61. Tales of Zopilote –

In days of old, the buzzard,
Zopilote was his name,
Ruled the feathered kingdom and
Enormous was his fame.

Keen of sight was Zopilote
With huge enormous wings.
And this was why the buzzards
Ruled the spacious sky as kings.

At that time the regal buzzard
Had crown feathers on his head,
His cloak was multicolored
And on living creatures fed.

This was the situation
‘Ere Land King held a feast,
And here you’ll learn how Buzzard’s
Mighty reign of glory ceased.

One day the Land King a huge feast,
Decided to prepare.
Luscious dishes were made ready
And laid out with great care.

Chickens, quails, and bush meat
His servants, they did bake.
There was also corn and vegetables
Rice, fruits and nuts and cake.

Birds were not invited
To Land King’s sumptuous feast;
Only men would eat and drink
When song and dance had ceased.

The guests were still engaged in dance
And in a merry mood,
When Zopilote chanced to see
That spread of luscious food.

He said “Aha, I see, below
A feast that’s fit for kings”
With corn and rice and vegetables
And other tasty things.

He then swooped down upon the feast
Inviting all his friends.
“Let’s eat all we can, he said
Before the dancing ends!”

As birds began to eat the food,
Guards came without delay.
And all, save Zopilote,
Took wing and flew away.

The buzzard thought it should not leave
Without a piece of cake;
But its delay enabled them
To him a prisoner make.

[Illustration]

The Land King was unhappy that
The birds had spoiled the food
When Buzzard was brought before him
He was in an ugly mood.

So he ordered the crown feathers
To be plucked from Buzzard’s head.
“Take him off to jail and paint
Its feathers black!” he said.

“And as perpetual punishment
Zopilote and his seed
Having spoiled the royal festival
On rotting meat shall feed.”

Thus it was that Zopilote
Lost his heavenly throne
And ashamed of its appearance
Soars in the skies alone.

Sky kingdom sought another bird
To be their king and lord.
For having dallied at the feast.
He lost both crown and sword.

62. Creation Myths in Rhymed Metric Verse – an excerpt from "The Origin of Tee Kanake"

The earth coiled in a spiral lay,
Such that it reached the sky,
In dreamtime when there were no plants
Nor creatures low nor high. 

And then one magic moment as
A sign of what would be,
The peak of Tyaumye mountain pierced
The surface of the sea.

And well before the peak was dry,
The moon, without a moan,
Removed one of its yellow teeth
And placed it on a stone.

And just as human life comes forth
From ovary and sperms,
With passing time that rotting tooth
Gave birth to many worms.

To eels then turned the tiny worms
That slipped into the sea;
But those that fell on rising rocks
Reptilian came to be.

The smallest reptiles multiplied.
The sea went down again.
Their bodies looked like lizards;
But their heads resembled men.

63. Communicate en K’iche’ <pg. 3> This book was conceived with the idea of introducing interested persons to the study of k'iche', the language in which the sacred Pop Wuj was written. It has twenty chapters, each of which begins with a question. Each chapter is organized as follows:

• Lesson Objective;
• New Vocabulary;
• Examples using the question and possible answers;
• Grammatical explanations and/or cultural aspects; and
• Excercises .

After every three or four chapters there is a review in the form of a dialog that combines the grammatical structures dealt with in previous lessons.

Upon finishing this book it is hoped that the student will be able to ask any question he/she may wish, as well as easily understand the response because he/she will have a sound grammatical base and an adequate vocabulary sufficient to satisfy his or her immediate physical and linguistic needs in K’iche’. It is also hoped that the knowledge acquired in this course will serve as a base for a deeper study of K'iche' or as a platform in the study of other Mayan languages that are presently spoken in Guatemala, Mexico and Belize.

This book was written by Choli Zárate y Ricardo Zárate in collaboration with Dr. Edward L. Powe, a North American linguist, who conceptualized, designed and organized the chapters and contents of the book. Any errors encountered in this edition are, however, the responsibility of the Patz'ite' School.

This publication is the first in a series of books that the Patz'ite’ School plans to write about this rich and beautiful language. Future publications will include:

1. Folktales
2. Songs
3. Cuisine and Drinks
4. Tongue-twisters
5. Customs
6. History
7. Arts & Crafts.

(2)

CHAPTER

·

¿Jas ri ucholaj ri utz’ibaxik ch’il ub’ixik ri chab’al k'iche'?

(How do you write and pronounce K’iche’ words?)

