Washington Matthews

The Mountain Chant is a nine-day Navajo healing ceremony, one of several major rites undertaken only in winter. Aside from curing disease, it brings rain and invokes the unseen powers for general benefit. Though perhaps practiced less often now than better-known ceremonies such as the Night Chant, it is by no means forgotten. Fully faithful to the original book published by Washington Matthews over a century ago, this edition contains the story of the wandering hero upon whose exploits the Mountain Chant is based, a description of each of the nine ceremonial days, and original song text and translations.

This work is based on Dr. Washington Matthews studies of the Hidatsa Indians while stated at a military post and serving as a medical officer of the Army. This work presents what Matthews learned by observing manners, customs, and other characteristics, as well as making a close and careful study of their language. The original intent was to publish this treatise as a portion of a general work on Indian ethnography, but a delay in publishing the larger work made it desirable to prepare this material as a separate publication.