SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION—BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY .

T H E S IA .

MATILDA COX E STEVENSON .

CONTENTS .

Introduc tionCosmogonyCult soc iet iesTheurgistic ri tesRain ceremon ia l of the Snake soc ietyRa in ceremon ia l of the G ian t soc ietyFour-n ight ceremon ia l of the G ian t soc iety for the hea l ing of a s ickboy

Ra in ceremon ia l of the Knife soc ietySoc ie ty of the Quer’rii nnaRa in c eremon ia l of the Quer’runna soc ietyOther soc iet iesSoc iety of the c ougarSoc iety of Wa rr iors

Songs

A ra in song of the Sha’wi Cha i an (Snake soc ie ty)A song oi the Sh l

'

1’wi Cha i ’Ein (Snake soc ie ty)for hea l ing the s ick

A ra in song of the Sko ’\ o Cha i’{in (G iant soc ie ty)A song of the SEO

‘

yo Cha i’zin (G iant soc ie ty)for hea l ing the sick

A ra in song of the H is’tiiiu Cha i ’ii n (Kn ife soc iety).

Portio‘

nlof a ra in song of the His’tiiin Cha i’iin (Kn i fe soc ie ty)

A ra in song of the Quer’riinna Chai ’iin

Ch i l d b irthMo r tua ry customs and b e l iefsMy ths

The Coyote encounters d isa p po in tmen tThe Coyote and the Couga rThe Coyote and the Ra t t lesnakeThe Skntona

ILLU STRATIONS

A View of Sia , showing a po rt ion of vill age in ru insPla za

, Sia

Sisters ; c leveres t ar tis ts in cerami cs in SiaGroup of S ia vasesThe Ora c leS tone house showing p l aster on exter iorS tampers a t workPounders comple ting workI-ii r-ri-ko

,a Sia fet ich

Persona l adornmen t when received into th ird degree of ofii c ial

mem b ersh ip in Cu l t soc iety (A ,Ko-sha i -r i ; B, Quer

’-riin-na ;

C, Snake soc iety

Ha’-cha -mo -ui before plume offerings are a t ta ched (A,h ii'-cha

mo-n i and offi c ial s taff deposited for Shs sis-tin -na -ko ; B,h i)

”

cha—mo-n i and offic ia l staff deposited for the sun ; 0,h ii

’-cha

mo-ui and offi c ia l s taff depos i ted for the c loud pr ies t of thenorth ; D , h ii

’-cha -mo-ui and offic ia l s taff deposited for the

c loud p r ies t of the west ; E ,ha”-cha -mo-ui and offi c ia l stafi

'

deposi ted for the c loud p ries t of the zen i th)H ii ’-cha -mo-u i wi th p lume offerings a t ta ched (F,

ha’-cha -mo -u i

depos i ted for the Sia woman of the north and of the wes t ; G ,

hii’-cha—mo-u i offered to the c loud woman o f the c a rd ina l

poin ts ; H , gaming b l ock ofi'

ered to the c loud peop le ; I, h ii'

cha -mo ~1 1 i and offic ial stafi‘ depos i ted for the snake ho’-na -a i-ti~

of the no rth)X I I I . H 11

’-cha -n1o-u i wi th p lumes a tta ched (A,

depos ited for c l oud

priest of the nor th ; B,deposited for Ilo-c hau-u i

,a rch ruler

of the c loud pries ts of the wor l d ; 0 ,depos i ted for c loud

woman of the no rth ; D,bunch of p l umes o ffered a pa rt from

h ii’-cha -n 1o -n i ; E , bunch o f p l umes o ffered a p a r t from h ii’-cha1 110 - ini).

A l ta r a nd sand pa in ting o f Snake soc ietyA l ta r o f Snake soc ietyCeremon ia l vaseV i ce ho ’

-na -a i-te o f Snake soc ietyA l ta r a nd sa nd p a in t ing,r of G ian t soc ie ty (A ,

a lta r ; It, sa ndp a in ting)

Al ta r o f Gian t SOGlt‘ ty pho tog ra phed during c e remo n ia ll Io ’

-na -a i-te o f Gi an t. so c ie ty .

S ick boy in c e remonia l c ham b e r o f Gia n t so c ie ty .

XXX I I .

XXXV.

IL LU STRAT IONS.

A l ta r and sand pa int ing of Kni fe soc ietyAl ta r of Kn ife soc iety photographed during ceremon ia l

Ho ’-na -ai-te of Kn ife soc iety

Altar ofKni fe soc iety, with ho’-na-ai-te and v ice ho’-na -a i-te on

either sideShrine of Kn ife soc ietyShr ine of Knife soc ietyAl tar of Quer ’-rau-na soc ietyAltar of Quer’-ran -na soc ietyHo’

-na-ai-te of Quer ’-ran-na soc ietySia masks (A, masks of the Ka-

tsu-na ; B mask of female Ré-tsuna ; 0, masks of the Ka-tsu

Sia masks (A masks of the Ka-tsu-na ; B,masks of fema le Ka-tsfi

na)Pra yer to the rising sun

Persona l adornmen t when received in to the th ird degree of offic ia l membersh ip of Cult soc iety (A,

sp ider ; B,couga r ; 0, fire ;

D, Kn ife and G iant ; E ,costume when victor is received into

soc iety of Wa rriors ; F, body of wa rr ior prepa red for burial ,only the face, hands, and feet being pa inted)

Ceremon ial wa ter vases ; Sia (A,a c ross emb lema t ic of the ra in

from the c ard ina l points ; B,faces of the c loud men ; C, faces

of the c loud women ; D, c louds and ra in ; E ,vegeta tion ; F ,

dragonfly, symbol ic of water)

Sia women on their way to trader’s to d ispose of pottery

Sia women return ing from trader’s wi th flour and corn

PauperBreak ing the ea rth under tentWomen and g i rls br ing ing c layWomen and girls br inging clayDepos iting the c layM ix ing the c lay w ith the freshly b roken ea rthWomen spr inkl ing the ear thThe p rocess of level ingStampers starting to workM i x ing clay for plaster .

Ch i l dish cur iosity .

Mask of the sun,drawn by a theurgist

Diagram of theWh ite House of the North,drawn b\ a theurg ist .

The game of Wash ’kas iSand pa int ing as ind ica ted in Pla te x x vSand pa in ting used in ceremon ia l for s ick by Ant soc ietySia doc tressMother wi th her infan t four da ys old

T H E S I A .

BY MATIL DA C OKE STE VEN SON .

‘

INTRODU CT ION .

All that remains of the once populous pueblo of S ia i s a smal l group

of houses and a mere handful of people in the mi dst of one of the

most extens ive ruins of the Southwest (Pl . 1)the living rel i c of an

almost extinct people and a patheti c tale of the ravages of warfare

and pestilence. This p icture i s even more touching than the infant’s

cradle or the tiny sandal found buried in the cliff in the canyon wal ls .

The S ia of to day i s in much the same condition as that of the ancient

cave and clilf dweller as we restore thei r V illages in imagination .

The cosmogony and myths of the Sia point to th e present s i te as

thei r home before resorting to the mesa,wh ich was not

,however , thei r

first mesa home ; their legends refer to numerous vi l lag es on mountain

tops in thei r j ourneying from th e north to the center of the earth .

The population of th is vil lage was originally very large,but from i ts

si tuation i t became a target during intertribal feuds . A time came,however

,when intertribal stri fe ceased

,and th e pueblo tribes un ited

their strength to oppose a common foe. an adversary who struck ter

ror to the heart of the Indian,inasmuch as he not only took possessi on

of thei r vil lages and homes,but was bent upon uprooting the ancestral

rel ig ion to plant in i ts stead the Roman Cathol i c fai th . To avoid th i s

result the Sia fled to the mesa and buil t a village, but the fee was not

to be thus easi ly baffled and the mesa vi llage was brough t under sub

iec tion. That these people aga in st1 uggled for thei r freedom is evidentfrom the report ofVa1 gas of h is is i t the1 e in 1 692

The pueb lo had been destroyed a low yea rs befo re by Cruz a te, but i t h ad not beenrebu i l t . The t roops en tered i t the next morning . I t was s i tua ted upon the mesa of

(f

orm Colorado,and the only a p p roa c h to i t was up the s ide of the p la tea u b y a steep

and rocky road . The on l y th ing of va l ue found there was the hell o f the conven t,

wh ich was ordered to be b uried . The Ind ians had bui l t a new v illage nea r the ruinso f the old one . When t hey saw the Spania rds app roa ch they c ame forth to meet andb id them w elcome

,ca rry ing c rosses in the ir hands , and the ch ie fs ma rch ing a t the ir

heads . In th is manne r they esco rted Va rgas and h is t roo ps to the p l a za , where arc hes

"The author ment ions gratefu l ly the sha re o f this work performed by her la te hus band . M r. JamesStevenson,

1 1 ho se notes ta ken during h is la st yea r's Work in the fie ld have bee n free ly used by herand whose l ife interes t in the North A nwrit'uu Ind ia ns has been he r inspira tion .

10 THE SIA.

and crosses were erec ted, and good qua rters p rov ided them . He caused the inb ahitants to be assemb led, when he expla ined to them the obj ect of h is v isit and the manner in wh ich he intended to punish all th e rebel l ious Ind ians . Th is conc luded , theusual ceremonies of taking possession, bapt ism and a bsolution, took

'

place.l

And the Sia were again under Span i sh thraldom ; but though theymade thi s outward show of submi tting to the new fai th , nei ther then

nor since have they wavered in their devotion to their aboriginal re

ligion.

The ruins upon the mesa,showing wel l-defined walls of rectang ul ar

stone structures northwest of the present vi l lage,are of considerable

magn itude,covering many acres. (Pl . II.) The Indians, however,

declare this to have been the great farming districts of Po-shai -yan-ne

(quasi messiah), each field being divided from the others by a stonewal l

, and that thei r vil lagewas on the mesa eastward of the present one.

The distance from the water and the field induced the Sia to return

to thei r old home, but wars, pestil ence, and oppress ion seem to have

been thei r heri tage . When not contending wi th the marauding nomadand Mexican

,they were suffering the effects of d isease

, and betweenmurder and epidemic these people have been reduced to smal l numbers.The Sia declare that this condition of affairs continued

,to a greater or

less degree,wi th but short periods of respi te

,unti l the murders were

arrested by the intervention of our Government. For th i s they are

profoundly grateful,and they are wi ll ing to attest thei r grati tude in

every possible way.

The Sia to -day number, according to the census taken in 1890,1 06

,

and though they no longer suffer at the murderous hand of an enemy,they have to con tend against such diseases a s smallpox and d iphtheria

,

and i t wi l l require but a fewmore scourges to obli terate this remnant

of a people. They are stil l harassed 0 11 all sides by depredators,muchas they were of old ; and long-continued struggle has not on ly resultedin the depletion of their numbers

,but also in mental deterioration.

The Sia resemble"

the other pueblo Indians ; indeed , so strik ingly

alike are they in physical structure,complexion

,and customs that they

might be considered one and the same people, had it not been discovered

through philolog ical investi gation that the languages of the pueblo

Indians have been evolved from four distinct stocks .S ia i s si tuated upon an elevation at the base of wh ich flows theJe 1nez river . The R io Salado empties into the Jemez some 4 m i les

above Sia and so impregnates the waters of the Jemez with salt thatwhile i t i s at al l times most unpalatable

,in the summer sea-son when

the river is drained above , th e water becomes undrinkable, and yet itis th i s or nothing wi th the Sia .

For neighbors they have the people of the pueblo of Santa Ana,6

m i les to the southeast,who Speak the same language, with but sl ight

varia tion, and the pueblo of Jemez, 7 m i les north,whose language,

according to Powel l’s classification, i s of another stock , the Tanoan.

Davis . Spanish Conquest of N ewM ex ico , 1869, pp .

s mvsxsox .) CHARACTER or THE PEOPLE . 1 1

The Mexican town of San Ys idro i s 5§ m i les above Sia , and there are

several Mexican settlements nortli’

of Jemez . The Mexican town ofBernalil lo i s on the east bank of the R i o Grande

,1 75mi les eastward .

Though Protestan t m iss ionaries have been stat ioned a t the pueblo of

Jemez since 1878, no attempt has been made to b r ing the Sia wi thinthe pal e of Protestanti sm . The Cathol i c mi ss ion priest who resides atJemez makes periodical v i s its to the Sia

,when services are held

,mar

riages performed , infants bap ti zed, and prayers offered for the dead .

The m issions a t C ia and Jemez w ere founded prev ious to 1 61 7 and after 1 605 .

They existed w i thout in terrupt ion until a bout 1 622,when the Na vaj os com pe l led the

abandonmen t of the two churches at San Diego and San Joseph of Jemez . Aboutfour years la ter

,through the exertions of Fra y Ma rt in dc Arv ide

,these missions

were reoc cupied , and rema in ed in un in terrup ted operation un t i l August 1 0, 1 680.

The m iss ion at C ia ,as far as I know

,suffered no grea t c a lam ity un t i l t ha t da te .

After the uprising of 1 680 the C ia m iss ion rema ined vacan t un ti l 1 694. Thence 0 11 i thas been a lways ma inta ined , sligh t tempora ry vacanc ies excep ted

,up to th is day .

The mission of San Diego de Jemez was occup ied in 1 694 by Fray Franc isco de Jesus,whom th e Ind ians murdered on the 4th of June of 1 696 . In consequence of the up

r is ing on tha t day, the Jemez a b andoned their coun t ry , and returned , sett l ing on thep resent site of their pueb lo only in 1 700. The firs t residen t p ries t at Jemez b ecame

Fray Diego Ch abarria , in 1 701 . Since tha t da te I find no fur ther interruption in thel ist ofmissionar ies .

