Living Life's Circle: Mescalero Apache Cosmovision

562 Pages·1994·3.57 MB·English

by  Claire R. Farrer

Page iii
Living Life's Circle:
Mescalero Apache Cosmovision
Claire R. Farrer
University of New Mexico Press Albuquerque
Living Life's Circle : Mescalero Apache
title:
Cosmovision
author: Farrer, Claire R.
publisher: University of New Mexico
isbn10 | asin: 0826315607
print isbn13: 9780826315601
ebook isbn13: 9780585187709
language: English
Mescalero astronomy, Mescalero Indians--
subject
Religion, Mescalero philosophy.
publication date: 1994
lcc: E99.M45F37 1991eb
ddc: 299/.72
Mescalero astronomy, Mescalero Indians--
subject:
Religion, Mescalero philosophy.
Page iv
© 1991 by Claire R. Farrer.
All rights reserved.
First paperbound printing, 1994
Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publicaton Data
Farrer, Claire R.
Living life's circle: Mescalero Apache cosmovision/
Claire R. Farrer. 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 251) and index.
ISBN 0-8263-1311-6, ISBN 0-8263-1560-7 (pbk.)
1. Mescalero IndiansAstronomy.
2. Mescalero IndiansReligion and mythology.
3. Mescalero IndiansPhilosophy.
I. Title.
E99.M45F37 1991
299'.72dc20 91-23668
CIP
Designed by Joanna V. Hill
Page v
For Claire G. Greenwalt, my mother; and Suzanne F. Hall, my
daughter; and especially for the Mescalero Apache Reservation
children: those who are, those who were, and those who will be.
Page vi
"Put my name in your book so that, when I am gone, they will know that you
told the truth."
Bernard Second, 1946-1988
Page vii
Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Chapter 1 3
Introduction
Chapter 2 16
Creating the Universe
Chapter 3 33
Paying Attention
Chapter 4 60
Seeing the Pattern
Chapter 5 101
Clowning and Chiasm
Chapter 6 128
Singing for Life
Chapter 7 184
Crying for Death
Chapter 8 204
Living Life's Circle
Appendix A 211
Brief History of Mescalero Apaches
Notes 235
References 251
Glossary 261
Index 267
Page ix
Illustrations
Figures
2.1 30
[Life's Living Circle] design.
3.1 41
1983 Holy Lodge.
3.2 47
1983 Ceremonial Site Plan.
3.3a-e 49
Nahakus [the Big Dipper] in July 1984.
4.1 78
[Star] design.
4.2 79
design.
4.3 80
design.
4.4 81
design.
4.5 82
(Sun] design.
4.6 83
design.
4.7 84
Sizi [Standing] design.
4.8 85
Sizi [Standing] design.
4.9 86
[Old Man Thunder and Little Boy Lightning]
design.
4.10 87
[Four-Stages-Of-Life] design.
4.11 89
Anomalous design.
Page x
4.12 90
design.
4.13 91
Idiosyncratic design.
4.14 [Whirling/Whirlwind/Chaos] design. 92
4.15 93
design.
4.16 96
4.17 96
4.18 97
4.19 97
The four-pointed star.
4.20 98
Cut line to produce mountain.
4.21 98
Mountains produced from the four-pointed star.
4.22 99
Geometric transformations of .
4.23 99
Moon designs from .
5.1 107
The butterfly effect.
6.1 157
[Mountain Cross] design.