the etJ!n6logy is somewhat ob­scure
to n1e; apparently an obsolete or poetic fo1:n1.
Ot1e informant has told me that this ,vas sung by one of the an­cient
genii named Tonenzli. One day when hunting 11e 1uet the
elk, kt1ocked him do,vn and thought he "'as dead, but after awhile
elk rose and ,valked of and Tonenilz", taking pity on him, let hi1n
have his life. When he met elk afterwards at the game he sang
this song of the adventure.
No. 9.-CICADA SGNG.
Won'istcit/ ai"na,
Wonistcid aind,
Qanz;'' qastid aina,,
Hiya ake az'nd,
Hiyd ake haiye niiye.
TRANSLATION.
Cicada! Cicada! His nostrils are gone.
NOTES.
won'istcid, the locust 0r cicada.
9dni", nostrils, his nostrils.
qastid, an abbreviation of aqastid, disappeared, obliterated by
being filled up. If an arroyo becon1es filled by san,d wa$hing into
it, <;>t if a cellar is filled by natural p,roces$es1 they say aqastd.
The other sounds have no meaning:.
It is rela,ted that when the cicada ca1ne to the game some scanned
his face closely to see if they were a<;quain􀄢􂉥ed ,vith him. They ob-
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Jan. 1889.J NA V.AJO G􀀍􀵉IBLING SONGS. 13
served that he had eyes and 111outh like every one else but no nos­trils.
They thought he 1nust <!H􀄡􂅣ce ltav,e had them, but that they
had probably disappeared by a gro,vth of the flesh.
In this song ,ve have a rhyme of the significant ,vords.
No. 10.-ANTELOPE SONG .
.
Az"na. Lapa' O'l(JO' I Lapa' O'ZeJO'
At'na. Ts£{ji 1iaqoti:ny<1gi
Tcadz" nagit'ye,
Hi' owo', h£' owo', hi' owo', he.
'tANSLATION,
'fhe dun one, lo ! The dun one, lo !
1'rul y i n di-stant glade below
•
w an:.,ders the antelope. eancroft L,ibf-.r.,-
NQTES.
lapa', pale bro,vn, drab, dun.
tsifli [tsidz', tsida], surely, certainly, truly. Here it means that,
although the antelope. may be far away, the singer is sttre he recog­nizes
him.
naqotinyagi, in a distant glade below the observer (,vho is sup­posed
to stand on .a hill); na here i11dicates distance; qoti'' is said
of a space seen through an 9pening, as a room seen thro11gh a ,vin­do,
v; here it is said to refer to a glade; ya, belo,v; _gi, in.
!cad£, 'the An1erican antelope.
naga f
ye [naga., naga£], he travels, he wanders.
The other expressions are exclamatory or have no significance.
No. I 1.-BEAR SONG.
Ti"iti', ti"ite, tinz"ti', ti'''ite.,
T£"£ti' berzaca' qagod'e nlya 1
T£"£ti', ti"z"te, ti"zci', tz""zfe,
Ti"iti' benaca' qaditlo' qagotle niya 1
TRru'<$LA!fl ON.
•
(With) these four, these f0ur1 these four, these four,
'fhese four things t o ,vall< ,vitlt, ,vl1ence con1es he?
(With) these four, these four, these four, these four,
These four shaggy t11ings to ,valk with, whence conies he?
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14 THE AMl!:RICAN AN'l'HROP0LOGIST. [Vol. II.
NOTES.
ti"itt', t.hese four; ti'• or ti"i, four ; ti', this, these. 'fhe last
s.yllable i s changed b;y poetic license to te alternately.
benaca< , something to walk ,vith, a figurative or jocose expression
for legs.
qadltlo', hairy, shaggy, a shaggy eoat.
qdgod{!, from ,vhat direction, whence.
niya, he arrives, he comes here.
This. is suJ1g ,vith n1uch emphasis and ofteJi in time to 1uotions of
head and a.r􀄯􂽮ns intended to in1it.ate a bear "valking.
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No. 1-2.-BA,DGER SONG.
Aina,
Nahastcit siti' iii, nalzastcit s:itl' na,
Nahastcit sz'ti' izi·, nal1astcit sitl􀄰􃀠 na i
" Waurr" -·aaa, nigo, sift' na;
Bita indsokdigo st'ti' na.
TRANSLATION.
Badger is lying do,vn, badger is lying do1vn,
13adger is lying down, badger is lying do,YJ1;
" Wau,r " he says lying ao,vn · ' ' ,)
With a white strea􀄱􃄠 down his· forehead, lying dO\Vll.
NOTES.
nalzastcit, tfae A11erican badger.
siti\ he is lying do,vn.
''waztrr," an i111itati0n of the badger's gro,¥1.
nigo, thus he says.
bita, his forehead.
i-,ulsokdi, a white streak running d©'w'l; said of a ''blaze'' on a
horse's nose; a-perpendicular ,vhite mark ©n a wall or a bluff, &c.
No. 13.-SNAKE SONG.
Yunani ate/tel, yunani atciteel, yunani atcz'teel--e.
Qadisislacz"", qadisislac.i􀄲􃈢•.