’

The S ia are regarded wi th contempt by the SantaAna and the Jemez

Indians,who never omit an opportun i ty to give exp ression to thei r

scorn,feeling assured that th is handful of people must submi t to insu l t

wi thout hope of redress . L imi ted intertribal relations exist, and these

principally for the purpose of traffic .Though the Sia have considerable i rr igable lands, they have but a

meager supply of water,th i s being due to the fact that after the Mex

ican towns above them and the pueblo of Jemez have drawn upon thewaters of the Jemez ri ver

, l i ttle i s left for the Sia , and in order to haveany success with their crops they must curtail the area to be culti

vated . Thus they never raise grain enough to supply their needs,

even with the practice of th e strictest economy according to Indian

understanding,and therefore depend upon thei r more successf ul neigh ~

bors who labor under no such difficul ties . The Jemez people have

no lack of wa ter supply , and the Santa A na have thei r farming d istricts

on the banks of th e R i o G rande . Is i t strange, then, that two pueblos

are found progressing, however s lowly, towa rd a European civil ization,whi le the S ia

,though sl ightly influenced by the Mexicans , have , through

thei r envi ronment,been led not only to cl ing to autoch thonic culture

but to lower thei r plane of social and mental condi tion ?

The Sia women labor industriously at the ceramic art a s soon a s

thei r grain supply becomes reduced . and the men ca rry the wares to

thei r unfriendly ne ighbors for trade in exch ange for wheat a nd co rn.

While the Santa A na andJemez make a l i ttle pottery , i t is very coa rse

in texture and in form ; in fact, they can not be classed as po ttery

making Indians. (Pl . III.)"The writer is indebted to M r. A . l“ . liande lier for the iul

'

onna tion regarding the Catho l ic m iss ions .

1 2 THE SIA.

A s long as the Sia can induce the traders through the coun try to

take their pottery they refrain from barter wi th their Indian neigh

bors . (Pl . IV.) The women usually dispose of the articles to the

traders (Figs . 1 and but they never venture on exped itions to the

Santa Ana and the Jemez .

E ach year a period comes,just before the harvest time

,when no

more pottery is required by their Indian neighbors,and the Sia must

deal out their food in such l imi ted portions that the elders go hungryin order to satisfy the children. When starvation threatens th ere isno thought for the chi ldren of the clan , but the head of each household

Fro. 1 .—Sia women on their way to the trader's to dispose of pottery .

looks to the wants of its own,and there is apparen t indifference to the

sufferings of neighbors . When questioned,they reply : “ We feel sad

for our brothers and our sisters,but we have not. enough for ourown .

”

Thus, when driven to extremes, nature asserts itself in the nearest ties

of consanguin i ty and the “ clan ”becomes secondary. A t these times

there are no expressions of di ssati sfaction and no attempt on the part

of the stronger to take advantage of the weaker . The expression ofthe men changes to a stoical resignation

, and the women’s faces grow

a shade paler wi th the thought that in order to nouri sh their babes

they themselves must be nourished . And yet,such is thei r code of

hospital i ty tha t food is a lways offered to guests as long as a morselremains.

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1 4 THE SIA.

ceremonials of their cu l t. The writer i s of the Opin ion that he was thefirst and only wh ite man granted this privilege by any of the pueblo

Indians previous -to the expedition to Zuni , in 1879, by Mr. Stevenson,of the Bureau of E thnology.

The wr i ter accompan ied Mr . Stevenson on th is occasion and during

h is succeeding investigations among the Zuni , Tusayan, and the Ri oGrande Pueblos. And whenever the stay was long enough to become

acquainted with the people the confidence of the priestly rulers and

theurgists was gained, and after th is concil iation al l efforts to be pres

ent at the most secret and sacred performances observed and practiced

by these Indians were successful . Their sociology and rel igi on are so

intricately woven together that the study of the one can not be pursued

wi thout the other,the ritual beginning at birth and cl osing with

death .

While the rel igion of the R io Grande Indians bears evidence of contact wi th Catholicism,

they are in fact as non-Cathol i c as before the

Spanish conquest . Thei r environment by the European civi l i zation of

the southwest is, however, slowl y but surely effecting a change in the

Observances of their cabal istic practices. For example, the pueblo of

Laguna was so disturbed by the A tlantic and Pacific railroad passingby i ts v il lage that first one and then another of i ts fami l ies l ingered at

theranch houses, reluctant to return to their communal home,where they

must come in contact wi th the hateful innovations of their land and so

additions were made to render the summer house morecomfortable for

the winter, and after a time a more substantial structure supplanted the

temporary abode, and the communal dwell ing was rarely vis ited except

to comply wi th the religious Observances. Some of these homes werequi te remote from the vi l lage

,and the men having gradual ly increased

their stock of cattle found constant vigilance necessary to protect them

from destruction by the rai l road and the hands of the cowboy ; and sofirst one and then another of the younger m en ventured to be absent

from a ceremonial in order to look up some stray head of cattle,unti l

the aged men cried out in horror that thei r chil dren were forgettingthe rel igion of their forefathers .The writer knew of but one l ike delinquent among the Za hiwhen she

was there in 1886. A son of one of the most b igoted priests in the village had become so eager to possess an American wagon

,and h is atten

tion was so absorbed in looking after h is cattle wi th a view to the accumulation of means whereby to purchase a wagon

,-that he dared to

absent h imself from a most important and sacred ceremon ial,notwith

standing the current bel ief that for such impiety the offender must diewi th in four days . The father denounced h im in the strongest terms

,

declaring he was no longer his son . And the man told the writer,on

hi s return to the village,“ that he was afrai d because he staid away

,

and he guessed he would die within four days,but some of h is cattle

had strayed off and he feared the cowboy .

” The fourth day passed

BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY ELEVENTH ANNUAL RE9ORT PL. IV

GROUP OF SIA VASES.

su mm on ] REL IG ION AND MARR IAGE . 1 5

and the mans till lived , and the scales dropped from h is eyes . From

that time h is rel igious duties were neglected in h is eagerness for theaccumulation of weal th .

Thus the rai lroad , the merchant, and the cowboy , wi thout th is pur

pose in view,are efi

'

ecting a change which is slowly closing, leaf by

leaf,the record Of the rel igious bel iefs and practices of the pueblo

Indian. W i th the Sia thi s record book i s being more rapidly closed ,but from a different cause. I t i s not due to th e Christianiz ing of these

Indians,for they have noth ing of Protestantism among them

,and

though professedly Cathol ic,they awai t only the departure of the pries t

to return to thei r secret ceremonia l s . The Cathol i c priest baptizes th e

infan t,but the ch i ld has previ ously received the bapt ismal ri te of its

ancestors . The Cathol i c priest marries the betrothed,but they have

been previ ousl y uni ted according to their ancestral rites . The Rom ish

priest holds mass that the dead may enter heaven, but prayers have

al ready been offered that the soul may be received by S ilS-sis-tin -na -ko

(thei r creator)in to the lower world whence i t came . A s an entirety

these people are devotees to thei r rel ig ion and its Observances,and yet

with but few exceptions , they go through their r itua l s, having butvague understanding of their origin or mean ing . Each shadow on the

dial brings nearer to a close the l ives of those upon whose minds are

graven the trad i tions,mythology, and folklore as indel ibly as are the

pictographs and monochromes upon the rocky wal l s.A n aged t-heurgist whose lore was unquest ioned , in fact he was re

garded as their oracle (Pl . v), passed away during the summer of 1890.

Great were the lamentations that the keeper of their traditions slept,

and wi th h im slept much that they would never hear aga in. There are,

now,but five men fromwhom any connected account of thei r cosmogony

and mythology may be gleaned , and they are no longer young. Two of

these men are not natives of S ia , but were adopted into the tribe when

young ch i ldren. One is a Tusayan ; the other a San Fel ipe Indian.

The former i s the present governor,am i able

,brave , and determined ,

and while deploring that h is people have no understanding of Americancivi li za tion, he stands second onl y to the oracle in h is knowledge of

l ore of the Sia . The San Felipe Indian i s a l ike charac ter, and i f S ia

possessed a few more such men there migh t yet be a future for tha tpueblo .

Whi le the mythology and cul t practices differ in each pueblo there

is s ti l l a s trik ing analogy between them , the Zuni and Tusayan furnish

ing the richer field for the ethnographer, thei r rel ig ion a nd socio logy

being virtually free from C a thol ic influence .The Ind ian otlic ial i s possessed of a character so penetrating , so dip

lomatic , cunning, and reticent that i t is only through the mo st fr iendly

rela ti ons and by a p rotracted s tay tha t anything can be lea rned of the

myth s, legends , and ri tes wi th which the l i ves o f these people are. so

thoroughly imbued and which they so zealously gua rd .

1 6 THE sm.

The theurgists of the several cult societies, upon learning that the

object of the wri ter’s second vis i t to Sia was s imi lar to that of the pre

vious one, graciously recei ved her in thei r ceremon ial s, revealing the

secrets more precious to them than l i fe i tself. When unable to givesuch information as she sought they would bring forth their oracle (theaged theurgi st)whose old wrinkled face brightened wi th intelligent

interest as he related wi thout hesitancy that which was requested .

The form of government of all the pueblos is much the same, they

being civil organi zations divide d into several departments, with an

official head for each department .

W i th the Sia (and l ikewise wi th the other pueblos)the ti’amoni, by

virtue of his priestly chi ce,i s ex ofii cio ch ief executive and legislator ;

the war priest (he and his vi car being the earthl y representatives of the

twin war heroes)having immed ia te control and direction of the mi litary

and of tribal hunts . Secret cult soc i eties concerning the Indians’ rela

tions to anthropomorphic and zoomorphic beings are control led each by

a particular theurgist. The war chief, the local governor, and the magistrate as well as the ti’amoni and theurgists have each a vicar whoassi sts in the official and rel ig ious duti es .

Whi le the Zuni priesthood for rain consi sts of a plural i ty of priestsand a priestess, the priest of the north being the arch ruler, the Siahave but one such priest. W i th the Zuni the archruler holds hi s officethrough maternal inheritance ; wi th the Sia i t i s a life appointment.The ti’amoni of Sia is chosen alternately from three clans—corn

,

coyote,and a species of cane. Though the first priest was selected

by the mother Ct’set, who directed that the offi ce shoul d always be

fill ed by a member of the corn clan, he in time caused dissatisfactionby h is action towards infants (see cosmogony), and upon his death thepeople concluded to choose a ti’amoni from the coyote clan

,but he proved

not to have a good heart, for the cloud people refused to send rain and

the earth became dry . The th ird onewas appointed from the cane clan,

but he,too

,causing cri ticism, the Sia determined theywould be obedient

to the command of their mother Ut’set, and returned to the corn clan inselecting their fourth ti’amoni, but h is reign brough t disappointment.The next ruler was chosen from the coyote clan, and proved more satis

factory ; but the people, decidi ng itwas best not to confine the selectionof their ti’amoni to the one clan, appointed the s ixth from the cane

clan, and s ince that time this office has been fi l led al ternately from

the corn,coyote

,and cane clans un ti l the latter became extinct. The

present ti’amoni’s clan i s the coyote, and that of h i s v icar, the corn .

Their future appointments wi l l necess ari ly come from these two clans,as practical ly they are reduced to these .The ti’amoni and vicar are appointed by the two war priests

,the

vicar succeeding to the office of ti’amoni.The present ti’amoni entered h is offi ce Wi thout having fi lled the subordimate place

,his predecessor

,a very aged man

, and the vicar, l ike ~

BUREAU OF ETflNOLOGY EL EVENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. V

THE ORACLE.

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18 THE SIA.

ti’amoni meets wi th h is vica r,and the war priest and vicar in the ofii

eial chamber of the ti’amoni, in the month of December,to discuss th e

several appointments to be made ; that of war chief and h is ass istant,the governor and l ieutenan t-governor

,the magistrate and his deputy.

A fter the names have been decided upon the theurgists of the secret

cul t societies are notified and they j oin the ti’amoni and his associates,

when they are informed of the decision and thei r concurrence requested .

FIG . 3 .—Pauper.

This is a lways given , the consultation w i th the theurgists being but amatter of courtesy. The populace then assemble

,when announcement

is made of the names of the new appointees . These appointments are

annual ; the same party, however, may serve any number of terms .

The war ch ief performs m inor duties whi ch would otherwise fal l to

the war p r i est. It is the duty of the war chief to patrol the town

during the meetings of the cult societies and to surround the vil lage

srsvsnsos l THE CLANS .

wi th mounted guardsmen at the time Of a dance of the K a’ i su-na . A

Mexican,especially

,must not l ook upon one of these anthropomorph ic

beings . The war ch ief a lso directs the hunt under the instruction of

the war priest and vi car. I t i s not obl igatory that he participate in

the hunt ; his vicar, as h is representative or other self, may lead the

huntsmen . The governor sees that the civi l laws are executed , he

looking after the more important matters, leaving the minor cases inthe hands Of the magistrate . He desi gnates the duties Of h is people

for the com ing day by crying h is commands in th e plaza at sunset.W i zards and wi tches are tried and puni shed by the war priest ; andi t has been but a few years since a man and hi s wife suffered death for

practicing th is diabol ica l craft . Their chil d,a boy Of some twelve years ,

Fig . 3, i s a pauper who at times begs from door to door, and at other

times he is taken into some fam i ly andmade use Of unti l they grew ti red

of d ispensing thei r charity . The observat ions of the wri ter led her to

bel ieve that the boy earned all that he received . Social ly , held in con

tempt by his elders , he seems a favorite wi th the ch ildren, though thi s

unfortunate is seldom al lowed the j oy Of ch i ldish sport . He i s , how

ever, a member of one of the most important cul t societies (the kni fe)

belonging to its several divis ions .The clans (ha-note)now exi sting among these people are the

-C0rn Ha-mi . Tob accoShurts-i'in-na Coyote Ko-h a i . Bea rTa-i

'

ie Squash Ti-ii.’-mi Eag le

There is but one member of the eagle, one of the bear, and one of the

squash clan,and these men are advanced in years . There is a second

member Of the squash clan, but he i s a Tusayan by birth . The only

clans that are numerically well represented are the corn and coyote .

There is but one fam il y Of the tobacco clan .

The fol lowing are extinct clans :

Shi-ke S ta r Ha ’-pan

Ta ~wa c Moon N a’-kan-i

’

i i

0’-s l 1a rts

Tii’ i‘

ic Deer Wa’pon

Ante lope "Zi-i

Couga r Ya ’un- i'

i i

C loudC rane

The wri ter could not learn tha t there had ever beenmo re than twenty

One clans,and although the table shows si x at the present time

,i t may

be seen from the s ta tement tha t there are virtual ly but two.

