Native American Skies: Winter Solstice

The sky has been an important indicator of what is happening and what will happen on earth for ancient peoples all over the world for as long as man has possessed the curiosity to look up.  The movement of the sun across the horizon and back throughout the year, has been especially important as an indicator and predictor of the seasons.  On December 21st, 2014 the sun travelled as far south as it would go, rose for three days in the same place and then started its journey north again.  That day marked the “Winter Solstice” (“Solstice” means “sun standstill”), the day with the longest night and shortest day of the year.    The cultures of the Americas observed this very special day in many different ways, but for all, it was time of great portents.  For what if the sun decided to continue its journey south?

 

This is a preview of Native American Skies: Winter Solstice. Read the full post (825 words, 16 images, estimated 3:18 mins reading time)

4 - How the Chumash turned the wayward sun around

Hutash -- Chumash sunstick
 

Part 4: The Chumash Winter Solstice Ceremony

 

After the season of Hutash (autumn), the Chumash people became more and more fearful as the winter solsctice approached (around December 20th each year).  Guided by their astronomer/priest, the Alchuklash, and his twelve helpers, everyone participated in preparing for the winter solstice ceremony.  All the powers of the individual and the supernatural powers of the priests would be required to stop Sun from his journey south and turn him back to them.   Over many years of observing, they knew that the sun would rise and set at the same spot for two days before starting its progression back north.  So the winster solstice ceremony lasted for two days.

On the first day of winter solstice, the Antap (the Alchuklash and assistants of the various Chumash villages), prepared for the ceremony by digging a hole in the plaza where they would place a Hutash (sunstick, refer to Part 3) the next day.

Sun God gathered people on his travel

On second day of the winter solstice, the Alchuklash hid indoors so that Sun would not gather him up on his travel across the sky and eat him.  Ceremonies honoring the dead and offerings to Sun were presided over by the Antap.  All peoples settled their debts on this day so that they could start the new year with a clean slate.  In the afternoon, the chief priest of the village who assumed the role of “Image of the Sun” and twelve assistants who were “Rays of the Sun” erected the Hutash in the plaza to entice the sun to turn northward again.  At noon, the Hutash represented the center of the earth where the four cardinal directions intersected.   Once the Hutash was standing by itself, the “Rays of the Sun” encircled it holding goose or eagle down feathers and as the “Image of the Sun” stood, they tossed the down feathers simulating rain.  The “Image of the sun” chanted “It is raining.  You must go in your house”.  Then, he tapped the stone disk attached to the top of the Hutash twice to release its powers and began a ritual speech.  From Ray A. Williamson’s, Living the Sky,

“A miracle!  Here is the force of the Sun – see how it drives this into the earth.  Believe!  Courage!  Pay attention!  Bring all your children to see, so they can see the staff of Hutash.  Look!  It is going to stand!  Observe it in its place and always remember it so!  Yes, always remember!”

Chief Solares
in Dance Costume
1878

The “Image of the Sun” ended with predictions for the year.  The “Rays of the Sun” then danced in honor of the Sun.  That night, all of the villagers returned to dance and decorate “Sun poles” with paint, beads, and feathers.   The dancers would dance around the Hutash in a clockwise direction until midnight and then reverse direction and dance until sunrise. 

During this one night only, any man could sing to any woman, married or not, and at the end of his song, all taboos were lifted and the woman would accompany him to a discrete location for sexual intercourse.

At sunrise, three elders sang to the Sun beckoning him to “Come out to see your grandfather”.  Then six women took up the singing with arms extended to welcome the Sun back and entice it to re-enter the Hutash.  That night, the people remembered the past year and the deceased.   Then they gathered to witness the sunrise and rejoiced when the sun rose north of the solstice point!  The Sun poles they had decorated were carried outside the village and erected  to the west with offerings to the twelve months of the new year.  The priests collected the Hutash and stored it for the next solstice and that ended the ceremony.  The wayward sun had been turned and a prosperous new year assured.

 

Link to Part 1

Link to Part 2

Link to Part 3

Link to Part 5

 

-- Courtney Miller

3 - How the Chumash turned the wayward sun around

Santa Ynez Chumash man
circa 1878

Part 3: Preparing for the Winter Solstice

 

For the ancient Chumash tribe of Southern California (refer to part 1 and part 2), the progressive movement south of the sun was a bad omen.  It meant shorter days and colder weather.  It meant that the whole community had to band together under the leadership of the Alchuklash, their powerful, omniscient astronomer/priests, to encourage the sun to turn around before there were no more days, only night.

They believed that all things are interconnected and that any action in the heavens affected the earth and humans and actions by humans affected the forces around them.   I am reminded of the “butterfly effect” from chaos theory that stated that if a butterfly flaps his wings in South America, it can affect the weather in Texas -- the idea that small things can influence seemingly unrelated things because of the close connection of all things.  The Chumash and many other cultures then and now believe that if you understand these interactions you can manipulate them to your benefit or, conversely, unwittingly bring about great catastrophes by not heeding or understanding the effects of your actions.



