498 UNIT 4 MESOAMERICAN CULTURAL FEATURES
Box 13.4 Huichol Journey to Find Their LifeThe text to follow, though cast in somewhat complex metaphorical language, nevertheless suc-
ceeds in communicating the religious urgency of the sacred journey. The “birds” of the text refer
both to the pilgrims who actually participate and to the listeners who, via the narrative, partici-
pate vicariously and magically. The text provides a fine example of the manner in which sacred
narrative, exegesis of text, and ritual language all occur together in a single discourse.“Look,” he tells them, “it is this way. We will fly over this little mountain. We will travel to
Wirikuta, where the sacred water is, where the peyote is, where Our Father comes up.” And
from there they fly, like bees, straight, they go on the wind as one says, this way. As though
they were a flock of doves, very beautiful, like the singing turtle doves. They fly evenly. You
can see that they become as little tiny bees, very pretty. They continue from hill to hill. They
fly from place to place as the mara’akame [shaman] tells them. The mara’akame goes with
Kauyumari, Kauyumari who tells him everything. He protects them all. A little girl is missing
a wing because the father or the mother have committed many sins. If they are missing a
wing, the mara’akame puts it back on. Then she flies with the rest of them.
So they continue to travel. As they come to a place, the mara’akame points it out. So
that they will know of it, how it was when Our Grandfather, Our Father, Our Great Grand-
parent, Our Mothers, when they went to Wirikuta, when Elder Brother Deer Tail, Maxa Kwaxí-
Kauyuimari, crossed over there and the children of the first Huichols went there, so that
they became cured.
That is what the drum says on our rancho. When it is beaten. There the children fly. The
mara’akame leads them on the wind. They land on one of the rocks. It is as though they were
clinging to the rock, very dangerous. The mara’akame tells them, “Look, children, you are
not familiar with these paths. There are many dangers, there are many animals that eat chil-
dren, that threaten people. You must not separate, you must stay close together, all of you.”
And the children are very glad, very happy....
“At last,” he prays, “Our Mother, Our Fathers, all you who are in Wirikuta, those who
are eaten as peyote, we are on our way to Wirikuta.” He says to the children, “Act and feel
like eagles, you will go there on your wings.” They give instructions to one another, they
learn. One tells the other, “Light your candle,” and he answers, “Yes, very well.” Mara’akame
takes tinder, he takes flint, he takes steel for striking fire. They do this five times and they
light the candles and worship there and go on their way. They travel and come to a place
they call Las Cruces, where the cross is. They exclaim, “Oh, look, we really have come far,
yes we have come far. And how will we be able to go on?” And they say, “Well, it is because
we are going to Wirikuta, where the peyote grows, where our ancestors traveled. We have
to get rid of our sins, everything... .”
Where it is called Wirikuta, where Our Mother Peyote dwells, there they arrive. When
he has beaten the drum, when he stands by the sacred pools, when he has spoken to the
Mothers and the Fathers, to Our Father, to Our Grandfather, to Our Great Grandparent,
when he has laid his offerings down, when their votive bowls are in their place, when their
arrows are in their place, when their wristbands are in their place, when their sandals are in
their place, then it will be good, then we will have life.
The children are happy, all, they are contented. Because now they are blessed. The of-
ferings are made, the deer tail plumes are in their place, the arrows are to the south, to the
north, to the east, up above. He holds them out. The horns of the deer are in their place,
no matter what kind. The mara’akame says, “Oh, Our Father, Our Grandfather, Our Moth-
ers, you all who dwell here, we have arrived to visit you, to come and see you here. We have
arrived well.” And when they arrive, they kneel and Our Father, Our Grandfather, Our Elder
Brother, embrace them.