The Huichol Indians of Jalisco and Nayarit have long preserved more of their traditional way of life and Pre-Hispanic world outlook than almost any other indigenous people in the Americas.This rich cultural heritage is reflected in many historical reminiscences, songs, stories and myths.
Myth expresses a deeper form of truth than historical truth. The renowned mythology expert, Joseph Campbell, described myth as the "literature of the human spirit," a clue to our spiritual potentiality. Myth attempts to answer the most difficult questions, such as who made the world or why we are here; it also explains social systems and accounts for the origins of traditional rites and customs. Huichol myth is no exception.
The term "myth" can be misleading. Huichol religion, which is vast and complex, is expressed in many sacred songs and myths. If Huichol myths seem strange, remote, foreign to our way of thinking, it is only because they are particular cultural expressions of certain fundamental ideas common to all human beings.
There are many stories about the principal Huichol deities, such as Nakawé, the most ancient goddess, mother of the gods, creature and destroyer of all that exists, and Tatewarí, the ancient Mesoamerican god of fire. Other deities include Tamatz Kallaumari, the chief deer, lord of the animals, and his two brothers Ushikuikame and Watemukame. In the material world, this mystical trilogy trad-itionally represented the shaman and his two assistants who preside over certain ceremonies.
Huichol religion centers on the deer /maize/peyote complex. This trilogy predates the arrival of the Spanish mis-sionaries and has nothing to do with the Christian Holy Trinity. The deer was once hunted for food. Today maize is the main source of food. The Huichols believe that Palikata, husband of the goddess Keamukame, made possible the growth of the maize by sprinkling deer blood on it. Blood is a source of power. The blood of a deer or an ox is offered as a sacrifice at the annual Hikuri Neirra, or Peyote Fiesta. Watakame, the Sower of the Field, first taught agriculture to the Huichols, who regard the sacred maize as having a nature or "essence" of its own. Peyote, the hal-lucinogenic cactus gathered annually in the deserts of San Luis Potosi, is the magical elixir, which binds all three together. In Huichol thought peyote is both plant and animal and so transcends all boundaries. Through its symbolic and literal use, the Huichol shaman receives otherworldly visions, which he passes on to the people in songs and stories.
Huichol art is still essentially a religious art. Yarn paintings are made by pressing colored yarn or wool into beeswax on a hard backing. They tell a story. As in any oral tradition there are dif-ferent versions, but the message is the same.
Myths and symbols are a means of expressing inner truths. The biblical story of the Flood is a myth, but that does not mean it is false. Stories of a worldwide flood are almost universal, in-cluding the Huichol. Such myths do not necessarily describe an actual event in place and time, but rather a universal human reaction to the cir-cumstances of existence. In this respect, we share our myths with the Huichols.