 Objective : The aim of this chapter is to present the phonemes and graphemes of K'iche' and give examples of the pronunciation and writing of each form with words and expressions useful to beginners. Alter finishing this section, the student will be familiarized with all the significant sounds (i.e. phonemes) of the language and know how to write them.

64. Pop Wuj II (Historical Portion) in Rhymed Metric Verse -< pg. 18, Chapter 4 (The Quest for Gods) >

At that time our ancestors

Had no gods of stone.

They had no wooden idols

Nor sacred incised bone.

B’alam Aq’ab’, Majukutaj,

Iq’ B’alam and Kitze’

Decided to go look for gods

For the people of K’iche’.

Their hearts had tired of waiting

For sun and moon to rise,

And they heard that in Tulán

This goal they’d realize.

The Nahuas and the Toltecs

Went with them that day.

Ma ny were the people

Who followed the K’iche’.

In Tulán B’alam Kitze’

Received the god Tojil

To worship and to nourish

And to before it kneel.

The Tamub’ and Ilokab’

Joined Kitze’ that day

They took Tojil to be their god

And would together pray.

Ja kawitz was given

To Majukutaj;

To Iq’ B’alam was given

The god Nik’aj Taq’aj.

Awilix was given

To B’alam Aq’ab’

These, too, would be worshipped by

Tamub’ and Ilokab’.

The men of corn were thankful that

Protectors they had found.

They weeped with tears of happiness;

Their gladness had no bound.

Oth er groups received their gods

And soon they thought it best

To leave Tulán and seek new homes

North, south, east and west.

Once they spoke one language;

But now this wasn’t so.

And those who once were brothers

To seek new homes would go.

Our fathers left the Sev en Caves

And jour neyed to the south

Balam Kitze’ was fasting.

No food went in his mouth.

Rab’ina l eb’, Q’aq’chikel

Tzikinaja’,Yaki’

Accompanied the men of corn

When they crossed the sea.

They were tired and thirsty and

As hungry as could be.

They dressed in skins of animals

And knew great misery.

65. Cosmic Combat Yoga Warriors <pg. 3> This volume, an excerpt from my yet unfinished Cosmic Combat Yoga: The Sixth Face of Hanuman, presents interviews with 17 Tamil-speaking cosmic combat warriors to ascertain their motivation, techniques, and accomplishments. As will become evident, they entered into the “yogic combat tradition” for various reasons and all say they have benefited immensely from their practice. None of them have yet reached samadhi or acquired supernatural powers, but who knows what the future will bring. A. Ganesh (a Yoga Jothi who wrote the preface for Dr. G. T. Anbarasan’s Health Peace and Longevity Through Yoga explained his motivation for entering the study of yoga as follows [23:10]:

When I was a teenager, I engaged myself in the pursuit of worldly things. I got my diploma from NIIT, pursued a degree in English Literature and so on. But to my surprise, I found myself “void” and “incomplete” with all these worldly studies. I found that all these worldly degrees brought only material satisfaction through money but sadly did not bring me a peaceful and serene state of mind.

Ganesh then met Dr. G. T. Anbarasan, a yoga instructor, and was so impressed with his speeches and demonstrations that he enrolled in his two-month yoga diploma course at the Life Power Yoga Center. While there, under the tutelage of Anbarasan, he studied the asanas (yogic postures), meditation, and other techniques (kriyas) and noted a miraculous change in his body and thought processes. Moreover he said that, through his study of yoga, he acquired a “sense of completeness” and his life seemed more peaceful and happy. He then went on to say that he regularly practices yoga and strongly feels that “Yoga is a way of life which has to be adopted and … followed.”

Ganesh then, out of devotion to his master, decided (with the blessings of Anbarasan) to translate his teachings into English and as a result, the teachings of Anbarasan were made available to the English Speaking world in the book entitled Health Peace and Longevity Through Yoga .

In this story we see five key elements characteristic of the path of the “cosmic combat warrior”, namely: 1) a realization that the soul (atman) feels incomplete and longs for something (i.e. union with the paramatman); 2) the initial step taken to relieve this anxiety by enrolling in the two-month yoga course; 3) the positive results that ensued by learning the asanas, meditation and kriyas taught there; 4) the devotion to his teacher; and 5) the selfless desire to share these life-changing benefits with others.

You will see that the “warriors” interviewed below also had: 1) a problem to overcome (be it anxiety, back problems, lack of purpose, etc.); 2) made a conscious decision to enter the path of the “cosmic combat warrior”; 3) have seriously studied the techniques presented and noted very positive results; 4) acquired a strong love and devotion to their teacher; and 5) have become imbued with the desire to help others improve their lives. The following section deals with these matters, as were revealed to me in interviews with each of them.

66. Dan Aiki Comic: Book II

67. Dan Aiki Comic: Book III

68. Dan Aiki Comic: Book V

69. Saga of Shaka (in Color)

In the Umhlatuzi Valley,
On the hillside of Mandawe,
Twixt the present day Eshowe
And the town called Empangeni,
Malandela built his homestead.
Here he lived and herded cattle,
With his sons Qwabe and Zulu;
While his lovely wife, Nozinja,
Planted pumpkin, maize and sorghum;
Cultivated cane and dagga.
Here they lived at peace and prospered,
Happy each with one another.

Life is like unto a river,
Ever flowing, ever changing.
When the rains of Zulu winter,
Swell its banks, the Umfolozi
River rushes towards the ocean.
And its waters, once so tranquil,
Turn into a raging torrent.
So it was that Malandela’s
Sons began to test each other;
And one day they separated,
Qwabe moved to Empangeni;
Zulu to Mtonjaneni.

It was there that Zulu prospered,
Giving birth to many children.
From his seed there sprang Ntombela,
And from his, the fearless Phunga.
This “Nkosi” of the Zulu
Was succeeded by Mageba,
Who, in turn, then sired Ndaba.
He is was that when reclining
Was as long as rushing rivers;
He it was  that when he stood up,
Was as tall as towering mountains.
He, in turn, gave birth to Jama.

Jama was that mighty warrior,
“Standing firm twixt lion and leopard”,
Who gave birth to many children,
Among them was Senzangakhona,
Who in praising him the bards say,
“He it was who made a rope that
Reached a place in highest heaven,
Where no other man could climb to.
Thus it is that all the Zulus
Trace their roots to Nkosinkulu,
Grandfather of Malandela,
Father of Qwabe and Zulu.

70.  Royal House of Zulu –

Dingane was also praised as
Possessor of many colors:
Red he was like an Ndlovu
From whose wounds much blood was flowing.
White he was like Sun of morning,
Causing day to dawn from darkness;
Green he was like gall of wild beast
Black he was like Mboboshi,

Jet black horn that men devours;
Bush ambusher of brave warriors;.
Haze, resembling mountain shadows;
Hairy one with mane like lion;
Slayer of both Boers and Swazis;
Slew the bull of Bulawayo;
Killed him to stop constant bloodshed;
Killed Zihlandlo, son of Gcwabe;

Slew Retief at Mgungundlovu;
Slew his brothers who dared enter
And profane the royal harem,
Though he told them they could do so;
Offered cattle to Mpande
So that he could trap and slay him;
He was likened to deep water,
Slippery rocks and stealthy vipers;

Wrathful wizard with black liver
Even to his father’s children.
Slew he Dube Kasilwane
Leader of the Qadi people
For defeating him at dancing
In a royal competition.
Wabulala amaBhunu
You who slew the Boer invaders!

Dingane you are a raptor!
Other birds of prey you swallow.
Swallowed you at kwaDukuza
The great hawk of Bulawayo.
Consumed uou also uPhungashe
Mkhukhwane, Sihlephula,
Masumpa and Matiwane.
You are the king who all kings conquers.

Black staff of Phunga and Mageba,
Needy offspring of Mpikazi,
Bird of Maube, fast as bullets,
Expert at scaling great mountains,
Sleek, erect, of great proportions,
Monstrous man of mighty power,
You are likened unto heaven
Sometimes raining sometimes shining.

Butterfly that has broad markings;
Beast that sleeps with difficulty;
Elephant whose sleep is fitful;
Wakeful while others are sleeping;
Twilight, darkness of the dawning;
Long-blade knife that cuts off whiskers;
Beast that bellowed among ashes
He who dared to leave his impi.

Long-heavy-staff because he beats men;
Bunch of spears that great grief causes;
“The Quiet One” said to be mouth-less;
Long tusked bull that flaps his great ears;
Dangling whisk, like tails of cattle;
Usimakade samakhosi,
King who lives longer than others;
He who looks before emerging.

One who’s lured by rugged mountains;
Deep One, like pools in the Ocean;
Barbed brass spear of Mjokwane;
Great crusher, for crushing people;
Bird of Mahube, the great swooper;
Intermittent rain that showers;
King who’s very dark in color,
Butterfly with colored circles,
As if they were painted on him.

You have swallowed many warriors.
Dingane, the restless warrior,
You are like the lion and leopard;
You are like the sun that rises;
You are like the great Ndlovu.
You, who leave no deed unfinished,
You don’t thunder like uShaka