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A Grammar of the Yucatecan Mayan Language
by David & Alejandra Bolles
Two Curing Ceremonies
"Santiguar", which in Spanish means "to bless, to make the sign of a cross over a sick person", is the name used in Mayan for a ceremony in which a H-Men alleviates the sickness of a person through incantation. The "santiguar" is usually only part of the total curing process. Usually herbal medicines, and today even medicines bought at a pharmacy (penicillin, tetracycline, aspirin, etc.) are also part of this curing process. There are two "santiguars" presented here.
SANTIGUAR BY DON FELIPE PAZ
The first "santiguar" was done by Don Felipe Paz of Tecoh on a young child. It is not clear from the "santiguar" itself what the ailment of the young child is, nor was there any indications through other comments on the tape of what particular ailment this child suffered.
It will be noted that there are many elements in this "santiguar" which are to be found in the following "santiguar" done by Don Antonio Hau. Among these ideas is the idea of sweeping out, cleaning out, and untying the evil spirits (literally kakaz ikoob = evil winds) which are locked up in the body of the person over whom the "santiguar" is being performed.
| BLESSING |
SANTIGUAR |
Jesus Mary in the name of god the father god the son god the holy ghost. |
Jesus Maria tu kaba dios yumbil dios mehenbil dios espiritu santo. |
I am going on my knees in front of all the deities to the four corners of the earth to the four corners of the sky to the right hand of virgin holy Mary and the eternal father. I am asking for the power to bless a virgin angel to the four chests of father Jesus Christ. Then certainly also I clean out the spirits all the warming (sickening) spirits: middle light way spirit, scorpion spirit, owl spirit, receive power spirit, square spirit, all the shooting-through spirits to beautiful woman virgin holy Mary eternal father to the right hand certainly of jaguar. To owl jaguar to beautiful woman wash jaguar to also beautiful woman envelopment to woman cesarean to beautiful woman untie-spirits also. I clean out the spirits I untie the spirits I sweep all of the spirits to the holy virgin chests to your beautifulnesses lord. Thirteen times downwards came holy god to the middle of the virgin day the virgin night so that the spirit of the virgin angel be cooled and certainly also I am kneeling also. I bless the virgin head the virgin brain virgin lung virgin breast virgin mouth stomach virgin chest. Thirteen times it has just come down in the day thirteen time it has just come down in the night. I untie them I sweep them I fan them I feather-dust them I cut them with the "zipit che" (Bunchosia glandulosa) through the day through the night to the right hand of god the father in the middle of the blue sky to the south to the north. |
Tan in bin xolaan pix tu tan tulacal le yumtziloob ti can titzil luum ti can titzil caan tu nohol u kab zuhuy santa Maria yetel padre eterno. Tan in katic u poder in santiguartic huntul zuhuy angel ti cuatro homcabil ti yum Jesus Cristo. Ti bacan xan cin cħocħiktic tulacal kinam ikoob: tan luz be ik, zinaan ik, xocħ ik, kam mukul ik, lamayil ik, tulacal dzon ikoob ti X-Cichpam Colebil Zuhuy Santa Maria padre eterno tu nohol u kab bacan Ah Balam ti Xocħ Balam ti X-Cichpam Colebil X-Ppo Balam ti tun X-Cichpam Colebil X-Pixatic ti X-Colebil X-Cesaria ti X-Cichpam Colebil X-Uacħikoob xan. Cin cħocħiktic cin uacħiktic cin miztic tulacal ikoob ti santo zuhuy homcabiloob ti x-cichcelemeex yumen. Oxhuncabalac ca tali santo dios ti tanchumuc zuhuy kin zuhuy akab. Cin cħocħiktic cin uacħiktic tulacal le kam mukul iko le lamayil iko utial u ziztal u yol le zuhuy angelo yetel bacan xan cin xolaan pix xan cin santiguartic tu zuhuy cabecera u zuhuy celebro zuhuy plumon zuhuy pecho zuhuy boca estomago zuhuy homcabil. Oxlahun ca dzu yem kin oxlahun ca dzu yem akab. Cin uacħic cin miztic cin pictic cin puztic cin xotic yetel zipit che tu pul kin tu pul akab tu noh kab dios yumbil tanchumuc ti yaxil caanal nohol xaman. |
SANTIGUAR BY DON ANTONIO HAU
The "santiguar" given here was carried out on a middle aged woman suffering from anemia. The H-men, Don Antonio Hau, had been making weekly visits to this woman's house to administer a "santiguar". The co-author (D.D.B.) was invited by Don Tono, as he is called locally, to go with him to observe the ceremony. This ceremony was carried out in the early afternoon.
When we arrived at the woman's house we were let in by another woman who then left us in the main room while she went to fetch the patient. Don Tono immediately set about putting his various objects in order on the table which, as is often customary in Mayan houses, already had various religious objects on it. The objects which Don Tono placed on the table included a couple of pre-Columbian clay facial images which Don Tono referred to as "balamoob" (literally "jaguars"), some clear glass marbles which are used for viewing the alter-world referred to as "zaz tunoob" ("clear rocks"), a small drinking cup fashioned from the shell of the jicara (Crescentia cujete) fruit referred to as "homa" which was filled with "zuhuy ha" ("virgin water") into which the "zipit che" (Bunchosia glandulosa) was dipped during the sweeping away of the evil spirit, and a couple of candles. A teenaged boy happened to appear and Don Tono immediately sent him off in search for seven twigs of the "zipit che" bush, giving him instructions as to the locations of the various bushes nearby. When his preparations were done Don Tono called out the back door to bring the patient in. She was seated on a chair in front of the table which now had become an altar and Don Tono proceeded with the following chant. When he finished the chant he gave the woman instructions as to what her diet should be for the following week. I gathered that the giving of therapeutic instruction along with the chant is standard practice. Thus one could say that a H-Men works on his patients both psychologically and physiologically since he works to satisfy the psychological needs of the patient as well as looking for ways to cure his patients' physiological illnesses.
