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See also: Making sense of the world 20–23 ■ Man and the cosmos 48–49 ■ Living the Way of the Gods 82–85
PRIMAL BELIEFS
helped Tirawahat create them, and
that at the world’s end, the Pawnee
would become stars.
The entrance to the earth lodge
would be in the east, allowing the
light of the dawn to enter. A hearth
would be positioned in the center
of the lodge, and a small altar of
mounded earth in the back (the
west). A buffalo skull would be
displayed on the altar, which the
spirit of Tirawahat was said to
occupy when the first rays of sun
shone on it in the morning. Through
this skull, Tirawahat was said to
live and communicate with the
people. Sacred star bundles
containing objects used for rituals,
such as charts of the night sky,
hung from a rafter above the skull.
These were said to give each
village its identity and power.A world within a world
In winter, a domed sweat lodge
would often be constructed inside
the earth lodge, creating a second
mini-cosmos. These sweat lodges,
or steam huts, used for spiritual
and healing purposes, were alsosacred spaces. The heated stones
used inside them were said to
be ancestral “grandfathers,” and
were treated with great reverence.
The hot stones were doused in
water, and the steam produced
was believed to be the breath of
the grandfathers.
The first sweat lodge was,
according to legend, made by
the son of a bundle-keeper, as
part of a ritual taught to him
by guardian animals. As he
performed the ritual he said, “Now
we are sitting in darkness as did
Tirawahat when he created all
things and placed meteors in the
heavens for our benefit. The poles
that shelter us represent them...
When I blow this root upon them,
you will see a blue flame rise from
the stones. This will be a signal
for us to pray to Tirawahat and
the grandfathers.” ■The earth lodge was a mini-cosmos
in the Pawnee tradition, and was
constructed accordingly. This Pawnee
family stands at an earth lodge entrance
at Loup, Nebraska in 1873.The legend of Tirawahat
In Pawnee myth, after the
creator god, Tirawahat, had
made the sun, moon, stars,
heavens, earth, and all things
on earth, he spoke. At the sound
of his voice a woman appeared.
Tirawahat created a man and
sent him to the woman. Then he
said: “I give you the earth. You
shall call the earth ‘mother.’ The
heavens you shall call ‘father’...
I will now show you how to
build a lodge, so that you will
not be cold or get wet from therain.” After a time Tirawahat
spoke again and asked the man
if he knew what the lodge
represented. The man did not
know. Tirawahat said: “I told
you to call the earth ‘mother.’
The lodge represents her breast.
The smoke that escapes from
the opening is like the milk that
flows from her breast... When
you eat the things that are
cooked [in the fireplace], it is
like sucking a breast, because
you eat and grow strong.”Our people were made
by the stars. When the
time comes for all things to
end, our people will turn
into small stars.
Young Bull