Songs of the Mountain Spirits

In the east, a black cloud stands upright.
There, his home is made of black clouds.
The Great Black Mountain Spirit in the east,
he is happy over me.
My songs have been created.
He sings the ceremony into my mouth.
My songs have been created.
The cross made of turquoise,
the tips of his horns are covered
with yellow pollen.
Now we can see in all directions,
drive evil and sickness away.
My songs will go out into the world.

Gahé song. Song of the mountain spirits, recorded by Jules Henry in 1930.

* * *

White Painted Woman
commands that which lies above.
Child of the Water command.
Through long life they command.
From the mouth of the chief bird
yellowness emerges.
Yellow pollen emerges from your mouth.

* * *

Red is the color of war.
Red is the color of witches.
Red wind is the wind that brings death.
Owl is the messenger.

Chiricahua witching song.

* * *

In the south, a blue cloud stands upright.
There, his home is made of blue clouds.
The Great Blue Mountain Spirit in the south,
He is happy over me.
My songs have been created.
He sings the ceremony into my mouth.
My songs have been created.
The cross made of turquoise,
The tips of his horns are covered with yellow
Pollen.
Now we can see in all directions,
Drive evil and sickness away.
My songs will go out into the world.

Gahé song. Song of the mountain spirits, recorded by Jules Henry in 1930

* * *

The living sky black-spotted.
The living sky blue-spotted.
The living sky yellow-spotted.
The living sky white-potted.
The young spruce as girls stood up
for their dance in the way of life.
When my songs first were,
they made my songs with words of jet.
Earth when it was made.
Sky when it was made.
Earth to the end.
Sky to the end.
Black gahé, black thunder,
when they came toward each other
the bad things vanished.
The bad wishes
which were in the world vanished.
The lightning of black thunder
struck four times for them.
It struck four times for me.

Gahé song. Song of the mountain spirits, recorded by P. E. Goddard, circa 1908

* * *

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The black turkey gobbler, under the east,
the middle of his trail; toward us it is about to dawn.
The black turkey gobbler, the tips of his beautiful tail;
above us the dawn whitens.
The black turkey gobbler, the tips of his beautiful tail;
above us the dawn becomes yellow.
The sunbeams stream forward, dawn boys,
with shimmering shoes of yellow.
On top of the sunbeams that stream toward us
they are dancing.
At the east the rainbow moves forward;
dawn maidens
with shimmering shoes and shirts of yellow
dance over us.
Beautifully over us it is dawning.
Above us among the mountains
the herbs are becoming green.
Above us on the top of the mountains
the herbs are becoming yellow.
Above us among the mountains,
with shoes of yellow,
I go around the fruits and herbs that shimmer.
Above us among the mountains
the shimmering fruits
with shoes and shirts of yellow
are bent toward him.
On the beautiful mountains above it is daylight.

Morning song. Fifty-third song of the Gotál (girls' puberty) ceremony, recorded by P. E. Goddard, circa 1908.

* * *

The Big Black Mountain Spirits.
The Big Blue Mountain Spirits.
The Big Yellow Mountain Spirits.
The Big White Mountain Spirits.
Their homes are in the east.
Their homes are in the south.
Their homes are in the west.
Their homes are in the north.

When the earth was made,
when the sky was made,
when my songs were first heard,
the holy mountain
was standing toward me with life.

At the center of the sky
the holy boy walks four ways with life.
Just mine, my mountain became,
standing toward me with life.
Gahé children became,
standing toward me with life.

When the sun goes down to the earth,
where Black Mountain lies
with its head toward the sunrise,
black spruce became,
standing up with me.

* * *


In the east,
the White Painted Woman,
she is walking with the pollen
of dawn.
In the south,
she is walking with
the sun's tassels.
Long life!
From this there is goodness.
In the west,
when the pollen of abalone shell
moves with her,
there is goodness.
Long life!
In the north,
the White Painted Woman,
she is looking at us.
She is happy.

Song of the Gotál ceremony, recorded by Jules Henry in 1930.

* * *

Red paint (war) song

Now I will make long life
with the sun's rays.
Now I will make long life
with the sun's pointed rays.
I will make peaks extending outward.
The rays of the sun and long life
are made of pollen.
The points of the sun and long life
are made of pollen.
The rays of the sun and long life
are made of red paint.

I come to White Painted Woman.
Through a long life I come to her.
I come to her through her blessing.
I come to her through her help.
I come to her through all her different fruits.
Through the long life she grants
I come to her.
Through this holy truth she lives.

I am about to sing this song of yours,
the song of long life.
Sun, I stand here on earth with your song.
Moon, I have come in with your song.

White Painted Woman's power emerges.
Her power for sleep.
White Painted Woman carries this woman.
She carries her through long life.
She carries her through abundance.
She carries her to old age.
She carries her to peaceful sleep.

You have started out on the good earth.
You have started out with good moccasins.
With moccasin strings of the rainbow
you have started out.
With moccasin strings of the sun's rays
you have started out.
In the midst of plenty
you have started out.


first song to Child of the Water, Slayer of enemies, and to the Gahé

Right at the center of the sky the holy boy
With life walks in four directions.
Lightning with life in four colors
Comes down four times.
The place which is called black spot with life.
The place which is called blue spot with life.
The place which is called yellow spot with life.
The place which is called white spot with life.
They have heard about me.
The black gahé dance in four places.
The sun starts down toward the earth.

* * *

Gahe (Ghan) song

In the middle of the Holy Mountain,
in the middle of its body stands a lodge.
Brush-built it is, for the Blue Mountain Spirit.
White lightning flashes from his moccasins.
White lightning streaks on an angular path.
I am the lightning flashing and streaking.
My headdress lives. Its earrings
sound and are heard.
My song shall surround these dancers.

At the place called "Home in the center of the Sky,"
inside is the home's holiness.
The door to the home is of white clouds.
There all the Gray Mountain Spirits
rejoice over me,
kneel in the four directions with me.
When first my power was created,
pollen's body, speaking my words,
brought my power into being.
So I have come here.

* * *

When first my songs became,
when the sky was made,
when the earth was made,
the breath of the gahé on me
was made of down.
When they heard about my life,
where they got their life,
when they heard about me:
it stands.

The day broke with female rain.
The place called "lightning's water stands,"
the place called "where the dawn strikes,"
four places where it is called ''it dawns with life,"
I arrive there.
The sky boys, I go among them.
He came to me with long life.
When he talked over my body
with the longest life
the voice of thunder
spoke well four times.
Holy sky boy spoke to me four times.
When he talked to me my breath became.

Gahé song. Song of the mountain spirits, recorded by P. E. Goddard, circa 1908

* * *

In the west, a yellow cloud stands upright.
There, his home is made of yellow clouds.
The Great Yellow Mountain Spirit in the west,
He is happy over me.
My songs have been created.
He sings the ceremony into my mouth.
My songs have been created.
The cross made of turquoise,
The tips of his horns are covered with yellow
Pollen.
Now we can see in all directions,
Drive evil and sickness away.
My songs will go out into the world.

Gahé song. Song of the mountain spirits, recorded by Jules Henry in 1930.