Berard Haile

Father Berard has made an indispensable bilingual volume available to the student of Navajo culture and language. Together with his Origin Legend of the Navaho Enemy Way it is the largest accumu-lation of recorded Navaho texts in existence, and the richest source of combined linguistic and ethnological data ever to be published. The Navajo text and translation contains a complete record of the songs and prayers of Flintway, the first to be published for any Navajo ceremonial. They are preceded by an extensive introduction and numerous ethnological notes not only pertaining to Flintway, but contain enough material to give the reader a fair idea of Navajo ceremonialism as a whole. The legend itself concerns the adventures of a young hunter who, having had adulter-ous relations with the wife of White Thunder, was shattered by the latter. Gila Monster Man was employed to restore him; and the detailed description of this process makes up the Flintway ceremonial complex used to treat internal injuries and their effects.

The Fire Dance is the ceremony performed during the ninth night of the Mountainway. The purpose of these last night's rites is to accumulate power, to help to restore the individual patient; to give strength to the spectators who have gathered in big crowds during the last night and to convey fertility to soil and animal and abundance to crop and game. The signal features of the Fire Dance are the erection of the sacred enclosure, the kindling of the huge central fire, and the performance of group dances, executed by medicine men who have been ceremonially invited from far distant places. Some of these dances are exclusively part of the Mountain Way, as for example the dance of the fire dancers whose task it is to replace a burned-off feather by a new one, a trick which symbolizes "restoration". Other group dances are taken from the Shooting-Chant (the Whirling Feather) or from the Nightway (the Masked Dancers). Berard Haile bases his account partly on personal observations, partly on the word of informants, and, to some extent, on the description of the ceremony of the Mountain Chant as given by Washington Matthews.

""Origin Legend Of The Navaho Enemy Way"" is a scholarly book published by Yale University Press as part of the ""Publications in Anthropology"" series. The book is authored by Berard Haile, an American Franciscan friar and anthropologist who spent many years studying the Navajo people and their culture. The book focuses on the Navajo Enemy Way, a complex and important ritual that is performed to restore balance and harmony to the community after a tragedy or conflict. Haile presents a detailed analysis of the origin legend that underpins the Enemy Way, tracing its history and evolution over time. He examines the symbolism and significance of the various elements of the ritual, including the songs, prayers, and offerings that are made to the gods and spirits. The book is based on extensive fieldwork and research, including interviews with Navajo elders and scholars. It includes original translations of Navajo songs and prayers, as well as detailed descriptions of the various stages of the Enemy Way ritual. Overall, ""Origin Legend Of The Navaho Enemy Way"" is a comprehensive and authoritative study of one of the most important rituals in Navajo culture. It is an essential resource for scholars of anthropology, Native American studies, and religious studies, as well as anyone interested in the rich and complex history and culture of the Navajo people. This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.