Marrying into the c lan of ei ther parent is in Oppo s i tion to the Old

law ; but at present there is noth ing for the S ia to do but to break

these laws, i f they would prese rve the remnant of thei r people,a nd

wh ile such marriages are looked upon wi th dis l‘

avor, i t i s “ the inevit

able .” The young men are watched wi th a jealous eye by the i r elders

that they do not seek brides among other tribes , a nd though the beauty

20 THE SIA.

Of the Sia maidens is recogn i zed by the other pueblo people,they are

rarely sought in marriage,for

,according to the tribal custom,

the hus

band makes h is home wi th the wi fe ; and there i s li ttle to attract the

more progressive Indian Of the other pueblos to Sia , where the eagerness to perpetuate a depleted race causes the Sia to rej oice over every

birth , especially if i t be a female child, regardless whether the child belegitimate or otherwise .When a girl reaches puberty she informs her mother

,who invites the

female members Of her clan to her house, where an informal feast isenj oyed . The guests congratulate the girl upon having arrived at thestate Of womanhood , and they say to her, “ A s yet you are l ike a chi ld

,

but you will soon be un i ted with a compani on and you wi ll help to increase your people .” The only male present i s the gi rl’s father . The

news,however

,soon spreadsthrough the vil lage

,and i t is not l ong be

fore Ofi‘

ers are made to the mother for the privi lege of sexual relations

wi th the girl . The first offers are general ly refused,the mother hold

ing her virgin daughter for the highest b idder. These are not necessarily Offers Of marriage, but are more commonly otherwi se, and are

frequently made by married men.

Though the Sia are monogami sts,it is common for the married

,as

well as the unmarried,to live prom iscuouslywith one another ; the hus

band being as fond Of hi s wi fe’s chi ldren as i f he were sure Of the paternal parentage. That these people, however, have their share oflatent j ealously i s evident from the secrecy observed on the part of a

married man or woman to prevent the anger of theo

spouse. Parents

are qui te as fond Of their daughters’ i l legitimate Ofl‘

Spring, and as

proud Of them as if they had been born in wedlock ; and the man whomarries a woman having one or more i l legitimate ch i ldren apparently

feels the same attachment for these chi ldren as for those hiswife bears

Some Of the women recount thei r relations Of th is character wi th asmuch pride as a civil ized belle would her honest Offers Ofmarriage. One

of the most attractive women in Sia , though now a grandmother, once

said to the writer :

When I was young I was pretty and a ttractive, and when I reached womanhoodmany ofi’

ers were made to my mother for me [she d id not refer to marriage, however] , but my mother know ing my a t trac tions refused several

,and the first man I

l ived w i th was the richest man in the pueblo . I only li ved with three men before I

ma rried,one be ing the p resent governor of the v i l lage ; my eldest chi ld is h is daugh

ter,and he th inks a great deal of her. He Often makes her presents, and she a lways

addresses h im as fa ther when h is wife is not by . His wife, whom he ma rr ied some

time after I ceased my relations with h im, does not know that her husband once

l ived w i th me .

This woman added as an evidence of her great devotion to her hus~

band, that since her marriage she had not l ived wi th any otherman .

These loose marriage customs doubtless ari se from the fact that the

Sia are now numerically few and thei r increase is desired, and that as

srsvsssos l PREPAR ING TO BU ILD. 21

many of the clan s are now extinct,i t is impossible to intermarry in

obedience to ancient rule .The Sia are no exception to al l the North American aborigines wi th

whom the writer i s acquainted , the man being the active party inmat

rimonial aspirations . If a woman has not before been married, and is

young,the man speaks to her parents before breath ing a word of h is

admi ration to the girl . If his desi remeets wi th approbation,the fol low

ing day he makes known to the girl h i s wish for her . The girl usually

answers in the affi rmative i f it be the will Of her parents. Some twomonths are consumed in the preparations for the wedding . Moccasins

,

blankets,a dress

,a belt, and other parts of the wardrobe are prepared

by the groom and the clans Of his paternal and maternal parents . The

clans Of the father and mother of the girl make great preparations for

F lo . 4 .—Break ing the earth under tent .

the feast which occurs after the marriage . The groom goes alone to

the house of the gi rl , his parents having preceded him,and carries his

gifts wrapped in a blanket . The gi rl ’s mother sits to her righ t, and to

the right Of th is pa rent the groom’s mother s i ts ; there is space for thegroom on the left of the gi rl , and beyond , the groom

’s father si ts,and

next to h im the girl’s father . When the groom enters the room thegi rl advances to meet him and rece ives the bundle ; her mother thencomes forward and tak ing i t depos i ts i t in some part Of the same room

,

when the girl returns to her seat and the groom si ts bes ide her. The

girl’s fa ther is the fi rs t to speak,and says to the couple

,You mus t

now be as one, your hearts mus t be a s one heart, you must speak no

bad words,and one mus t l i ve for the other ; and remember, your two

hearts must now be as one hea r t.” The groom’s fa the r then repea ts

‘22 THE SIA.

about the same,then the girl’s mother

,and the mother of the groom

speak in turn . A fter the marriage,which is strictly private

,all the

invited guests assemble and enjoy a feast, the elaborateness of the

feast depending upon the weal th and prominence of the fami ly.

Tribal custom requires the groom to make h is home wi th hi s wife’s

fami ly,the couple sleeping in the general l iving room wi th the re

ma inderOf the fami ly ; but wi th the more progressive pueblos, and wi th

the Sia to a l imi ted extent, the husband, i f h e be able, after a time pro

vides a house for his fami ly.

The Sia wear the conventional dress Of th e Pueblos in general . The

women have their hair banged across- the eyebrows, and the side locks

FIG. 5 .—Women and girls bringing c lay.

out even mi dway the cheek . The back Of the hai r i s left long and doneup in ~a cue

,though some Of the younger women, at the present time,

have adopted the Mexican way Of dividing their hair down the back

and crossing it in a loop a t the neck and wrapping i t wi th yarn . Themen out thei r hai r the same way across the eyebrows, thei r side lock s

being brought to the center Of the ch in and cut, and the back hair doneup simi lar to the manner of the women .

The chi ldren are industrious and patient l i ttle creatures, the boysass isting their elders in farming and pastoral pursui ts , and the girls

performing their share of domesti c duties. A marked trai t is thei r loving

-kindness and care for younger brothers and s isters . Every l ittle

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24 THE SIA.

earth to about eight inches in depth and to loosen al l rocks that maybe found (Fig. The rocks are then removed and the foreign earth ,a k ind of clay

,i s brough t by the girl s on their backs in blankets or the

square pieces of cali co which hang from thei r shoulders (Figs . 5 and 6)and deposi ted over the ground which has been worked (Fig . The

hoe is again employed to comb ine the clay wi th the freshly broken

earth (Fig . thi s done,the space is brushed over wi th brush brooms

and sprinkled (Fig . 9)unti l the earth is th oroughly saturated for several inches deep . Great care i s observed in level ing the floor (Fig .

and extra quanti ties of clay must be added here and th ere. Thenbegins the stamping process (Fig. When the floor i s as smooth

FIG . 7 .—Depositing the c lay .

as i t can be made by stamping (Pl . VII), the pounders go to work eachone wi th a stone flat on one s ide and smooth as a pol ish ing stone .

(Pl . V I I I .) Many such specimens have been obtained from the ruins inthe southwest. When th is work is completed the floor is al lowed topartial ly dry, when plaster made of the same clay (Fig . which ha s

been long and careful ly worked,i s spread over the floor wi th the hand,

and when done the whole looks as smooth as a cement floor,but i t is

not so durable , such floors requiring frequent renovation . The floormay be improved , however, by a coating of beef

’s or goat’s blood, and

th is process i s usually adopted in the houses (Fig. l ittle ones watching thei r elders at work inside the tent.

STEVENSON ] BU ILD ING . 25

Two men only are possessors of herds o f sheep, but a few ca ttle are

owned individual ly by many of th e Sia .

The cattle are not herded col lectively,but by each individual owner .

Sometimes the boys of difi'

erent fam i l ies go together to he rd thei r

stock , but i t receives no at tenti on whatever from the officials of thevi l lages ) l ong as i t is unmolested by strangers .

The S ia own about 1 50horses, but seldom or never use them a s beasts

of burden. They a re kept in pas ture during the week,and eve ry S at

urday th e war ch ief des ignates the si x houses wh ich are to furni shherders for the round -up. Should the head of the house ha ve a

son sufficiently large the son may be sent in h is place . On ly such

Fm. R.—M ix ing the c lay w ith the freshly-broken earth .

houses are selected as own horses .

'The herdsmen s ta rt out S a tu rday

morning ; thei r return depends upon the i r succ ess in round ing up the

animals , but they usual ly get ba ck Sunday mo rning.

Upon discove r ing the appro a ch o f the herd smen and ho rses ma ny o f

the women a nd children. too impa tient to awa i t the ga the ring o f them

in the corral , ha sten to the va l ley to jo in the c avalc ade, and upon rea ch

ing thepa rty they at o nc e. sc ramble fo r the Wood ra ts (Kro lowa)whic h

hang from the necks o f the ho rse s a nd c o lts . The men o f the V illage

are also much exc i ted , but they may no t p ar tic ipa te in the fro l ic . From

the time the herders lea ve the vil la ge u nt i l the i r retu rn lhey a re o n the.

lookout fo r the. A'

cotomo ,wh ic h mus t be ve ry abund ant judging from

26 THE siA.

the number gathered on these trips. The ra ts are suspended by a yuccaribbon tied around the necks of the an imals . The exci tement increases

as the horses ascend the hi ll ; and after entering the corral i t reaches the

h ighest point,and thewomen and children run about among the horses

,

en tirely devoid of any fea r of the excited animals, in thei r efforts tosnatch the rats from their necks . Many are the narrow escapes

, but

one is seldom hurt. The women throw the lari at, some of them beingquite expert

,and drawing the horses near them

,pull the rats from

their necks . Numbers fai l,but th ere are always th e favored few who

leave the corral in triumph wi th as many rats as their two hands can

carry . The rats are skinned and cooked in grease and eaten as a great

del icacy .

FIG. 9 .—Women sprink ling the earth .

C O SM OGONY .

The S ia have an elaborate cosmogony, highly colored wi th the heroicdeeds of myth ical beings . That which the writer here presen ts i s sim

ply the nucleus of their bel ief from whi ch spring stories in infin ite

numbers,in which every phenomenon of nature known to these people

is accounted for . Whole chapters could be devoted to the experiences

of each mythical being mentioned in the cosmogony.

In the beginn ing there was but one being in the lower world, S i‘

i s’si

’

s

tinnako,a spider. A t tha t time there were no other an imals, birds,

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28 THE SIA .

to others he said : “ You belong to the coyote,the bear

,the eagle

people,”a nd so on .

A fter Sus ’sistinnako had nearly perfected his creati on for B a’arts

(the earth), he thought i t would be wel l to have rain to wa ter theearth , and so he created the cloud, lightn ing, thunder, and rainbowpeoples to work for the people of B a’arts . This second creation wasseparated into six divis ions, one of wh ich was sen t to each of the cardinal points and to the zen i th and nadir

,each divisi on making its

home in a spring in the heart of a great mountain,upon whose summi t

was a gian t tree. The Sha ’-ka -ka (Spruce)was on the mountain of thenorth ; the Shwi

’-ti-ra -wa -na (pine)on the mountain of the west ; the

FIG . 1 1 .—Stampers starting to work .

Mai'—ch i-na (oak)- Quercus undula ta ,variety Gambel i i—ou themountain

of the south ; the Shwi’-si-mi-ha ’-na -we (aspen)on the mountain of the

east ; the Marsh’-ti-ta-nio (cedar)on the mountain of the zen i th , and

the Mor’-r i -ta-mo (oak), variety pungens, on the mountain of the nadi r .Whil e each division had its home in a spring

,Sfis’sistinnako gave to

these people Ti ’-ni-a,the m iddle plain of the world (the world was

d iv ided in to three pa rts : B a ’arts,the earth ; Ti

’ni a

,the m iddle plain,

and E u’-wa -ka

,the upper plain), not only for a work ing field for the

benefit of the people of Ba ’arts , but also for thei r pleasure ground.

Not wishing th is second creation to be seen by the people of H a’arts

as they passed about over Ti ’n i a, he commanded the Sia to smoke, that

sm vz xsos l cosmooony . 29

clouds m igh t a scend and serve as ma sks to p ro tect the people of Ti ’n iafrom V iew of the inhabitants of B a’a rts .

The people of B a’arts made houses for themselves by digging holesin rocks and the earth . They could not bui l d houses as they now do

,

because they could not see. In a short time the two mothers,Uts

‘

et

andNow’i‘

itset (the latterbeing the older and la rger, but the fo rmer hav

ing the best m ind and heart), who resi ded in the no rth , wmt in to the

ch ita (estufa)and talked much to one another, and they decided thatthey would make l ight

,and Sa id : “ Nowwe wi l l make l ight

,that ou r

people may see ; we can no t now tel l the people,but to-morrow w i ll be

a good day and day after to morrowwi l l also be a good day —meaning

Fm. l2 .—M ix ing c lav for p laster .

tha t the i r though ts we re good , a nd they spoke wi th o ne to ngue , a ndtha t the ir futu re Would be brigh t, and they added : Now a ll is c overed

wi th da rknes s , but a fter awh ilo we wi l l liave l igli tz. The se two Women,

bei ng inspi red by S ils ’sls tinnako , c reated the sun from whi te. she ll,

turkis,red stone

,a nd ab alone she l l . A fter making the sun they c a r

ried h im to the ea s t and there made a camp, a s the re were no house s .

The next morning they a scended a h igh mounta in a nd d ropped the s a u

down behi nd i t, and a t'

ter a time he bega n to ascend , aml when the pe o

ple saw the l ight thei r hea r ts rejo iced . When I'

a r o ti‘

his fa c e wa s h im

as he came nearer the face grew brighter. They,howeve r , did no t see.

the sun himsel f,but a. ma sk So la rge tha t it c ove red h is e nti re bodv.

