Transcript Prayer Spoken While Presenting an Infant to the Sun”

“Prayer Spoken
While Presenting an
Infant to the Sun”
Emma Birky, Kaity Gaskill, Joselyn
Simms
Background - Zuni
New Mexico
 Discovered and named by Fray Marcos
de Miza
 Pueblo Indians
 Were influenced by Catholic missionaries
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Background Cont’d
Cycle of religious ceremonies
 Earth Mother, Sun Father, and MoonlightGiving Mother
 Sun is seen as giver of life
 Friendly towards Americans, jealous of
Mexicans, hate Navajo - “bitter enemies”

Background Cont’d
Spoke Zuni, but no written literature
 Passed on traditions through tales, myths
and legends
 Culture dependant upon oral literature
 Much of culture is lost because stories
have been forgotten
 What oral stories were you told as a child?
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“Prayer Spoken While Presenting an
Infant to the Sun”
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Reflection of times: Pre-Civil War – Civil
War = many Indian tribes being forced out
of land, onto reservations
This caused death of Indian cultures
Important: Shows that culture is dying
because it is one of the few stories the Zuni
have left
“Prayer Spoken While Presenting an
Infant to the Sun”
Meaning of title
 Prayer
 Eight days after birth, presented infant to
Sun Father
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“Prayer Spoken While Presenting an
Infant to the Sun”
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Symbol: passing of life from one generation
to the next. Where is evidence of this?
Last stanza: What happens when “your
road is fulfilled”?
What modern traditions reflect the Zuni
culture?