of trancing flowers, eagles, turkeys, wolf people....pumas, serpants, rain goddess, horned toads, gila monsters, deer, mother eagle, father sun, tia, mother goddess,

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of trancing flowers, eagles, turkeys, wolf people....pumas, serpants,
rain goddess, horned toads, gila monsters, deer, mother eagle, father
sun, tia, mother goddess;

symbolism used
bythe Huichols

By Angela Corelis

Tacutsi Aramara, the Goddess of Life, is the Mother Goddess. From
her have sprung all life forms; humans, animals and plants.
Tacutsi
not only gives life to all she nurtures, but teaches a manner of
life
pleasant to the Gods. Tatewari is Grandfather Fire, instructor of
shamans, giver of light, hat, and warmth - imperative for
survival. The
coral and rattlesnake are his emissaries.

Wolf People. In Huichol mythology they evolved from wolves. By
learning the ways of the gods, hunting the deer and offering the
blood
of the deer to the deities they were finally able to remain in
human
form. Shamans proclaim the ability to metamorphose into wolves.

Fire or Tai, regarded as the most valuable gift of the gods, is
honored
in all Huichol ceremonies. The Huichol consider themselves sons
and
daughters of Tai and "feed" him cornmeal cakes, beer or tepache
and
water from sacred springs.

Spirit Guides are intermediaries between spiritual and human
spheres
provided by the gods for shaman apprentices. The guide appears in
dreams and visions and are often half-human, half animal, i.e.,
deer-man or deer-woman. Shamans or ambassadors to the gods are
spiritual leaders called Marakame. They are considered
para-normal
in their powers and are an integral link between the Huichol and
the
deities.

Tao Jreeku, or Father Sun, rules the heavens, bringing warmth and
illumination. Eagle, Mother Goddess of all living things and the
sky,
is his wife. It is believed all living things receive their life
force from
Tao Jreeku. He is their grantor of abundant and healthy crops.

All birds are messengers to the gods. The feathers of eagles, and
turkeys are especially sought after. The doubled-headed eagle
represents the Shaman's omnipotent power and ability to see in
all
directions. The goddess, Mother Eagle, Mother of the Sky and
Queen of the Heavens, is embodied by the eagle or Wealika.

Deer or Mahjrah in Huichol symbolize Kayumahli, the spirit guide.
Kayumahli is the guide, teacher and channel of knowledge for the
Shamans. The deer hunt, capture and slaying is a very ritualized
ceremony. Only the "pure" may participate. For the insurance of a
good crop the deer blood is offered to the Deer Mother. Tah Tay
Mahjrahlee. As a guardian spirit she is one of the animals of
primary
importance in the shamanism of the Huichol. The unity of men and
women on their spiritual journeys is symbolized by the male and
female deer depicted together.

Gila Monsters or Eemuukwee are believed to be endowed with
magical healing powers. A piece of this reptile's tail is often
seen in a
Shaman's medicine basket.

Teh-Kah or horned toads are trusted confederates of the shamans.
Their ability to squirt blood from their eyes grants them special
honors.

Salamanders work the Rain Mother by prodding the clouds into
letting go of the rain. Turtles also are emissaries of the Rain
Goddess. Their function is to purify water and replenish
underground
springs.

Serpents are middlemen between men and the spirit world.
Rattlesnakes are respected as the tongue of Tatewari, the Fire
God.
The Rain Goddess is often symbolized by the Serpent as rain
itself, a
great coiled serpent or storm clouds from which millions of tiny
snakes represent rainfall.

Tortukas or scorpions are held in awe and dread. One of the most
deadly species of scorpions in the world can be found in the
Sierra del
Nayarit. In spite of the fact that many Huichol die yearly of
scorpion
bites, the scorpion is respected as a protector against evil and
bad
luck.

Pumas, mountain lions, or Mayetze are emissaries of the God of
Fire,
Tatewali. They are the custodians of a shaman's sacred vows. And
if
the shaman fails, Mayetze can consume his spirit.

Wolves or Kumukite are esteemed bearers of spirits. In the peyote
ceremonies Kumkite is bestowed with special honors, since the
Huichol believe they descended from the Wolf People.

Flowers are sacred. They are utilized in all ceremonies,
healings, deer
hunt, or of the new corn. Toto, a small white flower that blooms
in the
wet corn growing season, has become a prayer and a symbol for the
corn. In life the Toto has five petals but in art it has been
stylized with
six petals. The toto flower symbol is often seen on the chest of
the
Eagle, Keli or Solandra, a plant of the Solanaceae family is an
hallucinogenic. The aroma of its blossom induces a powerful
trance in
which the Huichol say their spirit is opened to the highest
levels of
enlightenment.

Healing wands or arrows, Muwieris or Muvieli, have to hawk or
eagle
feathers suspended from the shaft. It is the Huichol belief that
feathers are endowed with mysterious powers and as such the
Muwieris are the most important item in a shaman's basket. With
the
colors on the shaft and the type of bird feather the shaman can
speak
to or summon individual deities.

Turkeys are the bird of the sun and their feathers are sought
after by
peyote pilgrims. The feathers on the Muwieris are the antlers of
the
deer. Feathers light and fast impart their power to the shafts to
which
they are attached and thus insure speedy delivery of a petition
or
prayer to the designated deity.

Tucuatsi, or a medicine basket, is woven out of palm fronds. The
shaman stores his sacred magic power objects, arrows, candles,
crystals, face paint, incense, mirrors, sacred plants and rocks,
snake
or Gila monster tails or wands in a tacuatsi.

Offering mats or Eetalees are mats made especially to hold the
sacred objects of the shamans medicine basket or tacuatsi during
ceremonies. These objects being sacred must never touch the bare
ground.

Uwene or the shaman's chair are special chairs of distinctive
form
constructed of bamboo, oak, deerskin, pitch and fiber. The gods
are
supplied with a similar chair but in miniature. These uwene are
utilized
exclusively by male shamans. It is believed a woman would become
infertile if she sat in a uwene. Each shaman transports his own
uwene
to the ceremony in which he is to participate.

Gourd bowls depicted in yarn paintings serve to illustrate to the
gods,
graphically, that which is desired. Incense burners fashioned of
clay
are used to transport the burning coals to the necessary sacred
locations. The incense or putzee is produced from the sap of the
copal
tree. When burned the odor and smoke of the copal transports
prayers to the deities.

Candles or Catilas are believed to embody the sacred gift of
light
from the Sun and Fire Gods. They signify an illumination of the
human
spirit.

Caves are sacred ceremonies sites utilized by the shamans.
Secreted
from the outer world, with only their animal allies as witness,
the
shaman communicates with the mystic realm.