Queen Butterfly of South America

In the fall, the month the Chumash called “Hutash”, the Alchuklash began their preparations for the winter solstice.  They tracked the sun’s progress and kept count of the days so they knew how many days after the autumn equinox they had until the winter solstice.  They would come before the people and announce their prediction and order the preparation of the necessary ritual items needed.  Year after year, their rituals had worked and influenced the sun to come back to them and they dared not alter their actions or, perhaps, the sun wouldn’t turn around.  It was certainly too important to leave to chance.



“Hutash” is a complex word with many meanings but all relate to the “place where you are”.  Hutash is the name of “Mother Earth” who planted the seeds that man sprouted from.  It refers to the “axis of the earth” or the sphere where man resides.   Hutash is the name of the evening star which ushers in the month of Hutash.  It was also refered to as the mirror of the sun and the sun as the mirror of Hutash.

As part of the preparations for the winter solstice in the month of Hutash, the Alchuklash and his 12 helpers brought out a small 18” stick with a round, painted rock affixed to one end.  These “sunsticks” represented the axis of the earth, Hutash, and were an important part of the solstice ceremony.  The rock was tilted at an angle so the the sun would shine directly on the top of the rock.

Here, quoting from "Living the Sky" is an account of the Hutash ceremony, "... the group [Alchuklash and 12 assistants] assembled in mid-morning.  To start the ceremony the old men (antap) brought out several mysterious articles, among which was a whale vertabrae painted with an image of the sun.  Each ray of the sun painting represented one of the twelve months of the year.  After the persons attending placed offerings in several baskets that had been put there for the purpose, one of the old men, who had been sitting on the west side of the room facing east, began to sing three songs of gratitude to the sun as they all waited for the sun to rise symbolically.  A young boy then took the painted sun, which had been lying horizontally on the floor, raised it up with a stick, and held it vertically for all to see.  the sun had risen.  Each woman with a babe still suckling brought him in and held him up to the sun paintings.  Then the leader warned them all to respect Sun and lectured them to follow the proper path and to avoid the dangers to life and property that exist at this time of year.  'None of us in the assembly control our destiny, for we live in the shadow of the sun.'"

Following this ceremony, the Alchuklash priest took on his role as Sun Priest and his assistants became the rays of the sun.  They prepared the people for the coming winter solstice and prepared for the ceremony that would entice the sun to stop moving south and start its movement northward again.

Link to Part 1

Link to Part 2

Link to Part 4

Link to Part 5

-- Courtney Miller

2 - How the Chumash turned the wayward sun around

 Part 2: The Alchuklash

The ancient Chumash Indians of Southern California (see Part 1), relied on their astronomer/priests to guide them in their daily lives and to protect the harmony of their world.  Each village had an astronomer/priest called the “Alchuklash” who possessed the ability to read the sky and make predictions; exert influence over the forces of nature through their connections with the heavens; resolve or preserve the peace among the villages; heal the sick; control the weather; and on and on.  For instance, at birth the Alchuklash would be on hand to name the child based upon the stars.  He had the power to bring rain or turn away storms.  The Alchuklash did this through his knowledge of the stars, sun, and moon similar to the way astrology is used to tell our fortune today.  Their ability and responsibilities gave them great power in their communities.

As Ray A. Williamson put it in his book “Living the Sky”, “The Alchuklash conducted their lives and made their observations of the skies under the basic assumption that the world of humans and everything else in the world were inextricably bound together.  The appropriate human actions could influence the workings of the rest of the cosmos, and vice versa.”

The greatest force in the sky was the sun.  The Chumash name for the sun meant “radiance of a child born on the winter solstice”.  From “Living the Sky, “The sun lived in the Upper World with his two daughters in a house made of quartz crystal.  His wives were the morning and evening stars.  In his daily travels across the sky, he not only carred the sun torch to light the world but also preyed on humans below.  His only clothing was a feather band around his head, into which he would stuff an occasional Chumash child as he traveled.  …  After reaching his house again at sunset, Sun would dine on the humans he chanced to gather up during the day.

“… Sun was a powerful being who brought life in the form of heat and light but could also bring death – presumably to those who deserved it, for he served as a moral symbol as well. ‘Never do anything that is prejudicial or unlawful and think that no one will see you,’ said the Chumash, ‘For while the sun is shining, an eye is here … .’”

The winter solstice was a time of great foreboding for the Chumash as it was for most ancient cultures.  The autumn equinox was a day of perfect balance – the day and the night were of equal length.  But each day after that, night became more dominant and days grew shorter.  Each day the sun traveled further and further south and left in its wake colder and more dreary weather.  Every year the Chumash relied on the Alchuklash to do something to stop the sun from leaving them for good.  They depended upon their astronomer/priests to stop the sun, turn him around and encourage him to start his travels northward again.

In the next segment of “How the Chumash turned the wayward sun around”, we will look at how the Alchuklash prepared for the winter solstice so that they could influence to the sun to turn around.

 

 

Link to Part 1

 

Link to Part 3

Link to Part 4

Link to Part 5


 

 

 

-- Courtney Miller