TRANSLATION ..
He thre1v hi1n yonder, he thre,v him yonder1 he tl1re\\' him yonder.
I wonder where he lies, I ,v0a1der 1vhere he lies,
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Jan. 1889.J NA V'A.TO GA2v!BLIN'G s'ONGS.
NOT-1!:S.
y1􀄏􀽮nani, yonder, across, on the other si'de.
15
atcitel, he thre,v him. The f0rm of the verb here sho,vs that the
object is long and flexil;lle, as a Sl)ake or a rope.
qadisisldci", I ,v0nder ,vhere he lies. ·qadi, whe1·e; ci or s.i, I;
s£la', it lies (c£ and sz'la' are contracted into si'sld); ci" or cin de­notes
doubt and conjecture.
. This was sung about a snake. Its 11a111e does not appear, but the
forJ11s of the verbs i􀄐􁁤dicate the sut:lject of the song, a snake being,
probably, the only animal to ,vhioh they could well refer. A N a ­vajo
rarely kills a snake. If one lies in his ,vay, he puts a stick
u1)-der it and flings it to a distance. At the game a snake ,vas
thus thrown by 01:e party 0v􀄑􁅲r a1n0ng- the other party, and this act
gave origin to the song.
N@. 14.-GR.OUND-SQUIRREL SON<';. I.
Qazdi bz'egi koo sizz'nee,
Qazdt'. bzegi koo slzi1tee,
Altsozi ko sizinz􀄒􁈠 notozi ko sizini.
Hid dzneya, liid dineya.
TRANSLATION.
The squirrel in his shirt stands up there,
'the squirrel in his shirt stands up there;
Slen·der, be stands up there; striped, he stands ttp there.
N0TES.
qazdt􀄓􁌠 s0rne species of stril)'ed ground squirrel, probably a Sper-
1nophi!us.
oiegi, in his sbirt; bi, his; e, shirt􀄔􁐠 gt􀀂􀈠 in.
ko, there, in the place pointed to; lengthened by one syllable
foi- poetic reasons.
s􀄕􁕺zini, he stands up; the accent is changed for prosodical reaso11s.
altsozi, slender, slim; said of ,vire, etc.
notozi, striped, marked with long, narro,v stripes.
No. r 5.-GROUND SQUlRREL SONG. II.
Qazdi nas􀄖􁚷·ntstst􀄗􁝺z, nasinestsz1i.
Tsidiyaicpice ca'!!adicni;
Kay'dl indei!got, i'nde£!got.
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16 'rHE Ah{ERICAN .AN'.rBROPOLOGIST. [Vol.. II.
TRANSLATI@􀀌􀰮.
Squirrel struck me,, he struck me.
The titmice are angry on my account;·
They put their quivers on.
l\!0TES.
qazai, ground squirrel. See Song No. r4.
•
nasi°'ne'stsin, he struck me. The f0r1n of the verb denotes that
several blows were delivered horizontally ,vithout a "'eapo'tl.
ts£diyaicpice, the specific na1ne of a vety small bird, which I have
not identified; I believe it to be a titm.ouse. The na1ne refers to
their mode of flight in cl0se flocks. tsidi, a oird.
cadadecni, they are ang-ry on 1ny account, for me; literally, tliey
elose their eyes for me. •
kayel, a quiver; the combination of bow case and quiver in ,vhich
the Indian carries his weapons.
indeilgot. I am not certain of the etyn1ology of this word. It is
said to mean that they put their quivers on. The last line, as a
,vhole, is said to mean "they prepare for ,var;" as ,ve would say,
' ( they gird their armor on.''
Thi$ ironic song ,vas sung by one of the big ani1nals in derision
of smaller beings who attended the ga1ne.
No. 16.-LITLE OvVL SONG .
.
A£1,a
Tanaoclz!􀄉􀥧g􀄊􀨠 bi􀄋􀭣c􀄌􀰠 ya􀄍􀴠 o 􀄎􀸠 o,_ . } Repeat t,vice
Tanaocliyagz bztca yaa az az e. or oftener ..
TRANSLATION.
Do I expeet ( 􀄏􀽯o find) him do\vn tl1ere? His hat sticks up.
NOTES.
aina, ha.$ no meaning; it is an expressi&n used in beginning a
song by s0me people; in most cases it may be omitted at pleasure.
td.naor:!iyagi, do I expect him th.ere? Probably I may hope (ta
see) hin1 there. ta, a prefix de.noting interrogation or d.oubt.
naocli, I expect, I look for him. If I expect a visitor I say naoclt'.
yagi, a locative sufix; ya, belo)v; g.i, in.
bitca, his hat-£. e., his crest.
yaa, it stieks up.
.
Jan. 1889.) NAVAJO GAMBLING SONGS. 17
This ,vas sung of the burrowing ©wl, g!Q'bitqtt-nastca, ,vhich sig­nifies
'' o,,vl-an1ong-the-prairje-dogs." This o,vl was an obseure
little individual at the ga1ne aJld it \YaS dificult to see hitn, but the
singer sees his little. crest sticking up over the surface 0f the earth
(half hid den, as his crest is when be $tands at the 1nOl1th 0f his bur­ro,
v) , and thinks he 1nay find hi1n th.ere.