30 THE SIA .

The people saw tha t the world was large and the country bea utiful ,and when the women returned to the villa ge they said to the people

We are th e mothers of all.”

Though the sun l i ghted the world in the day, he gave no light at

n igh t,as he returned to his home in the west ; and so the two mothers

created the moon from a sl ightly black stone, many varieties of a yellow stone

,turkis

,and a red stone

,that the world m ight be l ighted at

n ight,and that the moon m igh t be a compan ion and a brother to the

sun ; but the moon traveled sl owly, and did not always furn ish ligh t,

and so they created the star people and made thei r eyes of beautifulsparkling white crystal

,that they might twinkle and brighten theworld

at nigh t. When the star people l ived in the lower world they weregathered into groups

,wh ich were very beautiful ; they were not scat

FIG. 1 3 .—Childish curiosity .

tered about as they are in the upper world . A gain the two women

entered the chi ta and decided to make four houses—one in the north ,one in the west, one in the south

,and one in the east—house in thi s

in stance mean ing pueblo or vil lage . When these houses were com

pleted they said , now we have some beauti fu l houses ; we wi l l go firstto that of the n orth and ta lk much for al l th ings good . Now’fitsét said

to her sister : “ Let us make other good things,”and the sister asked :

“ Wh at th ings do you wish to make ?” She answered : We are themothers of a ll peoples

,and we must do good work .

” “ Wel l,

” repl ied

the younger s ister,“ to-morrow I wi l l pass around and see my other

houses,and you wi ll remain here .

”

A fter Ut’sét had traveled over the world,visit ing the houses of the

west,south , and east, she returned to her home in the north andwas gra

c iously recei ved by Now’ntsét. who seemed happy to see her younger

sa ves-sex ] THE CREAT ION . 3 1

s i ster,and a fter a wa rm greeting she invited her to be sea ted . Now’

i’

itset

had a picture which she did not wish the s isters to see,and she covered

i twi th a blanket,and said

,Guess wha t I have here ?” (pom ting to the

covered picture) and when you guess correctly I wi l l show you .

” I

do not know,

” sa id Ut’set and again the elder one a sked,

“ What doyou think I have here? ” and the other repl ied

,

“ I do not know.

” A

th ird time IIt’sét wa s asked, and repl ied that she did not know,add

ing,“ I wish to speak straight , and I must therefore tell you I do not.

knowwhat you have there .” Then Now’fitset said,“ That is right .”

A fter a wh il e the younger si ster sa id,I think you have under that

blanket a. picture,to which you wi l l ta lk when you are alone You

are right,

” said the elder sister,“ you have a good head to know

th ings .

” Now’fitsét, however, was much d ispleased at the wisdom dis

played by Ut’set. She showed the picture to fi t’set and in a l ittlewhi le fit’set left

,saying

,

“ I w i l l now return to my house and no longer

travel ; to morrow you wi l l come to see me .

”

A fter the return of fi t’set to her home she beckoned to the Chas ’ka

(chaparral cock) to come to her, and said,

“ You may go ea rly to '

morrow morning to the house of the sun in the east, and then follow

the road from there to his home in the west,a nd when you reach the

house in the west remain there unti l my s ister comes to my house to

ta lk to me, when I wi l l ca l l you . In the early morn ing the e lder sister

called at the house of the younger . “ S it down , my s ister,”said the

younger one, and afte r a l ittle time she said,Let us go out and walk

about ; I saw a beautiful bird pass by, but I do not know where he

l ives,

”and she pointed to the footprints of the bird upon th e ground .

wh ich was soft, and the tracks were

!

very plain,and i t could be seen

that the foo tprints were in a straigh t l ine from the house of the sun in

the east to h is house in the west. “ I can not tel l,

said the younger

Sister , “ perhaps the bird came from the house in the east and ha s gone

to the house in the west ; perhaps he came from the house in the west

and ha s gone to th e house in the east ; as the feet of the bird point bo th

ways,i t is ha rd to tel l . Wha t do you th ink , s ister ? ” “ I ca n not

say,” repl ied the o ther. Four times Ut’si‘t a sked the. question and re

ceived the same reply . The fourth time the elder s iste r added , “ How

can l tell ? I do no t knowwhich is the front of the foot a nd which is the.

heel, but I think the bi rd has gone to the house in the east. ” You r

thoughts are wrong , repl ied the younger s is ter ;“ I know where the

bi rd is , a nd he wi ll soon be. here ;”and she gave a cal l and in a l ittle

wh i le the Cha s ’ka came running to her from the west .The older s iste r was mo rt ified a t her lack o f k nowledge

,a nd sa id ,

“ Come to my house to-morrow ; tod ay you are grea te r th an I. I

though t the bi rd had gone to the house in the c a st,but you knew where

he was , and he came a t you r ca l l ; to -mo rrow you c ome. to me .

On the morrow the younge r s ister ca l led a t the ho use o f the elder

and wa s asked to be sea ted . Then Now’iitset sa id , “ S ister,a wo rd

32 THE SIA.

wi th you ; wha t do you think that is ?” pointing to a figure enveloped in

a blanket,wi th only the feet showing,which were crossed . Four times

the quest ion was asked , and each time the younger sister said she could

not tell,but finally sh e added

,I think the feet are crossed ; the one

on the righ t should be left and the left should be right .” To whom

do the feet belong “I” inquired the elder sister. The younger sister was

prompted by her grandmother, Sfi s’sistinnako‘

,the Spider woman

,to

say,“ I do not th ink i t is either man or woman ,

” referring to beings

created by Sus ’sfstinnako,“ but someth ing you have made.” The

elder si ster repl ied,“ You are right,my si ster .

” She threw the blanket

off, exposing a human figure ; the younger sister then left, asking the'

elder to cal l at her house on the morrow,and al l night Ut’sétwas busy

preparing an altar under the d irection , however, of Stis’sistinenako.

She covered the al tar wi th a blanket, and in the morning when the

elder s ister cal led they sat together for a wh i l e and talked ; then Ut’set

said,pointing to the covered altar

,“ What do you th ink I have there “3”

Now’i‘

itset repl ied,“ I can not tel l ; I may have my though ts about i t,

but I do not know.

” Four times Now’utset was asked, and each time

she gave the same reply . Then the younger si ster threw off the blanket,and they both looked at the al tar, but nei ther spoke a word .

When the elder s ister left, she said to fl t’sét,To -morrow you come

to my house,”and a ll n ight she was busy arranging th ings for the morn

ing,and in the morning Ut’sét hastened to her si ster’s house . (She was

accompan ied by Sus’sistinnako,who fol lowed invisible close to her ear.)

Now’utsEt asked, What have I there “2”pointing to a covered object,and Ut’set repl ied

,“ I can not tell

,but I have thought that you have

under that blanket all th ings that are necessary for all time to come ;perhaps I speak wrong .

” “ No,

” repl ied Now’fitsét,” you speak cor

rectly,”and she threw off the blanket

,saying

,“ My sister

,I may be

the larger and the first,but your head and heart are wise ; you know

much ; I think my head must be weak .

” The younger sister then said :

To -morrow you come to my house and in the morn ing when the elder

s ister cal led at the house of the younger she was received in the front

room and asked to be seated , and they talked awhi le ; then the younger

one said : “ What do you th ink I have in the room there ?” pointing tothe door of an inner room . Four times the question was asked and

each time Now’f1tsét repl ied , “ I can not tell .” “ Come wi th me,”said

Ut’sét, and she cried as she threw open the door,“ A ll th is is mine,

when you have looked wel l we wi ll go away .

” The room was fi l led

wi th the Ka" suna beings wi th monster, heads wh ich fit’sét had created,

under the direction of Sfi s ’sistinnako .

Sus’sistinnako’s creation may be classed in three divi sions

1 . Para -tame : All men of B a’arts (th e earth), the sun , moon, stars,K o

’-shai -r i and Quer

’r éin -na .

'Sns ’sls tinnako is referred to bo th as father and mother, he being the parent of all , and some

times as grandmother or the first parent.

STEVENSON .) rm : FIRST MAN . 33

2 . Ko’-pish -ta i-a : The elond, lightning, thunder , rainbow peoples , and

al l an imal l i fe not included under the fi rst andthi rd heads .

3 . K a’-'su-na : Beings having human bod ies and monst e r heads

,who

are personated in Sia by men and women wea ringmasks .

A fter a time the younger s ister closed the door and they returned to

the front room . Not a word had been spoken except by the younger.A s the elder s ister left she said

,To -morrow you come to my house .

”

Sus ’sistinnako wh ispered in the ear of the younger,“ To -morrow you

wi ll see fine thi ngs in your s is ter’s house,but they wi l l not be good ;

they wil l be bad .

” Now’irtsét then said : “ Before the Sun ha s left hishome we wi l l go together to see h im ; we w il l each have a wand on our

heads made of the long whi te fiuti‘

y feathers of the under tail of the eagle,and we wi l l p lace them ve r tical ly on our heads that they may see the

sun when he firs t comes out ;”a nd the younger s i ster repl ied : “ You

are the elder and must go before,and your plumes wi l l see the sun first ;

mine can not see h im unti l he has traveled fa r,because I am so sma ll ;

you are the greater and must go before.” Though she said this she

knew better ; she knew that though she wa s smal ler in stature she wasth e greater and more important woman . That n igh t Sus’sistinnakotalked much to Ut’sét. She said : “ Now that you have created the

Ka" s’

una you must c reate a man as messenger between the sun and the

Ka" suna and another as messenger between themoon and the Ka"'

suna .

The fi rst man created wa s cal led K o’sha iri ; he not only acts as cou

rier between the sun and the Ka’tsuna,but he is the compani on

,the

jester and mus ician (the flute b eing his instrument)of the sun ; he is

also mediato r between the people of the earth and the sun ; when act

ing as courier between the sun a nd the K a’f'suna and vi ce versa and as

media tor between the people of the earth and the sun he is ch ief for

the sun ; when accompanying the sun in h is dai ly travels he furnisheshim wi th mus ic and amusement he is then the servant of the sun. The

second man c rea ted was Quer riinna , h is duties being ident ical wi ththose of the Ko

’sha iri

,excepting tha t the moon is hi s pa rticula r ch ief

ins tead of the sun,both

,however

,being subord ina te to the sun .

A fter the creation of K o’sha iri and Q uer

’ranna , Ut

’set called Shu

ih -kai (a smal l bla ck b i rd wi th wh ite wings)to her and said :“ 'l‘

o -morrow my s is ter and I go to see the sun when he fi rs t leaves

h is house . We wi l l h ave wands on our heads . we wi l l be s ide by s ide ;she is much tal ler tha n I ; the sun wi l l see her fac e be fo re he sees m ine

,

and tha t wi l l not be good ; yo u mus t go to -mo r row mo r ning ve ry ea rly

near the house of the sun a nd take a plume from your left wing , but

none from your righ t ; spread your wings and res t in fro nt o f the sun

tS he comes from his house .

” The two women sta r ted ve ry e a rly in

the morning to greet the ris ing sun. They were ac compa nied by a ll

1 1 urn— 3

34 THE SIA.

themen and youths,carry ing their bows and arrows . The elderwoman

,

after they ha l ted to await the coming of the sun,said : “ We are here

to watch for the sun .

”(The people had divided, some being on the

s ide of Now’fitsét, the o thers with fi t’sét).

“ If the sun looks first upon

me,all the people on my side wi l l be my people and wi l l slay the

others,and i f the sun looks fi rst upon the face ofmy s ister all the peo

ple on her s ide wi l l be her people and th ey wil l destroy my people .”

As the sun left h is house,the bird Shu’

ahka i placed himsel f so

as to obscure the l ight,exc epting where i t penetrated through the

space left by the pluck ing of the feather from his wing,and the l ight

shone , not only on the wand on the head of the younger sister, but it

covered her face,wh i l e i t ba rely touched the top of the plumes of the

elder ; and so the people of the younger sister destroyed those of the

elder . The two women stood sti l l while the men fought. The women

remained on the mountain top,but the men descended into a

grassy park to fight. A fter a time the younger si ster ran to the park

and cried,“ This is enough ; figh t no more .” She then re turned to the

mounta in and sai d to her sister,“ Let us descend to the park and

fight.” A nd they fought l ike women— not with arrows—but wrestled .

The men formed a circle around them and the women fough t hard and

l ong. Some of the men said , “ Let us go and part the women ; otherssaid

,N0 { let them alone .” The youngerwoman grewvery tired in her

arm s,and cr ied to her people

,“ I am very tired

,

”and they threw the

elder s ister upon the ground and tied her h ands ; th e younger woman

then commanded her people to leave her,and she struck her sister wi th

her fists about the head and face as she lay upon the ground,and in

a l ittle whi le k il led her . She then cut the breast wi th a stone kni fe and

took out the heart,her people being stil l in a circle

,but the ci rcle was

so large that they were some distance ofi"

. She held the heart in her hand

and cried : “ L is ten,men and youths ! This woman wasmy si ster, but

she compel led us to fight ; i t was she who taught you to fight. The

few of her people who escaped are in the mountains and they are the

people of the rats ;”and she cut the heart into pieces and threw i t

upon the ground,saying

,“ Her heart wil l become rats, for itwas very

bad,”and immediately rats could be seen runn ing in all d irections .

She found the center of the heart ful l of cactus,and she said ,

“ The

rats for evermore wil l l ive wi th the ca-cti ;”and to th is day the rats

thus l ive (referring to the N eotoma). She then told her people to retu rn to their homes .

It was about this time that Shs’sistinnako organ i zed the cult socie

ties, instructing al l of the societies in the songs for rain, but imparting

only to cer tain ones the secrets whereby disease i s extracted throughthe suck ing and brushing processes.

For eight years after the fight (years referring to periods of time)thepeople were very happy and all th ings flourished , but the n inth yearwas very bad, the whole ea rth being fi l led wi th water. The water d id

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36 THE SIA.

Sus’sistinnako placed a huge i ced upon the mesa top and said“ My people wi l l pass up through th is to the world above .

