The Sacred path : spells, prayers, & power songs of the American Indians
(Book - Regular Print)

Includes bibliographical references (pages 179-185).

English translations of North and South American Indian spells, prayers, and songs traditionally used in rituals associated with birth, puberty, love, travel, sickness, weather, farming, hunting, and death.

"The only up-to-date anthology of traditional American Indian poetry, The Sacred Path emphasizes the relationship between the life of the individual and the power of the spoken word. Arranged as the progression of a human life, beginning with chants to ease the labor of an expectant mother, the selections narrate a journey through birth and infancy, puberty, adulthood, and old age. The underlying belief, shared by native American cultures as different as the Cherokee and the Aztec, is that language, like the forces of nature, can bring about change. It uttered at the proper moment and in proper combinations, words can ward off disease, control the movements of a loved one, exorcise a ghost, and, in short, enable the user to deal with the crises that arise at each stage of life. The Sacred Path is a powerful introduction to an increasingly important field of American literature"--Back cover.