.
Nn. 17.-\'1TLD-CAT SONG. I.
J\!1icttti bike dinl, yooi 11£ yaa1n􀀓􁌠
Nactiti bike dini, yoolniya.
TRA,NSLAtTON.
vVild-cat's fooJ is sore,
,Vild-cat's foot is sore.
NOTES.
1zacttii, the A1nerican ,vil'd-cat, Lynx r1tfi1.s.
bike, his foot, his feet.
di1�i, it 􀄛􁭣ches, it pains, i t is sore.
1'11e res4 11as no 1neaning. •
This was sung in ridicule of tl􀄜􁱥e 􀄝􁵡autious, €lelicate t1·ead of the
wild-cat, "'ho ,valks as if his feet ,vere s©re.
No. r8.-WILD-CAT SONG. II.
A fnd, naet:iti bite il,ya,
Nactui bitcilya ,­@
atle qalkerf·
.
TRANSLATION.
He looks like a \Vild-cat,
He l0oks like a \Vild-cat;
The insides of ms thighs are stri-p.@d.
NOTES.
nactlii, the American ,vild-cat.
bitcil;1a, he lo0ks like, his appearance is (that of).
qatle, the insides of his thighs.
qalkij", spe.ttetl, 1n0ttled, 1narked ,vith short stripes or bars; said
of au animate eojec;:t.
qatle qalke;·, refers to th.e peculiar 1narkings on the inside r,ef the
eat'$ th,ighs.
3
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18
•
THE .aiIEltlCAN A􀀳􃌧'l'F!ROPOLOGIS'l'.
No. 19.-\VTLD-CA 1' SQNG. III.
Naetii.i zz tcoka 'le i,
Nactitz' ii tcoka'le e,
Yago n(l,jdilgole ;
Qatce indicgote;
"Rt iuzt " cilnile e.
TRANSLATION.
T11e ,vild-c.at ,vas wa1king,
1'he ,vild-cat ,vas wa,lkin;g,
He began to run do,vn ;
I ran to,vards him;
''Ratu," said he to me .
NOTES.
nacft'ti, the A1nericaJ1 ,vild-cat.
•
[Vel. II.
tcokit' le, he ,vas ,vatk·ing; said of one ,vho is ,val king at a distance,,
not be.side the spea){e1·.
yagp, dcnvn,vards, do\vn [the hill understo<c!d].
najdilgole, he began to run. The syllables najdi' indicate the
com1nence1nent of an a6tion tl1at continues some titne.
qdtce, to,vards (,a living object).
z"nrlt'cgiJle, I ran at or to him.
1·durt, an i111itation 0f the ,vild-cat's growl.
cilnile, he said to ,ne.
No. 20.-DOVE SONG. I.
Aina,
Bide etage, b.fde etage ee,
Eide etage, birle etage eee,
Tanf-qokai'tce etage ee.
A -ai a,ai-e a-di a - a i -e.
T􀀑􁅁ANSLATI©N.
The dove flies1 the dove flies,
1'he dove flies, the d0ve flies,
Towards the white alkali flat he flies.
!'{OTES.
•
bide, an abbreviation of qqcbide or tJU,cjJidc, the 1npurniu,g dove.
. J,111. 18,89.)
'
NAVAJO GAlfBLING SONGS .
•
19
efage, J.t flies.
tatti-gokaz"fce, toward tl1e \Vhite alkali flat; tant􀀅􀔠 that ,vhite saline
incrustation on the ground kno,vn tlu·oughout the arid region -of the
United States as alkali; qok<T,i (from the root kai), ,vhite oh the
cgr0und; tee, t0\vards, in the direcμo11 of.
N0. 21.-DOVE $ONG. II.
Wac woe naitlilitaa,
Woe woe 11a£dtiooo,
Woe 7.lOC nazdz"/d,t,a,
Ke litcitoi naz·ctildaa,
Tsinalkliji naz"dildaa􀄉􀤠
Wo,c wac nctidil»oo.
TRi-\NSLA1'10N.
Coo eoo pieks then1 up,
Coo coo picks them up,
Coo coo picks tl1em up,
Re4-moccasin picks the111 up,
Glossy-locks picks them up,
Coo coo picks then1 up.
NOTES.
•
••
woe woe, au i1nitation of th􀄊􀨠 voice of the dove, ''coo·;" used here
as a n.ickname for the dove, as are also the e􀄋􀭰pressions red-moccasin
and glossy-locks.
. .
nat"tlild [naidila'], he picks thetn (seeds) up.
kc􀄌􀰠 fee􀄍􀴬, foot, n1occasin.
lt"tcl, red; tl;le duplication of the last syllable- is a poetic license.
ke litci might be translated '' red feet," but the given translation
is 1nore- correct, considering the f@rn1 tl1e adjective takes.
tsi1zolkaJi", glossy locks; said of a person's hair \Vhen neatly;
con1bed a:nd well oiled; be1:e sa.itl figuratively of the beautiful shin­ing
head of the dove.
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