” Ht’set led

the way, carrying a sack containing many of the star people ; she wasfollowed by al l the theurgists

,who ca rried their precious articles in

sacred blankets,on thei r backs ; then fol lowed the lai ty and all ani

mals,snakes and birds ; the turkey was far beh ind, and the foam of

the waters rose and reached the tip ends of his feathers, and to th is day

FIG . l4.—M ask of the Sun , drawn by a theurg ist .

they bear the mark of the wa ters. Upon reach ing the top of the reed,

the so l id earth barred their exi t, and Ut

’set cal led tS i’ka (the locust),

saying ,“ Man

, come here .

” The locust hastened to her, and she told

him that the ea rth prevented th eir exodus . “ You know best how to

pass through the earth ; go and make a door for us .

” “ Very wel l,

mother,” he replied

,“ I wi l l

,and I think I can make a way .

” He be

gan working wi th his feet, and after a time he pa ssed through the

STEVENSO N .) THE STARS ALSO . 37

earth,entering another world . A s soon a s he saw the world

, be re

turned to U t’set saying,“ It i s good above .” Ht’sét then cal led the

Tuo’ pi (badger), and said to h im,Make a door for us ; th e ts i

’ka hasmade one

,but i t i s very smal l .” “ Very wel l

,mother ; I wi l l ,

” repl ied

the badger ; and aftermuch work he pas sed into the world above , and

returning said,“ Mother

,I have opened the way .

” Ut’sét is appealed

to,to the present time

,as fath er and mother

,for she acts directly for

Sfl s’sistiunako, the creator . The badger sa id ,“ Mother

,father

,the

world above i s gooc Ut’set then ca l l ed the deer,saying to him

,

“ You go first, and i f you pass th rough al l right, i f you can get your

head through,others may pass .

” The deer after ascending returned

saying,“ Father

,i t i s al l righ t ; I passed wi thout trouble .

” She then

cal led the elk,and told him i f he could get his head through the door,

al l could pass . He returned, saying,“ Father

,i t i s good ; I passed

wi thout t rouble .

” She then had th e buffalo try and he returned,say

ing,“ Father

,mother , the door is good ; I passed without trouble .

”

Ut’sét then cal led the I-sh i ts (Scarabwus)and gave h im the sack of

stars,tel l ing him to pa ss out fi rst wi th the sack . The l ittl e animal did

not know what the sack contained , but he grew very tired carrying it,and he wonde red what could be in the sack . A fter entering the new

world he was ve ry tired , and laying the sack down he thought he

would peep into i t and see its con tents . He cut only a tiny hole,but

immediately the stars began flying out and fi l l ing the heavens every

where .

'

The li ttle anima l was too t i red to retu rn to Ut’set, who, how:

ever,soon j oined h im

,fol lowed by al l her people

,who came -in the

order above mentioned . A fter the turkey passed out the door was

firmly closed wi th a great rock so that the waters below could not fol

low them . NVhen Ht’sét looked for her sack she wa s aston ished to find

i t nea rly empty a nd she could not tel l where the contents had gone ;the l i ttle anima l sa t by

,ve ry scared

,and sad

,and Ut’set was angry

wi th h im a nd sa id,

“ Y ou are ve ry bad a nd disobedient and from thistime forth you shall be bl ind ,

”(and thi s is the reas on the Sc arabieus has

no eyes,so the old ones say). The l i ttle fel low,

however, h ad saved

a few of th e stars by grabbing the sack and ho ld ing it fa st ; these

[It’setdistributed in th e hea vens . In one group she placed seven s tars

(the grea t bear), in a nothe r three (pa rt of into ano ther groupshe pla ced the Pleiades , and th rowing the o the rs fa r o ti

'

into theheavens

,exc la imed , A ll is wel l !”

The c loud, l i ghtning, thunder, and ra inbow peeples fo l lowed the S iai nto the upper Wo rld

, making thei r hOmes il l spr ings s imi la r to tho sethey had o c c upied in the lowe r Wo rld ; these springs a re a lso at the

c a rd ina l poi nts , zen i th and nadi r,a nd a re in the hearts o f mountains

wi th trees upon the i r summi ts . All o f the people o fTini a. however, did

not leave the lower world ; only a. po rtio n We re sent by S ils ’s is tinuakoto labo r fo r the. people o f the uppe r wo rld . The cloud peo ple a re so

numerous tha t,though the demands o f the people. o f the e arth a re grea t,

38 THE SIA.

there are always many passing about over Tin ia for pleasure ; these

people r ide on wheels, smal l wheel s being used by the ch i ldren and

larger ones by the elders . In speak ing of these wheels the Sia add :

The Americans have stolen the secret of the wheel s (referring to

bicycles)from the cloud people.”

The cloud people are careful to keep beh ind their masks,which

assume different forms aecording to the number of people and the work

being done ; for instance, Ben’nat i arewhi te floating cl ouds behindwh ich

the people pass about for pleasure . He’ash are clouds l ike the plains,

and beh ind these, the cloud people are laboring to water the earth .

The water is brough t from the springs at the base of the mountains in

gourd j ugs and vases,by themen

,women , and ch i ldren ,who ascend from

these springs to the base of the tree and thence through the heart or

trunk to the top of the tree whi ch reaches to Ti ’n i a ; they then pass onto the designated point to be sprinkled . Though the l ightning

,thun

der and rainbow peoples of the si x cardinal points ‘ have each their

priestly rulers and theurgists of their cul t societ ies,these are subor

dinate to the priest of the cloud people,the cloud people of each

card inal point having their separate rel igious and civi l organi zations .A gain these rulers are subordinate to Ho

’ehanni

,arch ruler of the

cloud people of the world,the cloud people hold ceremon ial s s imi lar

to the Sia ; and the figures of the slat al tars of the Sia are supposed tobe arranged j ust as the cloud people si t in their ceremon ies

, the figures

of the al tars representing members of the cult societies of the cloud

and l ightning peoples . The Sia in performing their rites assume rela

tively s im i lar posi tions back of the al tars .

When a priest of the cloud people wishes assi stance from the thunder and l ightning peoples he commands their ti’amonis to notify the

theurgists to see that the labor i s performed,he placing hi s cloud peo

ple under the d irection of certain of h is theurgists,keeping a general

supervi s ion himsel f over al l . The people of Ti'n i a are compensated

by those of Ha’a-rts for thei r servi ces. These offerings are placed at

shrines,of wh ich there are many

,no longer left in V iew but buried

from sight . C i garettes are made of del icate reeds and fil led wi th downfrom humming birds and others

,m inute quantities of precious beads

and corn pollen,and are offered to the priestl y rulers and theurgists of

Ti ’n ia .

The l ightn ing people shoot thei r arrows to make i t rain the harder,the smaller flashes coming from the bows of the ch i ldren . The thun

der people have human forms,wi th wings of knives, and by flapping

these wings they make a great noise,thus frighten ing the cloud and

l igh tning peeples into work ing the harder . The rainbow people were

created to work in Ti ’ni a to make i t more beautiful for the people of

Ha’arts to look upon ; not on ly the elders making the beautiful bows,

‘ In this paper the words cardina l poin ts are used to s ign ify north, west, south, east, zenith,and nadir.

srsvr-mso x ] MYTHO LOGY . 39

but the ch i ldren assisting in this work . The S ia have no idea howor of what the bows a re made . They do

,however

,know that the war

heroes traveled upon these bows .

The Sia entered th i s world in the far north, and the open ing through

which they emerged is known as Shi-pa -

po. They gathered into camps,for they had no houses

,but they soon moved on a short d istance and

bui l t a vi llage . Thei r onl y food was seeds of certain grasses,and

fi t’sr‘ t desi ring that her ch i ldren should have other food made fieldsnorth , west, south , and eas t of the vi l lage and planted bi ts of herheart

,and corn was evolved (though Ut’set had a lways known the

name of corn,corn i tself was not known unti l i t o r igina ted in these

fields),and Ut’set decla red : “ Th is corn i s my heart and i t sha l l be to

my people as mi lk from my breasts .”

A fter the Sia had remained at this V i l lage a year (referring to a

time period)they des i red to pass on to the cente r of the earth,but

the earth was very moi st and Ut’set wa s puzzled to know how to

harden i t.

She commanded the presence of the couga r, and asked h im i f he had

any medicine to harden the road that they m ight pass over i t . The

cougar repl ied,

“ I wi l l try,mo th er but after going a short d i stance

over the road,he sank to his shoulders in the wet ea rth , and he returned

much afraid, and told Ut’set tha t he could go no fa rther. She then sent

for the bear and asked h im wha t h e could do ; and he , l ike the cougar,made an attempt to harden the earth ; he had passed but a short dis

tance when he too sank to h is shoulders , and being afra i d to go farther

returned,saying, “ I can do no th ing.

” The badger then made the

attempt , wi th the same resul t ; then the shrew (Sore s)a nd afterwa rd

the wol f, but they also fa i led . Then U t’sét returned to the lowerworld

and a sked S fis’sistinnako what she could do to ha rden the earth so

that her people mi gh t travel over i t. Sus ’sis tiunako inqui red,

“ Have

you no medicine to make the ea r th firm ? Ha ve you a sked the cougar

and the bear,the wol f

,the badger and the shrew to use thei r medi cines

to h arden the earth "

i” A nd she replied , l ha ve tried a ll these Then,

said S its ’sistinnako, “ Others wi l l unders tand ;”a nd he told ( It’set to

have a woman o f the Ka’pina (spider)soc iety to use her medicine for

th is purpose . Upo n the return of Ut’set to the upper wo rld,she com

ma nded the presenc e of a fema le member o f th is soc ie ty . Upon thearri val of this woman Ut’set sa id

,

“ My mo ther,S its ’slstinnako , tells

me the Ka ’plna socie ty understa nds the secre t how to m ake the ea rth

strong .

” The wom an repl ied , “ I do no t know how to make the ea rth

tirm.

” Three times Ut’set que s tio ned the woman rega rd ing the h a rd

euing of the ea rth , and ea ch time the woma n repl ied ,

" I do not know.

The fourth time the ques tion wa s put the woma n sa id ,I guess

I know ; I wi ll try ;”and she c al led toge the r tlun uembers o f the so c ie ty

of the Ka ’pina a nd sa id to them,

“ O ur mo the r , Sus ’sls tinnako bids

us Wo rk for her and ha rden the ea rth so tha t the people may pass over

40 THE sm.

i t.” The woman first made a road of fine cotton which she producedfrom her body (i t wi l l be remembered that the Ka

’pina society was

composed of the Spider people), suspending i t a few feet above theearth

,and told the people they could now move on ; but when they saw

the road i t looked so fragile that they were afraid to trust themselves

upon i t. Then Ut’set said : “ I wish a man and not a woman of the

Ka’pina towork for me.

” A male member of the society then appeared

and threw out the serpent (a fetich of latticed wood so put together

that i t can be expanded and contracted); and when i t was extended it

reached to the m i ddle of the earth . He firs t threw i t to the south,

then to the east,then to the west . The Na ’

pakatsa (a fetich com

posed of slender sticks radiating from a center h eld together by a fine

web of cotton ; eagle down is attached to the cotton ; when opened i t isin the form of an umbrell a

,and when closed i t has also the same form

minus the handle)was then thrown upon the ground and stamped upon

(the original Na’

pakatsa was composed of cotton from the Spider’s

body); i t was placed first to the south,then east, west and north . The

people being in the far north , the Na’

pakatsa was depos i ted close to

thei r backs .

The earth nowbeing firm so that the people could travel,fit’set selected

for the ti’amoni who was to take her place wi th the people and leadthem to th e center of the earth , a man of the corn clan , saying to h im,

“ I,IV

It’set,wil l soon leave you ; I wi l l return to the home whence I came.

You wi l l be to my people as myself; you wi l l pass wi th them over the

straight road . I wi l l remain in my house below and wi l l hear all that

you say to me. I give to you al l my wi sdom,my thoughts , my heart,

and al l. I fill your head wi th my m ind .

” She th en gave to her newly

appointed representative a crooked staff as insign ia of his office,saying

,

“ It i s as myself; keep i t always .” “ Thank 'you,mother

,

” he replied,

and al l the people clasped the stafi'

and drew a breath from i t. “ I give

to you all the precious things which I brought to th is worl d [fit’sét

having brought these th ings in a sacred blanket on her back ] . Be sure

to follow the one straight road for al l years and for al l time to come .

You wi l l be known as Ti’amoni [mean ing the arch -ru ler] . I bid youl isten to al l th ings good

,and work for all th ings good , and turn from all

th ings bad .

” Hereplied : I t i swel l,mother ; Iwi l l do as you say.

” She

then instructed this rul er to make the l ’arriko l

(Pl . IX)which was to

1The I'a rriko or ya'ya (moth er)is an ear of corn which may be any color but must be symmetrical lyperfect, and not a grain mus t be missing. Eag le and parrot p lumes are p laced in pyramida l formaround the corn . In order that the center feathers may be sulfi c icntly long they are each a ttached toa very de l icate sp l int. The base of this pyramid is formed of spl ints woven together with native cotton cord and orna mented at. the top with shel ls and prec ious beads . A pad of native cotton is attachedto the lower end of the corn . When the ya ’ya is .completed there is no evidence of the corn, which isrenewed every four years when the old corn is p lanted. The ya ’ya is made on ly by the theurgists ofthe cul t soc ieties , and continency must be prac ticed four days previous to the mak ing of the I ’

a'

rriko,

and an emetic taken ea ch of the four niornings before break ing fast for purification from conj uga l relwtions . A ya 'ya is present ed by the theurg ist to each offi c ia l member, the little ones being,r apparentlyas apprec iative and proud a s their e lders of the honor con ferred upon them . The I'a

’

i rriko is the Sia’

s

supreme idol . The one given to the writer by the theurgist of the kn ife society is now in the Nationa lM useum.

bureau or u nnowgy.

40W I!‘ we.” fi t

m ums. Rim-y.

i-AR m K0 .

A sun rw eu

it thanQuins mi"

as uni-Emile , and when closed i t has a lso the saute fern;

M 11 it wa s pla ced firs t to the south, then east, west axed no rth . The

p eels mum in the fa r north, the Na’

pakatsa was depos i ted Cl ose to

th e ir k s.