| BLESSING |
SANTIGUAR |
In the name of god, god the son, the holy spirit, amen. |
Ich kaba dios, mehenbil dios, espiritu santo, amen. |
Right now I am going on my knees asking for the power to bless a virgin body to the brown-earth-beings, the rulers, the great earth-beings, to the four corners of the sky, the four corner of the earth. Right now also I am going on my knees to ask for the power to sweep a virgin body, its virgin legs, its virgin hands, its virgin back, its virgin breast, its virgin head, its virgin hair of its head with a virgin "zipit che" bush to the brown-earth-beings, the rulers, the great earth-beings to the four corners of the sky, four corners of the earth, the cross of the sky, the cross of the earth, holy sky, holy earth, holy trinity and to the thirteen jaguars, thirteen whirlwinds, thirteen brown-earth-beings, thirteen rulers. Right now also I am going on my knees asking for the power to clean out the spirits, to untie the spirits from the virgin body, virgin everything (ridding it of) the evil spirits, the lying spirit, the sinning spirit, the dirty spirit, the scorpion spirit to the brown-earth-beings, the rulers, the great earth-beings, the Euans, to the four corners of the sky, to the four corners of the earth, to the cross of the sky, cross of the earth, to the holy sky, holy trinity. I clean out the spirits, I untie the spirits, I clean out the spirits, I untie the spirits, etc. |
Ti beyoritas cin bin xolaan pix cin katic u poder cin santiguartic humppel zuhuy uincli ti Ah Cacaboob, Ah Tepaloob, ti Ah Noh Cabiloob, ti can titz caan, can titz luum. Ti beyoritas xan cin bin xolaan pix cin katic u poder cin miztic humppel zuhuy uincli, u zuhuy ocoob, u zuhuy kaboob, u zuhuy puch, u zuhuy tzem, u zuhuy pol, u zuhuy tzotzel u pol yetel u zuhuy zipit che ti Ah Cacaboob, Ah Tepaloob, Ah Noh Cabiloob ti can titz caan, can titz luum, cruz caan, cruz luum, cilich caan, cilich luum, cilich oxil yetel ti trece Ah Balamoob, trece mozon ikoob, trece Ah Cacaboob, trece Ah Tepaloob. Ti beyoritas xan cin bin xolaan pix cin katic u poder cin cħocħiktic, cin uacħiktic u zuhuy uincli, zuhuy tulacal u kakaz ikoob, u tuzbil ik, u keban ik, u kokol ik, u zinaan ik ti Ah Cacaboob, Ah Tepaloob, Ah Noh Cabiloob, Ah Euanoob, ti can titz caan, ti can titz luum, ti cruz caan, cruz luum, ti cilich caan, cilich oxil. Cin cħocħiktic, cin uacħiktic, cin cħocħiktic, cin uacħiktic, (etc., etc. until the whole body has been swept with the bundle of zipit che) |
Right now also I am going on my knees in front of the virgin table with virgin jaguars (clay figurines) virgin candles, virgin zip che bushes, virgin saints, virgin everything. Right now also I am sweeping the virgin head, the virgin back, the virgin breast, the virgin hands, the virgin feet, the virgin everything also. I clean out the spirits, I untie the spirits, I clean out the spirits, I untie the spirits, etc. |
Ti beyoritas xan cin bin xolaan pix actan zuhuy mesa yetel zuhuy balamoob, zuhuy ciboob, zuhuy zip cheob, zuhuy santosoob, zuhuy tulacal. Beyoritas xan cin miztic zuhuy hol, zuhuy pach, zuhuy tzem, zuhuy kaboob, zuhuy ocoob, zuhuy tulacal xan. Cin cħocħiktic, cin uacħiktic, cin cħocħiktic, cin uacħiktic, (etc., etc. until the whole body has been swept with the bundle of zipit che) |
In the name of god, god the son, holy spirit. |
Ich kaba dios, mehenbil dios, espiritu santo. |
I am just going along, I am just going along, when I come out on a fork in the road. Then I am stopped by our lord in heaven Jesus Christ. Then he asks me, "Who is you father, who is your mother?" Then I say, "My mother is the virgin saint Mary and my father in heaven is Jesus Christ. I am very embarrassed that I should deliver my work to he who is laying down over the land where the sun comes out. You shall come out of the holy glory also and I deliver also my virgin holy work also." |
Chen tin bin, chen tin bin, ca hoken ti hunppel xay be. Ca tu uacacinba tumen c' yumil caan Jesus Cristus. Ca tu choch kat tin chi, "Max a yum, max a na." Ca tin ualic, "In na zuhuy Santa Maria yetel in yumil caan Jesus Cristus. Zen zublacen utial in kubic in meyah ti max tu chiltal tu yokol cab tuux tu hokol kin. Tech ca hokol ti santo gloria xan yetel cin kubentic xan in zuhuy santo meyah xan." |
In the name of god, god the son, the holy spirit, amen, and I four-corner (cross) myself here also. |
Ich kaba dios, mehenbil dios, espiritu santo, amen, yetel tin can titzcinba uaye xan. |
Amen. |
Amen. |
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