Puha Po to Kavaicuwac: a Southern Paiute Pilgrimage in Southern Utah

Abstract

For many cultural groups around the world the act of pilgrimage serves as a ceremonial way of acquiring knowledge and enlightenment. For the Southern Paiutes of the American Southwest, since time immemorial the religious have used the act of pilgrimage for the purpose of gaining knowledge. Some Southern Paiute religious leaders would travel to a place known as Milk Mountain or Kavaicuwac, a large volcanic peak that rises above large Navajo sandstone ridges in South-eastern Utah. The pilgrimage to Kavaicuwac involves visiting and interacting with a series of places along the 30-mile trail. In order to conduct ceremonies at Kavaicuwac, pilgrims, or Puhahivats, followed a trail that started near their home communities and ended at the top of Kavaicuwac. This analysis provides a discussion of places visited during the pilgrimage and ways in which the Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians have taken steps to protect and preserve this trail for future generations of Southern Paiute people.