Page:IJAL vol 1.djvu/131

 NO. 2

��TEPECANO PRAYERS

��123

��0' XI

beautiful

��a'r'gidic ganavarci'vgcrk

are formed they which are seven

to'tvak.dam nampuda-'dar gatgo'korak skies on that they are seated that our manes

napurica'p'ma'cimka't ga.anoi'k'ar

that is well appearing, spread out that their patio.

kuha'pu.pi'c.6-p- ti'cupata'n ha-'gicdara Then thus also we also them beg pardon

��ganamarickoi ' k - am they who are the dead seated

��nampuaniho'da'dar that they hereabouts are*

��kuga"gurahowan Then aside there

��awo'poi.dam their paths on.

mi'M.u'rin-ka kuhi'dikoD ami'tun-

they selves will cast. Then this with they me*

ha-'gicda konki'hap.i ni'c.anra'tut kumi'- will pardon. With which thus is I them=

cause to know that<=

tunha-'gicdaN konkidios pocambi'ak'a they me will pardon. With which God you will* sympathize.

NOTE

After death, at least before Christian times, a person became a puff of wind, wandering over the world and sickening those with whom it came into contact. When the priest- doctor's diagnosis showed sickness caused by the spirits of the dead, this being determined by the extraction of blood in the sucking ex- amination, the following prayer was recited to cause the spirit to quit the body it was afflicting. The same prayer was also spoken to drive away a persistent haunting spirit.

TRANSLATION

Hail ! thou who art Death. Thou belongest beneath the ground, beneath thy green carpet. And ye who are the Dead in your white fields where ye belong, I beg your forgiveness. Ye must not sicken me, neither myself nor my family. With all manner of cold will ye purify me; to one side will ye cast the sick- ness, that no ill may befall me. Ye must not afflict me.

��From the great heavens where he who is our Father and our Mother holdeth you, he reacheth unto us his hand that we may be gathered into it. With all the cold will he, our Father, cleanse us, that we may go be- holding in this world. Then will no evil befall us.

Ye must take yourselves hence to your crosses, your shadows, where ye were created, beneath your green carpet where ye belong. There within your cloud are ye held by our spirits who have gone before. From the seven beautiful heavens where they are seated in their pleasant broad court our spirits stretch unto us their forms in which they were created.

Likewise do we beg forgiveness of the Dead who are seated round about on their accustom- ed paths. They must take themselves hence. Thus will they forgive me ; I warn them that they must forgive me.

May God have pity on you.

��22. TO SEIZE DEATH

adio's naparin.Q-'k insu'ssidao

To God that thou art my Father, my Pro-

tector,

inci'u'k nda -/ D ani'cho-'hi'

my Morning Star, my Mother. I desire

ku'piboin.to'k'da gana'varumno-'v para that thou hither me wilt extend that which is thy hand in order

natuma'p-tuda'gia para na'.itwi'.unra-'cda that we thee in will seize in order that she=

with us herself will appear

gacmu-k-ik-am para naD-agia

that Death in order that we shall seize

aniho' wo'poidam ha'cnapuma-r'giD

hereabouts paths on as that she is*

formed

ci'korh&wan ha'snapu.oi.mor ci"ar-

vicinity there as that she walks. East*

wofah& napuoidak amuhodor

beneath there that she belongs there from

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