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5.0 out of 5 stars
The Papago Indians,
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This review is from: Singing for Power: The Song Magic of the Papago Indians of Southern Arizona (Sun Tracks) (Paperback)
The Papago Indians are a tribe of Indians who lived in a desert corner of Arizona where the Mexican boundary runs through valleys and mountains of sharp lava rock. They are not a well-known tribe because they have never waged war with the white man and throughout their history had little contact with whites. They were there when the Spanish conquistadores came as well as the Christian missionaries, and both left because they couldn't take the harsh conditions under which the Papago lived.
The Papago were also known as "the Bean people." (They have dropped this name because the conquistadores and neighboring people called them this, meaning "bean-eaters".) The desert is so arid and unforgiving that the only thing that would grow was beans, but when the rains came they planted corn and squash. They depended on hunting deer, rabbits and squirrels for their food, and also for the seeds of certain grains. Cactus was another source of food and liquid. What makes these people so interesting is their culture of songs. Their culture of dreaming and then making poetry and songs from their dreams is what distinguishes this tribe from others. Other tribes have songs, but the Papago live their daily lives with two things: song and smiles. Their songs, their rituals, their entire lives are centered around one main thing or one goal, and that is rain. Rain is life-sustaining and a cause for celebration. The author, who spent time with this tribe, says that she never saw these people in any situation where they weren't smiling. They were great believers in magic, and their god was Elder Brother. Their songs are handed down from father to son, but each generation has its own dreams and songs to add. What affected one member of this tribe affected all. All were considered kin, even neighboring villages. Sharing wasn't questioned and one was never denied entrance into another's home. The Papago had no concept of personal glory. Power in man was considered to be a very dangerous thing. When they did go to war, on returning the hero brought back one scalp. It was put on display during the 16-day ritual of purification for the hero. The women associated with this man also had to go into seclusion, lest they be subjected to enemy power through the scalp. Every night the rest of the people sang and danced around the scalp with their special songs. The Papago took no captives and no booty from their enemies. The example given in the book was a hunter who happened to see Apache tracks. The Papago knew that if the Apaches attacked, they would take their corn, beans and squash since Apaches in that area grew no vegetables, but only hunted. The food was harvested, buried and then a party of men went on the attack. They came back from the Apache attack with the one scalp and nothing else. Killing an eagle or an enemy were the ways to get dream power, but there was a third way. Once a year, 4 men went on a journey south to the Gulf of California in order to bring back salt. This was a very difficult journey and the Papago called south "the direction of suffering." Each man had to go 4 years in a row. The Papago are now referred to as the Tohono O'odham. They still live in the same area of Arizona, but live on reservations there. (From Wikipedia) I became interested in this book after reading "Oceanstory" on my Kindle. The author had referred to this book and I wanted to read more. There is so much more to read about in this book, and it is full of the Papago songs that have been translated, and not with ease, into our language. I found it to be a delightful look at a tribe of American Indians about which I knew nothing until I read "Singing for Power." Anyone who enjoys Native-American history, customs and literature should enjoy this book. This book was written in 1938 by Ruth Murray Underhill and was released in paperback format again in 1976.
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