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FAMSI © 2008: Garrett Cook and Thomas Offit |
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Ritual Symbols in the K'iche' Tutelary Deity Complex
Research Year: 2007 Table of Contents
Abstract The traditionalist (Costumbrista) cult of the Patron Saint in Santiago Momostenango in 2006 and 2007 includes the Dance of the Monkeys and the cofradía of Santiago. The Santiago/San Felipe dyad is based on an ancient K'iche' model of bipartite rule.The dance team is a medicine society whose members seek to be protected by Santiago and the souls of the dead dancers, and are imbued with the power of the animals they portray as a result of sexual abstinence and an exhausting cycle of vigils and visits to mountain altars. They constantly seek signs, and their acrobatic tricks on a rope are tests of their derived powers. In the cofradía the images are feted, danced with, dressed and undressed, and transported to their places of origin in another exhausting round of visits and vigils. Besides the two saints, the main ritual symbols are outdoor altars and their powers called mundos, masks, the dance pole, the houses and house altars where visits take place, as well as offerings, sacred fires, visits, tests, the felling and whipping and erecting of the pole, and the reading of signs. En los años 2006 y 2007, el culto tradicionalista (costumbrista) del santo patrono en el pueblo de Santiago Momostenango incluyó el Baile de los Monos y la cofradía de Santiago. La diada de Santiago/San Felipe tiene mucho que ver con el antiguo modelo de gobeierno bipartito de los K'iche'. Los danzantes son parte de una sociedad medicinal y ellos mismos piden la protección de Santiago. Éstos se abstienen del sexo y participan en muchas vigilias y visitas a los altares en las montañas. Las almas de los danzantes se convierten en energía de animales. Los danzantes siempre están buscando señales, y sus impresionantes acrobacias con el mecate son las pruebas que muestran sus nuevos poderes derivados. En la cofradía, las imágenes son celebradas, y la gente baila con ellas y también las visten y las desvisten. Después, hay que regresar a los altares en las montañas y participar en otras vigilias antes de que transporten las imágenes a sus lugares de origen. Aparte de los dos santos, los meros símbolos rituales son los altares de afuera y sus energías, a las que llaman "mundos", máscaras, el palo de la danza, las casas y los altares de la casa donde ocurren las visitas, y también ofrendas, fuegos sagrados, visitas, pruebas, el pliegue y los azotes, el levantamiento del palo y las interpretaciones de señales. Click to download the report in PDF format: Ritual Symbols in the K'iche' Tutelary Deity Complex ( 4.35 MB) The PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Upon return from the field in the fall semester of 2007 Cook worked with Moore and Peeler to contextualize their formal analysis of the marimba music from the deer and monkeys dance, and completed transcription of interviews and processing of field notes and photos and videos from the summer work. In December, utilizing the new cultural information produced by the FAMSI supported field work, Cook completed the script to produce a documentary video on the Monkeys from the 2006 field recordings and in February the video was completed with the technical and artistic aid of Scott Myers in the Baylor Digital Media Center.
Monkey Dance Video © 2008 Baylor University (about 55 minutes in length). Download video as MPG (146 MB)
Submitted 02/14/2008 by:
Thomas Offit |
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