The ea rth newbeing firm so tha t the people could travel,Ilt’set selected

for the tiIamcni who was to takeher place with the people and lead

th em Do the center of the earth , a man of the corn clan, saying to h im,1 , fit

‘sét, wil l soo n leave you ; I wi l l return to the home whence I came .

Ye nwill h e to my people as 1nysel-

;f you will pa ss wi th them over thestra ight road . Iwil l rema in. in my house below and wi l l hear all that

“m. my t e me. 1 give to 3 011 all my Wisdom, my thoughts, my hea rt,s ad a il till your head with my mind .

” She th en gave t o hex w eamwinrrd representa tive a crm lred sta fi as insign ia of his u w ing,l t

'

is as myself ; keep it a lwa y s .” “ Thank you , motlw-r". as WW ,

w e all thepmople clas pe d the staff a nd drew a breath arm it " 1l give

to you,

al l the prior-films things which I hmuglu t o this ws'

fl‘

d {Ut’

s ét

ha ving brough t these things in a sac red blanket on her back1. Be surein follow the one stra igh t mad for all years and for a ll tin -1c to come .Yem Wil l ‘ be known as Ti’iimoni {meaning the email -ruler] . I bid

'

yo'

u

listen to a ll things good, and wo rk for all th ings good , and turn from all

things ba df

He re‘

plied :“ l i

'

iswel l,mother ; l will do asyousay .

” She

t ln‘

m ins -

trea ted ( his rul er to make the l'a'

rrilt0'l

(Pl . Ix)whi ch was. to

“2 L? l tw ic 1: ya Tuth unk -w)is an ear of corn which may be any co lor butmust be symmetritwillyivv fod 'f m eow grew cue -t be missing. Eag le and pan e t p lumes are p laced in pyram ida l mmM it“ «M e 1 ' m " um the ce nter le athers may be suffic ien tly long th ey are emah sttauhed so

am Qt 1

‘ “

w is? this pyramid is formed (mayhemwows! together with native e»!a a M M mm s 1 mg with shel ls and precious hes-In» A pad of s um-mam is attiwdm“w W“ ! M i m 3 “ fi x. the ya ‘ya is .

cmnplel‘

c£1 the ( 0 fr h e M ea sure» of the core , which isu ! we " ; the o ld m ru is p lanted. The 5w a 1~mademay by the theurgis ts of

N b a : r sun be practiced fourdays wa rtlve”mm mg lgil g “ the I'

ltrrlko.

“ M i n 9 ma. 0 n Mornings. before breaking firs t rm W MM bm fi rms c rannies!mm»

M M r i 4 w theurgist. ( 0 each oflieial mambo ; r‘

n'fl‘clu emu M ing tppm ntly

WW W 5N w “M M “at c "Edi-hue, « t the burner conferred'

u'nu Clum Kb» 1 M ike to the 5111 ’s

W W e r» on: m l 9 m a m oi-ar by the theurgist. p l the knife maca q u e-1a m the National

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sm vss sox i SEPARAT ION . 41

represent herself that they might have herse lf always with them and

know her always . Aga i n Ut’set said : When you wish for anyth ing

make h ii’chamoni and plan t them,and they wil l bear your messages

to your mother in the world below .

”

Before fi t’sét left th i s world she selected six S ia women,sending one

to th e north,one to the west

,one to the south

,one to the east

,one to

the zen ith,and one to the nadir

,to make their homes at these points

for all time to come , that they might be near the cloud rulers of the

cardinal points and i ntercede for the people. of Ha’arts ; and U t

’set en

j oi ned her people to remember to ask these women,i n times of need

, to

appeal to the cloud people for them .

The Sia alone foll owed the command of Ut’s ‘

e’

t and t0ok the strai gh t

read, whi le all other pueblos advanced by various routes to the center

of the ea rth . After Ut’set‘s departure the Sia traveled some distance

and bui lt a v i l lage of beautiful wh ite stone,where they l ived four

years (years referring to time peri ods). The S ia declare that their

stay at the wh i te house was of long duration . Here parents suffered

great distress at the hand of the tiiimoni,who

,objecting to the i ncrease

of h is people,for a t ime caused al l ch i ldren to be put to death . The

S ia had scareely recovered from th i s calamity when a serious di fficul tyarose between the men a nd women . Many women sa t grinding mea l

1nd s i nging ; they had worked ha rd al l day, and a t sundown . when the

men returned to the houses , the women bega n abus in g them . saying :

You are no good ; you do not care to work ; you wi sh to be wi th womenal l the time . I f you would al low four days to pass between , the women

would care more fo r you .

” The men repl ied : “ You women ca re to be

wi th us a ll day and a ll night ; i f you women could have the. men onlv

every four days you would be very unhappy .

” The women retorted :“ It i s you men who would be unhappy if you could be with the women

on ly every four days .

”

And the men and women grew very angry with one. anothe r. The

men cried : “ Were i t ten days,twen ty days , th irty days , we c ould re

main a part from you and not be. unhap py . The women repl ied : \Ve

th ink no t,but we women would he verv con ten ted to rema i n away

from you men fo r s i xty days .

” And the men sa id : men Would

be happy to remai n ap art. from you women fo r live moons . The Women ,growing more. exc ited ,

cried : Yo u do not. speak the. truth : we. women

Would he conten ted to be, sepa ra ted from you ten moons . The men

retorted men eo uld rema i n away from you women twen ty moons

Ind he. very happy .

” You do No t spea k the t ru th .

” said the women ,“ for you wish to be with us a ll the time

,day aml n ight ."

Three days they qua rreled a nd on the fou rth day the. women separated from the. me n,

going on o ne s id e. o f the pueblo , the. men aml boys

gathering o n the. other s ide . A”the women Wen t i n to o ne. eh i-ta , the

men i nto another. The Wome n had a g rea t, ta l k aml the me n held a

counci l . The me n and women were very a ngry with o ne another.

42 THE SIA.

The tiamoni, who presided over the counci l , said :“ I th ink i f you and

the women l ive apart you wil l each be conten ted .

” And on the fol lowing morn ing he had all the men and male chi ldren who were not being

nourished by their mothers cross the great river which ran by the village

,the women remain ing in the vi llage . The men departed at sun

rise and the women were del ighted . They said : “ We can do all thework ; we understand the men

’s work and we can work l ike them .

”

The men said to each other : “ We can do the things the women did for

us.

” As they left the vi llage the men cal led to the women : “ We leave

you to yourselves,perhaps for one year , perhaps for two, and p erhaps

longer . For one year you may be happy to be apart from us . Per

haps we wil l be happy to be separated from you ; perhaps not ; we can

not tel l . We men are more amorous than you .

”

Some time was required for the men to cross th e river, as i t was verywide. The tiamoni led the men and remained wi th them . The women

were compelled_

by the tiamoni to send thei r male infants over the river

as soon as they ceased nouri shing them . For ten moons the men and

women were very happy . The men hunted a great deal and had much

game for food , but the women had no an imal food . At the expiration of

the ten moons some of the women were sad away from the men . The mengrew stout and the women very thin . As the second year passed more

of the women wanted the men,but the men were perfectly sati sfied

away from the women . After three years the women more and more

wi shed for the men , but the men were but sl ightly desirous of thewomen . When the fourth year was half gone the women call ed to the

tiamoni, saying“ We want the men to come to us .

” The female

chi ldren had grown up l ike reeds ; they had no flesh on th em . The

morning after the women begged the tiamoni for the return of the men

they recrossed the river to l ive again with the women,and in four days

after thei r return the women had recovered their flesh .

Children were born to the women wh ile they were separated fromthe men

,and when born they were. entirely un like the Sia

,and we

‘

re a

different people . The mothers,seeing their children were not l ike them

selves,di d not care for them and drove them from their homes . These

unnatural ch i ldren matured i n a short time,becoming the skoyo (giant

cann ibals). As soon as they were grown they began eating the Sia .

They caught th e chi ldren j ust a s the coyote catches h is prey. Theymade large fires between great rocks

,and throwing the children in .

roasted th em al ive,and afterward ate. them . When parents went

to the woods to look for their lost ch i ldren,they too were caught by

the gian ts and roasted . N0 one ever returned to the vi llage to tell the

tale. The Sia were not only devoured by the skoyo , but by those animalswho quarreled wi th their people at the time of the rupture between

the S ia men and women,th e angry an imals j oin ing the skoyo in their

attacks upon the Sia .

Al though the ch ildren were destroyed whenever they ven tured from0

srsvsssos .) THE TWINS . 43

their homes the vigilance of some of the parents saved the race,and

in Spit-e of the numerous death s the people i ncreased,and they built

many houses . Four years (referring to periods of time)the Skoyo and

an imals captured and ate th e S ia whenever they left thei r vi l lages,

but the Sia were not always to suffer th i s gr eat ev il .

The sun fath er determined to rel ieve the people of thei r trouble and

so he became the father of twi n boys .K o

’chinako

,a virgin (th e yell ow woman of the north), when j ou rney

ing to visi t the center of the earth,lay down to rest. She was embraced

by the Sun , and from th i s embrace she became pregnan t. In four days

she gave eviden t sign s of her cond ition, a nd in e ight. days i t was sti l l

more perceptible,and in twelve days she gave bi rth to mal e twins .

During her cond ition of gestation her mother,the spider woman

,was

very angry,and i ns i sted upon knowing the fath er of the ch i ld

,but the

daughter coul d not tel l her ; and when the mother asked when she became pregnant

,she could not reply to the quest ion , and the mother

said : “ I do not care to see the ch i ld when i t i s born ; I wish to be far

away .

” And as soon as the daugh ter complained of approaching labor

th e mother left, but her heart softened toward her ch ild and she soon

returned . In four days from the b i rth of the boys they were ab le to

walk . \Vhen twin s are born, the first

-born is cal led K at’saya and the

second Kat’che .

K o’chinako named her fi rst born i\Ia ’-a -se-we and the second U ’

-yuu

yewe. Tl'

iese chi ldren grew rapidly in i ntel ligence,bu t they always

remained sma l l in stature . O ne day they i nqui red of thei r mother,

“ Where is our father ?” The mother repl ied,

“ He i s far away ; a sk no

more ques tions .

”But aga in they a sked

,“ \Vhere i s our father ?” And

they received the ‘

ame reply from the mother . The third time they

asked,and a fourth time , wh en the mother said

,“ Poor ch ildren ,

your father l ives far away to the ea st.

” They declared they

would go to h im,but she i nsi sted they could not ; that to reach him

they would have to go to the cen ter of a great river . The. boys were

so earnes t i n thei r en treaties to be al lowed to visi t thei r father, that themother final ly c onsented . Thei r gra ndmother (the spider woman)madethem each a bow a nd arrows

,and the bovs sta rted o ti

‘

on thei r j ourney,

travel ing a long way . Upon reach ing the. river they were. puzzled to

know how to enter their father’s house . they stood th inking,

thei r gramlmother (the spider wom an)appeared and sa id ,

“ I will make

a bridge for you .

”She, s pa n a . Web hac k a nd forth , butwhen the bridge

was completed the boys teared to c ro ss it ; i t appea red so frail . Then

the grandmother tes ted the bridge to show them it. wa s sa te They ,

being now satisfied,cros sed the. bridge and desc ended to the center of

the river, and there found thei r l'

ather’s house . The wi fe. o f their

fa ther inquired of the. boys , a re. you,and where d id you come

from ?” come to find o ur fa ther ." The. woman then a sked

i s you r father ?” t l l tl they an swered , “ The S un is our t'

atherz"

“ Hi the

44 THE SIA.

wife was angry and said,“ You tell an untruth .

” She gave them a

bowl of food. wh ich was , however , only the scraps left by her children .

In a l i ttle whi le the Sun returned h ome. His wi fe was very indignant ;

“ I thought you traveled on ly for the world,but these ch i ldren

say you are thei r father.” The Sun replied,“ They are my chi ldren

,

because all peopl e are my chi l dren under my arm .

” Th i s sati sfied the

wi fe,even though the chil dren appealed directly to the Sun as father.

When he saw the boys were eating scraps,he took the bowl

,threw out

the con tents, and had h is wife give them proper food . He then cal ledone of hi s men who labored for him,and said , “ Build me a large fire

in the house,

” designating a sweat-house,“ l ined wi th turk is,and heat

i t with hot rocks,

”the rocks being also turki s. He sen t the ch ildren

in to th is house and had the door closed upon them. The Sun then or

dered water poured upon the hot rocks through an open ing in the roof,but the ch ildren cooled the sweat-house by spi tting out t iny shells fromtheir mouths .

When the Sun ordered the door of the sweat-house opened he wassurpri sed to find the ch i ldren stil l al ive . He then had th em cast i nto

another house,which was very large and fil led with elk

,deer, antelope,

and buffalo ; he peeped th rough an open ing in the wal l and saw the

boys riding on the backs of the elk and deer apparently very happy

and contented . He then had them placed i n a house fil led wi th bear,

cougar,and rattlesnakes

,and he peeped in and saw the chi ldren rid ing

on the backs of the bear and cougar and th ey were happy and not

afraid, and he said,“ Surely they are my children

,” and he opened the

doors and l et them out,and asked

,“ My children

,what do you Wi sh of

me ?” Noth ing,father

,

” they repl ied,

“ We came only to find our

father .” He gave to each of them a bow and arrows,and to each three

sticks (the rabbi t stick), wh ich he told them not to use unti l they

reached home for i f they threw one,i n tend ing i t only to go a li ttle way it

would go very far . When they had proceeded on thei r j ourney but a

short distance M a’asewe said to U ’

yuuyewé ,“ Let us try our sticks and

see how far they wil l go ,” but U ’

yuuyewe refused , saying,“ No ; our

father told us not to use them unti l our return home .

” Ma’a sewe con

tinned to plead with h is younger broth er,but he was wise and would

not yield . F i nally Ma’asewe th rew one of h is

,and i t was going a great

distance off,but he stepped i t by throwing shel l s from hi s mouth .

The mother and grandmoth er were del igh ted to see the boys again ,and happy for a ll to be under one roof

,but the boys

,particularly

M a’asewe

,were soon anxious to travel . They wished to try the bows

their father had given them,and after they had been home four days

th ey started on a hun t. The mother said to the boys : “ Children,I

do not w ish you to go far ; l i sten attentively to What I have to say.

