The Sacred path : spells, prayers & power songs of the American Indians

Summary: English translations of North and South American Indian spells, prayers, and songs traditionally used in rituals associated with birth, puberty, love, travel, sickness, weather, farming, hunting, and death.

Record details

ISBN: 0688026478
ISBN: 9780688026479
ISBN: 0688016995
ISBN: 9780688016999
Physical Description: print
191 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Edition: 1st Quill ed.
Publisher: New York : Quill, 1984.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-185).

Formatted Contents Note:

I. Birth and infancy -- Mother's prayer for a girl / Navajo -- Magic spell for a difficult birth / Arekuna -- Song to the child / West Greenland Eskimo -- Song to a son / Kwakiutl -- Prayer of a man to twin children / Kwakiutl -- Prayer of the midwife to the goddess of water / Aztec -- Introduction to life / Iglulik Eskimo -- Woman's prayer to the sun, for a newborn girl / Hopi -- When the child is named / Tewa -- Lullaby / Kiowa -- Cradlesong / Mbya -- Cradlesong for Ahuitzotl / Aztec -- Lullaby / Creek -- Words to a sick child / Iglulik Eskimo -- II. Growing up -- Prayer of the youngest daughter, with an offering of crumbs / Zuni -- Prayer of an old man at a young man's change of name / Arapaho -- Prayer / Sioux -- Young man's prayer to the spirits / Crow -- For young men growing up, to help themselves / Cherokee -- A prayer of the girls' puberty ceremony / Jicarilla Apache -- A song of the girls' puberty ceremony / White Mountain Apache -- A song of the girls' puberty ceremony / Mescalero Apache -- Prayer / Paviotso -- From a prayer summoning the novice for his initiaion / Zuni -- From a prayer for the novice at the close of his initiation / Zuni -- Initiation songs / Chippewa -- III. Love songs and love magic -- The dream / Ammassalik Eskimo -- Magic spell for finding a woman / Aztec -- Dance song / Quechua -- Woman's prayer / Anambe -- Man's song / Chippewa -- Magic spell to turn a woman's heart / Arekuna -- To fix the affections / Cherokee -- For putting a woman's family to sleep / Cherokee -- Song / Inca -- Keeping a fly / Quechua -- Man's song / Kwakiutl -- Woman's song / Chippewa -- Clear river / Quechua -- Song / Quechua -- IV. For the traveler -- Life song / Flathead -- Traveler's prayer, with an offering of copal / Kekchi Maya -- Prayer to the sun, for quick travel / Aztec -- To make the road seem short / Cherokee -- Prayer for safe passage through enemy country / Zuni -- Salt pilgrimage / Papago -- Songs of the horse society / Sioux -- It starts toward me / Navajo -- V. Against sickness and evil -- To blow away a headache / Uitoto -- For chest pain / Aztec -- To cure epilepsy / Tzotzil Maya -- From a prayer of the shooting chant / Navajo -- Confession of sin / Aztec -- Prayer to the migratory birds / Kwakiutl -- Magic words to the gull / Netsilik Eskimo -- A song of the coyoteway / Navajo -- Dream songs / Modoc -- Medicine man's prayer / Blackfeet -- I am the medicine / Mazatec -- Medicine songs / Sioux -- Morning prayer to the creator / Mbya -- VI. Controlling the weather -- To quiet a raging storm / Copper Eskimo -- Magic spell for an approaching storm / Arekuna -- This is to frighten a storm / Cherokee -- Girl's prayer to thunder during a storm / Blackfeet -- Song for smooth waters / Haida -- Boatman's prayer for smooth waters / Kwakiutl -- Prayer for smooth waters / Yahgan -- Song / Nootka -- Weather incantation / Iglulik Eskimo -- Song for calling rain / Kwakiutl -- Thunder song / Navajo -- Special request for the children of mother corn / Zuni -- VII. Planting and gathering -- Song / Cagaba -- Prayer before felling to clear a cornfield / Kekchi Maya -- Prayer / Arikara -- A song of the corn dance / Papago -- Songs of the corn dance / Seneca -- To keep animals out of the cornfield / Aztec -- Harvester's prayer, with an offering of copal / Kekchi Maya -- Prayer to the corn mothers / Tewa -- Prayer before eating / Arapaho -- Prayer before the first meal in a new summer camp / Modoc -- Prayer to the sun / Havasupai -- VIII. For the hunter -- Offering to deceased hunters / Zuni -- A song of the buffalo dance / Pawnee -- A song of the buffalo dance / Sioux -- A song of the buffalo dance / Omaha -- Prayer to the black bear / Kwakiutl -- Words to call up game / Iglulik Eskimo -- Prayer to the whale / Nootka -- For subduing a walrus / Ammassalik Eskimo -- Eagle song / Papago -- Prayer before killing an eagle / Yokuts -- Before butchering the deer / Papago -- Prayer to a dead buck / Navajo -- A prayer of the midwinter hunt / Zuni -- IX. For the dying and the dead -- Song / Tlingit -- Chief's song / Tsimshian -- Song of farewell to the deceased / Quechua -- Crazy-dog prayer / Crow -- Crazy-dog song / Kiowa -- A widow's lament / Aztec -- Song of a ghost / Wintu -- Song of two ghosts / Omaha -- Prayer to the ghost / Winnebago -- Prayer to the deceased / Aztec -- Prayer to the deceased / Tewa -- Prayer to the deceased / Omaha.