Song No. 14
Thlah Hewe
Blue Corn Dance (Zuni)
Bow and Arrow Dance of Woodcraft
Enter the Chief, followed by as many Medicine Men as desired. All sit about the fire in a circle, smoking, except the Chief, who, standing and in silence, holds up his pipe to the Great Spirit; then addresses the Medicine Men:
"My friends, we have come again through a time of trial, a time of hunger, a time of want. For many suns, there was no meat in the pueblo, for many suns the babies cried for food."
First Medicine Man: "Yea, Chief, death walked with my little Tawak."
Second Medicine Man: "Oh, Chief, the Great Spirit called my woman."
Chief: "Yea, my friends, our hearts were troubled . . . . Then came our young man, our `Trail Finder,' said he'd hunt the hiding deer-meat, find the tracks of Shakai-katal." (Navaho for Deer.)
Third Medicine Man: "After him, there came our archer, `He Shoots True.' These two together saved our babies, saved our women, saved our pueblo. Let us call them and do honor. Ya-hooooooo!"
(The Medicine Men retire and form a shallow half-circle across back of stage, arms crossed.)
Music: THLAH HEWE.
8 T
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-_~--~ °~ r- I- - _
eTr
Hi ah hai e lu Shi e - e e lu
Hi e e lu Shi e a e lu
Lo - WI YU te a pa
Ma . . . . . to - o - na ke - si
Lo - wi. . yu te. . a - pa A - wi. . ya - ha - ne Li . . . . .
i - hi - tla A - hi y hai E. . . he lu. . wi
I yu . . hi yi
a ha Hi . . . . . ya hahe
yow. . he yu he YU
Natalie Curtis-Indians' Book, p. 442,
he yu heyu
he yu.-..
To a roll of the tombe, enter, running, from opposite back corners, two archers, in breech clouts and headbands, each carrying a bow and arrow in one hand. They run across the back behind the Chief, passing each other at back center; at each far corner, turn, and run so as to stand either side of the Chief who is at back center. They bow to him, extending both arms backward and downward.
The Chief signs them to proceed. They acknowledge his order with upstage hand raised shoulder high.
right.
They transfer the bows and arrows, so how is in left hand, arrow in
(a) Facing the fire, each step-closes to front, and circles self, hold
ing up bow ( r step-close to each measure) 8 meas.
(b) With toe-flat step, they cross each other in front of fire, to opposite corners, circle selves, bow down and arrow up 13 meas.
8 meas. Quickly face front oblique, and shoot across fire to front 3 meas.
(c) Face back, and cross-hop to back (d)
~o
30W f ArYD LtJ<e
Fig. 36.
(e) Hop-step in to fire ( f ) Hop-step away from fire, still facing fire (g) Hop-step in circle about self (h) Hop-step half-way down side (i) Hop-step in circle about self (j) Hop-step to front (k) Hop-step in circle about self (l) Face obliquely toward fire, hop-step in to fire (m) Hop-step backward out from fire (n) Hop-step in circle about self (o) Hop-step to back corner (p) Hop-step in circle about self
4 meas. q. meas. q. meas. q. meas. q. meas. q. meas. q. meas. q. meas. q. meas. q. meas. 4 meas.
,¢ meas.
Trot-step to front (2 steps to the measure), and shoot into
air, facing obliquely toward each other 8 meas.
83
Run across front and up opposite side Kneel, and shoot to back Hop-step backward down to middle of side Kneel, and shoot toward back
8 meas.
(r)
(s)
(t)
(u)
(v) Hop-step backward down to front corner
(w) Kneel and shoot to back 2 meas.
(x) Stand, facing front, but head turned toward each other 4 meas. 4 meas. 4 meas. 4 meas. 4 meas. 4 meas. i meas. e behind the other. The Medicine Man exeunt, walking in time to the rhythm, half in either direction, upstage hand raised in salute. When they are off, the two archers, with same trot-step, exeunt. Use as many measures of music as are needed to carry this exit.
(y) Scare-step away from each other (z) Trot toward each other (a') Scare-step away from each other (b') Trot in to meet each other (c') Circle each other with trot-step (d, Pose, facing left, one kneeling, one standing behind (e') Both shoot to left. Rise, rapid trot around fire, on
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z meas. 4 meas. z meas. 4 meas.
7 ings without feet. They carried a branch of evergreen in either hand, but held much lower than in the CORN DANCE-arms with practically no bend at the elbow.
The woman first in line wore a different mask. Zuni Nick (Utakawi), the ex-governor, who acted as interpreter for us, said this individual was really a man dressed as a woman, and is called a Habashuka. This feature of the dance, he said, was taken from a custom at Laguna, though the dance as a whole is Zuni. In ancient times, this part was taken by a real woman, held very sacred by the tribe.