Away to the east i s a lake where many skoyo and their an imal compan ions l ive and when the sun is over the middle of the world these

people go to the lake to get water. They are very bad people and you

srevnsson.) THE T\VINS . 45

must not go near the lake .” Ma’asewe repl ied , “ Very wel l , mother ; I

do not care to go that way and I wi ll look about near home .

” But

when the boys had gone a little distance Ma’asewe said to h i s younger

brother,“ Let us go to the lake that mother talked of. U ’

yuuyewe re

pl ied : “ I do not care to go there,because our mother told us not to go

that way ; but M a’asewe importuned h is younger brother to go

,and

U ’

yuuyewe repl ied,“ Very well .” They then fol lowed the road in

dicated by their mother unti l the lake was d i scovered .

It was new about th e middle of the day, and Ma’a sewe said “ There

are no people here,none at al l ; I guess mother told us a story ; but

in a l i ttle wh i l e h e saw a great wol f approach the l ake ; then they saw

him enter the lake ; he was th irsty, and drank ; both boys saw h im a t

the bottom of the lake and they exclaimed : “ See ! he looks pretty i n

the bottom of the lake . ” Ma’asewe said : “ I guess he w il l drink a ll

the water ; see , the water grows less and less.” And when a ll the

water was gone there was no wel f i n the bottom of the lake and then

the boys d iscovered the wol f on a low mesa,i t havi ng been only h is

reflection they had seen in th e lake . The boys aimed thei r arrows at

h im,but t hey did not h it h im and the wol f th rew a large stick

at them,but they bowed their heads and i t pa ssed over them .

Ma’asewe said to U ’

yuuyewe:“ I guess the

'

se people are those of whom

mother spoke ; see,” sai d be,

“ th i s stick is the same as those given usby our father . The boys carried thei r rabb i t sticks of great si ze andMa

’asewe aimed one of h i s at the wol f, who were a sh i rt of s tone which

could be penetrated only at certain points. The wol f again threw a

stick,but the boys j umped h igh from the ground and the stick passed

under them . Ma’asewe said to U ’

yuuyewe,“ New

,younger brother

,

you try.

” U ’

yuuyewe had not used h i s arrows or sticks up to th is

time . He repl ied , Al l r ight,

” and throwing one of h is sti cks he

struck the wolf i n the side,and the protective shi rt was destroyed for

the momen t. Then Ma’asewe threw a stick

,but the sh i rt of stone

again appeared protecting the wol f. U ’

yuuyewe, th rowing a second

stick kil led the wol f. Then Ma’asewe said , “ Younger brother, the wolf

i s destroyed ; let us return ; but we wi l l firs t secure h is heart ;” and

with a stone kni fe he cut the welf dowu the b reast i n a stra igh t l ine ,and took out the heart

,which he preserved

,saying “ Now we wi l l

return to our home .

Upon their reach ing home, thei r mother inqui red :“ Where. have you

been,where have you been ?” “ \Ve have been to the l ake ,

”said the

boys . “ My boys , you are feeling me .” “ No

,we are speak ing the

truth .

” “ Why did you go there ?” Ma’asewe replied

,“ We wished

very much to see the lake .” The mother asked : Did you no t see a ny

Sko’yo ?” “ Y es ,” said Ma

’a sewe ,

“ we saw o ne ; it least we saw a

great wolf;” and the mother cried ,

“ Oh , my boys , you a re not good

boys to go there .” Then Ma

’a sewe told h is mother tha t they h ad killed

the wolf. At first, she refused to bel ieve h im ; but when Ma’a sewe de

46 THE SIA.

clared he spoke the truth , the mother took the boys to her breast and

said : “ I t i s well,my chi ldren .

” In a sh ort time the boys started out

on another tour. Before leaving home,theyi nquired of their mother

where good wood for arrow shafts could be procured.

“ Far off to the

north i n a canyon i s good wood for shafts,but a bad man si ts i n the

road near by ; thi s path i s very narrow, and when one passes by he i s

kicked into the canyon by this bad man,and ki lled .

” Ma’asewe de

clared to h is mot-her he did not. care to go there, but he was not far

from her eyes before he prevail ed upon U’

yuuyewe to accompany him

to this canyon , saying :“ Let us go where we can find the best wood .

”

It required some persuasion from Ma'asewe

,as U ’

yuuyewe at first

declared he would not d isobey h is mother. They traveled a long way

ere reach ing the bad old man , the cougar,but when they saw him they

approached very cautiously, and Ma’asewe asked him if he could tell

h im where to find good wood for arrow shafts .” “ Yes,I know,

”re

pl ied the cougar ;“ down there i s much

,

” pointi ng to the canyon below .

Ma’asewe i nqui red

,“ How can I reach the canyon ?” The cougar said,

“ Pass by me ; thi s i s the best way.

” Ma’asewe declared he must not

walk before h is elders,but the cougar insisted that the boys should

pass i n front of h im . They were, however, determined to pass beh ind

F i nal ly the cougar said,

“ All right.” Ma’asewe asked him to ri se

whi le they passed,but he only ben t a l ittle forward ; then Ma

’asewe

said,Lean a l ittle farther forward , the path i s n arrow and the con :

gar bent h is body a l i ttle more,when Ma

’asewe placed h is hands on

the cougar’s shoulders,pressi ng h im forward

,saying

,“ Oh ! the way

i s so narrow ; l ean just a l i ttle more see, I can not pass .” U ’

yuuyewe,who was close to Ma

’asewe

, put both h is hands on the cougar’s right

shoulder,whi le his brother placed hi s on the left, they saying to h im,

“ Just a l ittle farther forward,

” and,with thei r combined effort, they

threw him to the canyon below,Ma

’asewe crying out, “ This i s the way

you have served others .” The cougar was ki l led by the fal l .The boys then descended i nto the canyon and gathered a quanti ty

of wood for thei r arrow shafts . When their mother saw the wood she

cried,

“ You naughty boys !where have you been ? They repl ied,

“ We have ki lled the cougar . ” The mother refused to bel ieve them ,

but Ma’asewe declared they spoke the truth . She then embraced her

chil dren with prid e and j oy .

Two days the boys were busy makin g shafts,to which they attached

their arrows . ThenMa’asewe desi red plumes for the shafts. “ Mother,”

said he, “ do you know where we can find eagle plumes ?” “ Yes, Iknow where they are to be found . Away on the brink of a canyon in

the west there are many plumes,but there i s a very bad man there .”

M a'asewe said ,

“ Well,I do not care to go there . We will look else

where for plumes .” But he had scarcely left the house when he urged

U ’

yuuyewe to accompany him to the brink of the canyon . No,

” saidU ’

yuuyewe, I do not care to go there. Besides the bad man mother

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

48 THE SIA.

The young ones,having been informed by their paren ts that they

were well provided with food,which would be found i n front of thei r

door when hungry,went out for the meat. Ma

’asewe and fl ’yuuyewe

aston ished them by speak ing to them . They asked,“ When will your

mother return ?” The children repl ied,“ Our mother wil l return i n the

forenoon .

” “ When your mother returns wil l she come to this house ?”

“ No,

”repl ied the young eagles,“ she wi l l go to the one above and come

here later .” “ When wil l your father arrive ?” “ He wi l l come a l ittle

later .” “ Wil l he come here ?” they asked .

“ No ; he wil l go to thehouse above .” Ma

’asewe then destroyed the young eagles . After

ki l l ing them he dropped them to the earth below . Upon the return of

the mother she stood upon the rock above,and M a

’asewe aimed h is

arrow at her a nd'

shot h er through the heart,and she fel l to the earth

dead ; and later, when the father returned, he met with the same fate .Now

,the boys had destroyed the bad eagles of the world . Then

Ma’asewe said

,“ Younger brother

,how wi ll we get down from here ?

The road to the earth is very long,

”and,look ing up , he said,

“ The road

to the rock above i s also very long.

” Presently Ma’asewe saw a l i ttle

K é-ow-uch,or ground squ irrel (Tamia s stria tus), and he call ed to him,

saying,“ My l ittle broth er

,we can not get down from here . If you

wil l help us we wi ll pay you ; we wi ll give you beautiful eagle plumes.”

The squirrel planted a pifion nut directly below the boys , an d in a

short time—almost immediately— for th e squirrel knew much of medicin e

,a tall tree was th e resul t. “ New

,

” said the squirrel,you have a

good read. This i s al l right ; see ?” And the l ittle anini al ran up the

tree and then down again,when the boys fol lowed him.

Upon their return h ome their mother inquired,“ Where have you

been ?”and when they to ld her they had vis i ted the house of the eagle

she said,“ You have been very fool ish .

” At first she d isbel ieved their

statemen t that they had destroyed the eagles ; but they finally cen ‘

vinced her and she embraced her boys with pride . The grandmother

was also high ly pleas ed .

The boys remained at home on ly two days,Ma’asewe being impatient

to be gone,and he said to his brother

,“ Let us go travel again .

” The

home of the boys was near the center of th e earth , K o’chinako remain

ing here for a time after thei r b irth . When the mother found they were

going to travel and hun t again,she begged of them not to go far, for

there were sti l l bad people about,and M a

’asewe promised that they

would keep near th eir home . They had gone but a short distance

when they saw a woman (a sko’yo)approach ing, carrying a large pack

wh ich was secured to her back by strings passing around her armsnear the shoulder. Ma

’asewe whispered to h is brother : “ See!there

comes a sko ’yo .

” The boys stood s ide by side, when she approached

and said,“ What are you ch ildren doing here ?” Ma

’asewe repl ied ,

“ We are just looking about ; noth i ng more.” The sko’yo passing her

hands over the boys said,“ What pretty boys !What pretty ch i ldren !

sm susou i THE HOU SE or THE sxovo . 49

Come with me to my house .

” “ Al l right,we wi ll go

,

”Ma’a sewe being

the Spokesman .

“ Get in to the pack on my back and I wil l carry you .

”

When the boys were tucked away the sko ’yo started for her home .After a time she came to a broad

,level

,grassy coun try and Ma ’asewe

cal led : “ Woman ! do not go far in th is coun try where there are no

trees,for the sun i s hot and when there i s no shade I get very sick in

my head . See,woman ,

”he con tinued,“ there i n the mountai ns are trees

and the best read i s there .” The sko ’yo called out,“ All right

,

”and

started toward the moun tain s . She came to a poin t where she muststoop to pass under droop ing l imbs upon which rested branches

,which

had fal len from other trees . Ma’asewe whispered to Uyuuyewe,

When she stoops to pass under we will catch hold of the tree and

hang there unti l she i s gone .” The boys caught on to the fal len timber

which rested across the branches of the tree,and the sko ’yo tra veled

on un consc ious of thei r escape. When she'

had gone some distance

she wondered that she heard not a sound and she cal led,“ Chi ldren !”

and no an swer ; and agai n she cal led ,“ Children

,

” and receiving no

answer she cried , “ Do not go to sleep,” and she conti nued to call

,“ Do

not go to sleep .

” Hearing not a word from the boys she shook thepack in order to awaken them

,as she though t they were sleeping

soundly. Th i s bringing no reply she plac ed the pack upon the ground

and to her surpri se the boys were not there . The bad boys ! the bad

boys !” she cried , as she retraced her steps to look for them . Where

can they be ? where can they be ?”

When she di scovered them hanging from a tree sh e called, You

bad boys !why are you th ere ?” M a

’asewe said

,No !woman ; we are

not bad . We only w ished to stop here and see th i s timber ; i t i s very

beautiful .” She compelled them to get into the pack and again started

off,saying to the ch ild ren

,You must not go to sleep .

” The j ourney

was long ere the house of the sko ’yo was reached . She said , I am

glad to be home again,

”and she placed the pack on the fl oor, tel li ng

the boys to get out. “ My chi ldren,I am very ti red and hungry . Run

out and getme some wood for ti re .” Ma’asewe whispered to h is younger

brother,“ Let us go for the wood .

”

In a l i ttle wh ile the boys returned wi th loads ofwood on thei r backs .Pointing to a small con ical h ouse near by

,she sa id ,

“ Chi ldren,carry

the wood there,

”and the sko ’yo bui lt a fire in the house and cal led the

boys to look at i t saying , Chi ld ren,come here and see the fire ; i t is

good and warm .

” Ma’asewe whispered to his younger brother, “ What

does the woman want ? ” U pon thei r approach the sko’yo said

,See !

I have made a grea t fire and i t i s good aml warm ; look i n and as the

ch i ld ren passed i n fron t of her she pushed them into the house aml

cl osed the door. She wis h ed to cook the boys for her supper, and she

smacked her l ips with satisfaction in an tici pation of the feas t in s tore

for her. But she wa s to be disappointed , a s the. boys threw shel ls from

the ir mouths which instantly protected them from the heat.

1 1 E'

I‘

II— 4

50 THE sm.

After closing the door on the boys the woman went into her houseand bathed all over in a very l arge bowl of yucca suds

,wash ing her

head first, and tak ing a seat she said to herself,

“ All i s well . I ammost con ten ted and happy .

” The boys were a l so con tented . The

woman,thi nking i t was about time her supper was cooked, removed

the stone which she had placed in the doorway and secured with plaster.

The boys had secreted themselves i n one side of the house, where they

kept quiet. What she supposed to be their flesh was i’ i sa (excrement)which the boys had depos i ted there. The woman removed th i s with

great care and began eating it. (This woman had no husband and

l ived alone .) She said to herself,“ This i s del icious food and cooked

so wel l,

”and again and again she remarked to herself the del icious flavor

of the flesh of the boys . F i nal ly Ma’asewe cried

,“ You are not ea ting

our flesh but our i ’i sa,”and she looked around but could see no one.

Then U ’

yuuyewe cal led , You are eating our i ’i sa,”and again she

li s tened and looked about,but could see no one. The boys continued

to cal l to her,but i t was sometime before she di scovered them si tting

in the far end of the room .“ What bad boys you are,

” she cried, I

though t I was eating your flesh .

