Article
Prayer plumes are feathers that are attached to prayer sticks for a variety of rituals, ceremonies, and devotions specific to a number of pueblo and Southwestern tribes, including the Zuni and Hopi. These feathers are usually fastened with cotton string to a short stick, ranging between 6- and 12-inches in length, that is also painted with very specific patterns and colors depending upon the ritual or prayer being performed. The prayer sticks, decorated with their prayer plumes, can be placed to mark a sacred site, or are left as offerings and signs of appeasement. Sometimes, the term "prayer plume" is used interchangeably with the term "prayer stick" and its Hopi translation, "paho."
Laguna Pueblo (Ka'waika) prayer sticks with plume, late 19th century. Brooklyn Museum, Purchased with funds given by Herman Stutzer, 10.229.16a-b is licensed under CC BY.
Manuscripts
A03 Boy Who Made Dragonfly (06-08) p. 23
A03 Boy Who Made Dragonfly (06-08) p. 36
A03 Boy Who Made Dragonfly (06-08) p. 37
A03 Boy Who Made Dragonfly (06-08) p. 38
A03 Boy Who Made Dragonfly (06-08) p. 40
A03 Boy Who Made Dragonfly (06-08) p. 41
A04 Dancehall of the Dead (02-04) p. 100
A04 Dancehall of the Dead (02-04) p. 109
A07 The Dark Wind (04-06) p. 61
A07 The Dark Wind (04-06) p. 77
References
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Stephen, Alexander MacGregor
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Stevenson, Matilda Cox
1904 The Zuni Indians: Their Mythology, Esoteric Fraternities, and Ceremonies. 23rd
Annual Report of the U.S. Bureau of American Ethnology. Washington, D.C.: Government
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Wyman, Leland Clifton
1970 Blessingway. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.