The entire time we were staying at the Hopi campground, two
Indian men were selling gourds off the back of their truck. On Saturday morning
before heading to the Buffalo dance I chatted with them and learned that they
were from Santa Domingo Pueblo near Santa Fe. Every year they come to Hopi Land
to help sell the gourds that their dad grows in the slightly wetter climate of
New Mexico. The gourds are used primarily for ceremonial rattles by most of the
Indian cultures of the 4 corners area and winter is the time when people are
preparing their raw gourds and making their rattles. Matthew Rosetta and Warren Aguilar had a steady stream of customers during the time we were there. They were very open to chatting and
suggested that if we wanted to know more about the gourds and rattles we should
go meet their dad Henry Rosetta when we got to New Mexico. We talked about music and I shared that I was a trumpet player and Mathew told me that he
had played the trumpet in Jr High School but then he quit to play football and that he was really good or at least thats what they told him. . . .and I believed him.
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| Warren Aguilar , Glenn and Matthew Rosetta |
If you are looking for roots music this seemed like a great
place to be! The irony is that although ethnomusicologists refer to the songs
and instruments that are used for ceremonies and dances as traditional Indian
music, most southwest Indians do not refer to a rattle or drum as a musical
instrument but instead refer to the rituals for which they are used. The chants
that accompany many dances are referred to as songs however, making this all a
bit confusing. Nonetheless we were excited to be heading towards the 2 second mesa village Supawlavi for
the Buffalo dances and we were determined to visit with Henry Rosetta in Santa Domingo to learn more about gourds and rattle making.
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| Above-the village of Supawlavi is at the top of the mesa on the left Below-a closer view of Supawlavi |
The Buffalo Dance
During the winter months very few outsiders (pahaana) attend
Hopi dances and we were told to head up on the roof of one of the houses
surrounding the plaza to watch. The dancers were accompanied by 7 drummers and
were dressed in elaborate headdresses that resembled Buffalo. The dances were
coed and the dancers appeared to be very young, perhaps in their late teens or early 20s.
The drummers and singers who accompanied the dancers were all male and appeared
to be in their 30s or 40s . The experience for us can only be described as
profound.
Absolutely no recording of any kind is allowed at the dances
by outsiders, but ironically and confusingly, if you go on line to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iW10cp223So,
you can watch and listen to a short clip of a Buffalo dance that happened the previous weekend in another second mesa village . . . go figure. I will investigate further.
The Buffalo dance occurs in the winter and is performed
throughout the Rio Grand Basin. Early inhabitants used to make long treks to
the great plains to hunt buffalo. The dance has many meanings and the power of
the buffalo is often thought to cure the sick. According to Tom Bahti, author
of Southwestern Indian Ceremonials “The Buffalo are thought to bring
the snow which is so necessary for spring planting. . . . A Buffalo headdress
touched to a patient after a dance is thought to have curative powers.” In fact
we saw observers reach out and touch the dancers as they left the plaza.
coming soon . . .our trip to Acoma
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