Apache Mountain Spirits Legend Representatives of the Mountain People, appea among the Apache people in masked formand are called the Crown Dancers. Apache tell many stories of the Mountain Spirits, usually attesting to their power to cure and protect, or to the ill consequences of showing disrespect for the Mountain Spirits. Mountain Spirits perform healing rites, as well as dancing at na ih es, the girls puberty rite. The masked dance performances may be used to protect against illness, to cure (even when witchcraft is the cause), and to control the weather. Apache stories attribute to the Mountain Spirits the freeing of the animals from a subterranean region where Crow kept them prisoners. Apache who perform Mountain Spirit healing rites acquire the masked images they personify through personal vision. Mountain Spirit masks are buckskin hoods, usually painted black, that fit snugly over the head and are secured by a drawstring gathered about the neck. Tiny holes are cut for the eyes and sometimes one is cut for the mouth. Attached to the top of the hood is a complex upright structure, brightly painted and decorated, sometimes referred to as horns. Its basic framework is a construction of wooden slats. On each side hang short wooden slats (earrings) that strike against one another, making the distinctive sound of the approaching Mountain Spirits. Feathers are attached to the ends of these earrings. The maskers upper bodies and arms are painted, and they wear yellow buckskin skirts and tall moccasins. The dance ground on which the Mountain Spirit dancers perform contains a large fire. When the dancers enter the dance ground, they circle the fire in preparation for the dance. Then, at a signal, singers and drummers begin the accompaniment and the dance begins. Often appearing with the Mountain Spirit dancers is a clown figure, known variously as Gray One, Long Nose, or White Painted. His mask differs from the others, being made of scraped buckskin and decorated with a big nose or big ears. He does not wear a skirt, only a breech cloth. The rest of his body remains bare, covered only with white paint. The clown is the servant and messenger for the other dancers. He carries messages between the masked dancers and the people. He makes fun of everything and creates fun by enacting foolishness as requested by the audience. The clown functions as an aid in disciplining children, who are threatened that Gray One will put them in his basket and carry them off. Parents may arrange to have Gray One frighten naughty children during the girls puberty rite. Although it may appear that the clown is a pleasant but powerless addition to the Mountain Spirit dances, many Apache people identify the clown as the most powerful, particularly in the context of healing.
Posted on: Sat, 08 Nov 2014 02:46:11 +0000
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