Project Gutenberg 2007-03-17 Public domain in the USA. 224 Matthews, Washington 1843 1905 Matthews, W. (Washington) The Mountain Chant, A Navajo Ceremony Fifth Annual Report of the Bureau of Ethnology to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, 1883-84, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1887, pages 379-468 Produced by Louise Hope, Carlo Traverso, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr and by First-Hand History at http://www.1st-hand-history.org) "The Mountain Chant: A Navajo Ceremony" by Dr. Washington Matthews is an ethnographic account written in the late 19th century. The work focuses on the ceremonial practices of the Navajo tribe, particularly the Mountain Chant, which involves intricate rituals performed by shamans or medicine men. The text provides insights into the cultural and spiritual beliefs of the Navajo people, showcasing their connection to the land and the supernatural through various ceremonies and myths. The opening of the text introduces the Mountain Chant ceremony, describing its significance as one of the major Navajo rites intended for healing and invoking blessings for good harvests. Matthews notes that while the ceremony features a series of public performances, it also comprises numerous secret rituals that span several days. He begins by recounting a myth that explains the ceremony's origins and the importance of the characters involved, particularly a family that discovers a life-sustaining spring and their subsequent adventures. As the narrative unfolds, readers encounter themes of survival, spirituality, and the transmission of knowledge within the Navajo community, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of these cultural practices throughout the text. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 76.2 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Navajo Indians -- Rites and ceremonies Mountainway (Navajo rite) E011 Text Paganism Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore Category: Archaeology & Anthropology Category: Religion/Spirituality 340513 2025-07-09T03:39:10.737502 text/html 341658 2007-03-17T10:16:50 text/html 1097661 2025-07-09T03:39:20.473456 application/epub+zip 1099830 2025-07-09T03:39:14.856445 application/epub+zip 185308 2025-07-09T03:39:13.299472 application/epub+zip 1307846 2025-07-09T03:39:24.155407 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1285660 2025-07-09T03:39:19.263429 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 241041 2022-09-10T04:26:22.107573 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 282091 2025-07-09T03:39:09.693460 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 282163 2007-03-17T10:16:44 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 278132 2007-03-17T10:17:50 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 22029 2025-07-09T03:39:24.293408 application/rdf+xml 18239 2025-07-09T03:39:13.820462 image/jpeg 4194 2025-07-09T03:39:13.558470 image/jpeg 100935 2007-03-17T10:18:32 application/octet-stream application/zip 99573 2007-03-17T10:18:32 application/octet-stream application/zip 998661 2007-03-17T10:18:32 application/octet-stream application/zip 1095252 2025-07-09T03:39:10.815495 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia