Wimönuntci Ute women's-taboo bullroarer

kwiemtinömpö

Source term: bullroarer

kwiemtinömpö: the Wimönuntci word for the bull-roarer.

The Wimönuntci — the Weeminuche, southernmost of the Colorado Ute, whose base camp lay in the La Sal Mountains of eastern Utah — forbade the bull-roarer to women, and only the summer-born could make it work at all. Whirled on its handled string, the wooden kwiemtinömpö raised wind and cleared away clouds. One shaman needed no arm for it: his bull-roarer hung tied outside the dwelling and whirled by itself whenever he wished it to.

Bull-roarer tied outside; it whirled by itself whenever wished by shaman to do so.

Stewart 1942:347 (Culture Element Distributions: XVIII, Anthropological Records 6:4), note to element 4087, Wimönuntci list

Particulars

Object

Whirrer of wood swung on a string with a wooden handle.

Function

Taboo to women; whirled to make wind blow and clear away clouds, effective only for people born in summer.