Study of People - the Sun Chief

In the novel, Sun Chief we are shown various experiences of the Katcina belief system. The Katcina was a spirit being in the western Pablo religious beliefs.  The underworld concept was a major concept for the Pablo Indianans. They believed it was a place where spirits could return from the dead. The Katcina traveled all over the world with the Hopi, where eventually they reached Casa Grande and both the Katcinas and Hopis settled down once they arrived. Katcinas were known for having powerful ceremonies, with unusual tactics. In the Sun Chief, we are introduced to Don C. Talayesva and his life experiences battling through the Katcina. His father thought he needed discipline as a young child, so he put him into Katcina.  

   The Katcina has various types of ceremonies, with different types of characteristics. The Supernatural, the ceremony would have dancers wearing masks, who were from the Hopi tribe. Children from the Hopi tribe would receive dolls that were craved by the Katcina. Dominant symbols would help Hopi tribe members find meaning in life. Specific deals with the Hopi beliefs in the dead and how the dance at the ceremony and how it symbolized the after life. Coming to a conclusion we see that Hopi people were believers in the afterlife and what it meant to celebrate the spiritual aspect of life, through all the ceremony celebrations, all the unique dances, masks they were and dolls they give out as presents.  

     Don experienced the whole package of Katcina. Don had the reputation of being misbehaved boy in the village. His father, being a worried parent had him initiated to Katcina discipline, in hopes of improving Don’s behaviour. These initiations often included beating and whipping to improve behaviour and attitude issues.

     These discipline actions are meant to help Don understand what it takes to become a strong man. Saying this Don’s father still did put him through very dangerous initiations. If Don speaks about what happened to during his time, it could result in death. The initiations into Katcina which perform as the right as passage for Don; it shows how he has transformed into a man, while he leaves his childhood behind him. When Don is able to accomplish this it demonstrates to the elder members of Hopi group and they respect him enough to tell him secrets that he didn’t know as a child. His mother tried to convince his father to not send him to join Katcina. She was against the beating and whipping actions they would perform on her son. Don’s father had a different mind set towards the beating and whipping, he believed that Katcina would be able to drive evil from Don’s mind and he will grow strong and live a healthy life.

           Before the initiation a naming ceremony would be held, that indicates that the child no longer is apart of what he or she previously was a part of, but now a part of Katcina tribe. The ceremony takes place over six days then Don will become a man of the tribe. In his ceremony, his mother bathed him in yucca suds as she prayed for a healthy and long life for her son. Then his ceremonial parents take him to the kiva. This is where the ceremony took place, while Don wore no clothes except around his shoulders. At the beginning of initiation, his ceremonial mother and father symbolically sprinkle corn meal and sand mosaics on him. The Katcina elders and chief enter and smoke out of the pipe until a God, and Muyingwa enters to tell the children about the Hopi way of life. The next part of this initiation is a part that children do not enjoy at all, the whipping. As the children are being whipped everyone receives four lashings, after the first two lashings the father has permission to step in if he is pleased, if he is not pleased the final two lashing will take place. When it becomes Don’s turn for his whipping, his father unfortunately did not intervene after the second lashing, in result Don received all four lashings. Don after the four strikes didn’t show as much pain as the other children, which lead Don getting whipped more then all other children. Later on Don shockingly found out that the extra lashing had nothing to do with his pain tolerance, but that his father order the extra lashings for him. Don suffered some bad cuts and bruises from the initiation ceremony. When Don woke up the next morning he was stuck in his bed from the bloody cuts and bruises that he suffered. These cuts were so deep and infected, taking his sheets off from his bed had to cause a deep amount of pain. After the painful initiation Don and the other children receive their ceremonial gifts and were welcomed with open arms.