” The woman hastened out of the

house and ti ck ling her throat with her finger vomited up the offal .She again sen t the boys for wood

,tell ing them to bring much

, and

they returned with large loads on their backs, and she sent them asecond time and they returned with another quanti ty. Then she again

built a fire in the small house and left i t, and the two boys exclaimed,“ What a great fire !” and Ma

’asewe cal led to the woman

,“ Come here

and see th is fire ; see what a hothouse ; I guess this time my brotherand I wil l die ;

” and the woman stooped to look‘

at the fire , and

M a’asewe said to her

,“ Look away in there . See

,we wil l surely die

th is time . Look ! there i s the hottest point !” be standing behind the

woman and poin ting over her shoulder, the woman bending her headstil l lower to see the better , said ,

“ Yes ; the fire is best off there.”

“ Yes,” said Ma

’asewe,

“ i t i s very hot'

there ;” and the Sko’yo was fil led

with i nterest, and looked in tently i nto the house. The boys, finally,inducing her to st00p very low so that her face was near the doorway,pushed her into the hot bed of coals

,and she was burned to death .

The boys rej oiced,and Ma

’asewe said

,N ow that the woman is dead.

let us go to her house.” They found the house very large, with many

rooms and doors . In the m iddle of the floor there was a small circul ardoor whi ch Ma

’asewe ra i sed

,and look ing in

,discovered that below it

was very dark .

.Poin ting downward , he sa id,“ Though I can not see,

I guess th i s is the most beautiful room . I think I wil l go below ; per

haps we wi ll find many good th ings.” As soon as he entered the door

he disappeared from sight and van ished from hearing. U ’

yuuyewe,receiving no reply to hi s cal l s

,said to himself,

“ Ma ’asewe has foundmany beautiful th ings below , and he wil l not answer me ; I wil l go and

see for myself.” After entering the door, he knew nothing until he

STEVENSON .) THE CHITA . 51

found himself by the s ide of h is elder brother,and

,passing through

the doorway, the boys tumbled over and over in to a lower world .

When Ma’asewe reached th i s new world he was unconscious from

the fall , but after a time he revived sufliciently to si t up, when he

beheld U ’

yuuyewe tumbl ing down , and he fell by the side of Ma’asewe

,

who was almost dead,and Ma

’asewe said ,

“ Younger brother,why did

you follow me?” After a whi le U ’

yuuyewe was able to si t up and

Ma’asewe remarked : “ Younger brother, I th ink we are i n another

world . I do not know where we are, and I do n ot know what hour i t

i s . I guess i t i s about the middle of the day. What do you think ?”

U ’

yuuyewe replied,“ You know best, elder brother ; whatever you think

is right,”and Ma

’asewe said

,“ A ll right. Let us go now over the road

to the house where the sun enters i n the even ing,for I th ink th is i s the

world where our father, the sun , returns at n ight .”

A l ittle after the middle of the day Ma’asewe was walking ahead of

U ’

yuuyewe, who was following close behind, and he said to hi s younger

brother as he listened to some noise,“ I bel ieve we are coming to a

village .” When they drew a l i ttle nearer they heard a drum,and

supposed a feast was going on in the plaza,and in a l i ttle while they

came i n sigh t of the vi l lage and saw that there was a great feast there .All the people were gathered in the plaza . The chi ’ta was a l ittle wayfrom the vi llage and there was no on e in i t, as the boys d iscovered

when they approached i t,and they ascended the ladder . Ma

’asewe

said,“ This i s thech i ’ta . Let us en ter.” The mode of enter ing shows

th is ch i ’ta to have been buil t above ground . Upon invad ing the ch i ’ta

they found it very large and very pretty, and there were many fine bows

and arrows hanging on the walls . They took the bows and examin i ngthem said to one another,

“ What fine bows and arrows ! They are a ll

fine . Look,

”and they were eager to possess them . Ma’asewe proposed

that they should each take a bow and arrows and hurry away,saying

“ All the people are i n the plaza look ing at the dance, and no one wil l

see us and they hastened from the ch i ’ta with thei r treasures . Ma ’a

sewe said,

“ Younger brother,let us return over the road whence we

came .

”

But a short time elapsed when a man had occasion to visi t the ch i ’ta,

and he at once d iscovered footprin ts,and entering

,found that bows

and arrows had been stolen ; hurrying to the pl aza he in formed the

people of the theft,saying, “ Two men have en tered the ch i’ta. I saw

their footprin ts,” and the people cried out

,“ Let us fol low them

,

” andran over the road wh ich the boys had taken . The boys had nea rly

reached the point where they had l ighted when they entered th is lower

world when the people were close upon them .

The l i ttle fel lows had to run hard , but they hold fast to thei r bows

and arrows,and just as they st opped upon the spot where they had

fall en when they descended , thei r pursuers being close upon them, a

wh irlwind carried them up and through the door and back i n to the

52 THE SIA.

house of the sko’yo. Ma’asewe said,

“ Younger brother,let us hurry

to our mother. She must be sad . What do you th ink she imagines

has become of us ?” U ’

yuuyewe repl ied ,“ I guess she thinks we have

been k i l led.

” The boys started for thei r home. When they were sti l l

far from their house Ma’asewe asked,“ Younger brother

,where do you

think these bows and arrows were made ?” Holding them up before

hi s eyes as he spoke,he said

,“ I think they are very fine .” ‘

U ’

yuuyewe

remarked,“ Yes

,they are fine .”

Ma’asewe then shot one of the arrows a great di stance and i t made

much noise, and it was very beautiful and red . U ’

yuuyewealso shot

one of hi s.

“ Younger brother,” said M a

’asewe,

“ these are fine arrows,

but they have gone a great way.

” When they were near thei r mother’shouse

,they again used their bows and were so del ighted with the light

made by the arrows that each shot another and another. The mother

and grandmother,hearing the noise

,ran out of their house

,and became

much alarmed when they looked to Ti ’n ia and saw the flashes of l ight

and then they both fell as dead. Previous to thi s time the l ightning

arrows were not known on th is earth,as the lightn ing people had not

,

to the present time,let any of their arrows fall to the earth . When

the mother was restored she was very angry,and inquired of the boys

where they had found such arrows and why they had brought them

home . “ Oh,mother

,” cried the boys,

“ they are so beautiful,and we

l ike them very much .

”

The boys remained at home three days,and on the fourth day they

saw many he’ash (clouds , l ike the plains)coming and bringing thearrows the boys had shot toward Ti ’nia

,and when the cloud people

were over the house of the boys they began watering the earth ; i t

rained very hard,and presently the arrows began fall i ng. Ma

’asewe

cried with delight, “ See,younger brother

,the l ightning people have

brought our arrows back to us,let us go and gather them .

” The cloud

people worked two days sending rain and then returned to their home .Ma

’asewe said to his mother

,“ We will go now and pass about the

country.

” She begged of them not to go any great distance. “ In the

west,” said she

,“ there i s a very bad antelope . Hewi l l eat you .

” Ma’~

asewe promised the mother that they would not go far,but when at a

short di stance from home he said to his younger brother,“ Why does

not mother wish us to go there ?” poin ting to the west. “ Let us go;”

U ’

yuuyewe repl ied,“ No

,mother does not wish i t .” He was final ly

persuaded by Ma’asewe, and when near the house of the an telope the

boys di scovered h im. There was neither grass nor vegetation , but

on ly a sandy plain without trees or stones. “ I guess he i s one of thepeople who, mother said, would eat us .

” U ’

yuuyewe repl ied,“ I guess

so .” Then M a’asewe said

,Let us go a l ittle nearer

,younger brother.”

“ You know what i s best,

” repli ed U ’

yuuyewe,“ I wi ll do whatever you

say, but I th ink that i f you go nearer he wil l run off.

” They counciled

for a time and while they were talking the l ittle Ch i'na (mole)came up

STEVENSON ] THE ANTELOPE. 53

out of hi s house and said,“ Boys

,come down in to my house . ” “ No

,

said they,“ we wish to ki l l the an telope

,

” and M a’asewe added , “ I

think you know al l about him .

“ Yes,” said the mole

,I have been

near h im and passed around h im .

” Then Ma’asewe requested h im to

go into h is house and prepare a road for them that the antelope might

n ot discover their approach . And the mole made an underground

road to the point where the antelope stood (the antelope facing west)and bored a wee hole in the earth over th is tunnel , and peeping through

he looked directly upon the heart of the an telope ; he could seei ts pulsation s .

“ Ah,that is good

,I th ink,

” he exclaimed,and re

turn ing,he hastened to inform the boys . Now

,al l i s well

,

” said the

mole ;“ you can ent-er my house and approach the antelope . ” When

they reached the tiny open ing in the earth Ma'

asewe looked up and

said,

“ See,younger brother

,there i s the heart of the antelope directly

above us ; I wi l l shoot first ;” and poin ting h is arrow to the heart of the

antelope and drawi n g h is bow strongly he pierced the heart, the shaftbeing bur ied almost to its end in the body .

“ We have ki lled the ante

lope,

” cr ied M a’asewe

,“ now let us return quickly over the under

ground road .

” While the boys were sti l l in thi s tunnel,the antelo

'

pe,

who was not killed immediately by the shot,was mad with rage and he

ran first to the west to look for hi s enemy, but he could see no one ;then he ran to the south and found no one ; then he turned to the east

with the same resul t,and then to the north and saw no one

,and he

returned to the spot where he had been shot,and look ing to the earth

discovered the d iminutive open ing.

“ Ah,

” said he,“ I th ink there i s

some one below who tried to k i l l me .

” By th is time the boys were

quite a distance from the hole through which the arrow had passed .

The antel ope thrust h is left horn i n to the open ing and tore up the

earth as he ran along above the tunnel . I t was l ike in serting a kn ife

under a piece of h ide ; but he had advanced only a short di stance when

he fel l dead . The youths then came up from the house of the mole and

cried out,

“ See !the antelope i s dead .

”

Ma’asewe said

,“ Younger brother ! l et us go and get the flesh of the

an te lope .

” U ’

yuuyeweremarked ,“ perhaps he is not yet dead .

” The

mole said,“ you boys wai t here ; I will go and see it

'

he stil l l ives ,” and

after examining and passing around h im , he found that the body was

quite cold,and returning to the boys said

,“ Yes , boys , the antelope is

dead .

” “ Perhaps you do not speak the truth ,” said Ma

’asewe

,but

the mole repeated “ The an telope i s dead .

” Ma’asewe i n s isted

,how

ever,that the mole should again examine him and the l ittle an imal made

a second visi t. Thi s time he dipped his hands i nto the heart’s blood of

the an imal and rubbed i t al l over h is face,head

,body , arms, and legs ,

for Ma’asewe had accused h im of lying and he wi shed this time to

carry proof of the death of the antelope ; and returning to the boys he

cried,“ Sec , boys , I am covered with the b lood, and [ did not lie .

” Then

Ma’asewe proposed that the three should go together ; and when they

54 THE SIA.

reached the antelope,M a

’asewe cut the breast with h is stone kni fe,

passing the kn ife from the throat downwards. The boys then flayed

the an tel ope ; M a’asewe cut the heart and the flesh in to b its

,throwing

the pieces to the north,west

,south

,and east

,declaring that hereafter

the antelope should not be an enemy to his people,saying

,“ His flesh

shall furn ish food for my people . ” Addressing the an telope he com

manded,“ From th is time forth you wi l l eat. on ly vegetation and not

flesh,for my people are to have your flesh for food .

” He then said to

the mole,“ The i n testines of the an telope wi ll be food for you ,

” and the

mole was much pleased,and promptly repl ied, “ Thank you ; thank

you,boys .”

The boys now returned to thei r home and their mother, who, on

meeting them,inquired

,“ Where have you been ? You have been gone

a long time ; I thought you were dead ; where have you been‘

2” Ma’asewe

an swered,“ We have been to the house of the an telope who eats people .”

The mother said,“ You are very d isobedient boys .” Ma

’asewe con

tinned,

“ We have killed the an telope,and now al l the giants who

devoured our people are destroyed , and al l the people of the Villages

wilrbe happy,and the times wil l be good .

”

After M a’asewe and U ’

yuuyewe had destroyed the giant enemi es of

the world the people were happy and were not afraid to travel about ;even the l i ttle chi ldren could go anywhere over the earth , and therewas continual feasti ng and rejoicing among all the vil lages.The Oraib i held a great feast (at that time the Oraib i di d not l ive

in th ei r presen t pueb lo); Ma’asewe and U ’

yuuyewe desired to attendthe feast

,and tell in g their mother of thei rwi sh , she consented to their

going . When they were near the village of the O raibi they di scovered

the home of the bee,and Ma

’a sewe sai d

,See

,brother, the house of

the bee ; let us go in ; I guess there i s much honey .

” They found a

large comb ful l of honey,and Ma

'asewe proposed to his brother that

they cover their whole bodies wi th the honey, so that the O raibi wouldnot know them and woul d take them for poor

,d irty boys ;

“ for,as we

now are,all the world knows us

,and to day let us be unknown .

” “ A ll

right !” said U ’

yuuyewe, and they smeared themselves wi th honey.

“ Now,

” said the boys , “ we are ready for the feast. I t wil l be good,for

the Oraibi are very good people.” Upon vis i ting the plaza they founda large gath ering, and the housetops were crowded with those look ing

at the dance . The boys,who approached the plaza from a narrow

street in the vi ll age,stood for a time at the entrance . Ma

’asewe

remarked ,“ I guess all the people are looking at us and thinking we

are very poor boys ; see how they pass back and forth and do not speakto us ;

” but after awh ile he said,“ We are a l i ttle hungry ; let us wal k

around and see where we can find something to eat.” They looked ina ll the houses facing upon the plaza and saw feasting wi th in

,but no

one invited them to enter and eat,and though they inspected every

house in the vi llage, they were invited in to but one. At this house

the woman said,“ Boys

,come in and eat ; I guess you are hungry.

”

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56 THE srA.

much to see i t,and wi ll not do as we did at O raibi .” F i nally

,the

mother and grandmother said,“ If you are sati sfied to go and behave

l ike good boys we will consent.” I t was a long way off,and the boys

carried their bows and arrows that thei r father,the sun

,had given

them . They had proceeded but a short d is tance from their home,when

the sun told them each to get on an arrow, and the father drew his bow,shooting both arrows simultaneously, the arrows striking the earthnear where the dance was to occur. The boys alighted from their ar

rows and walked to the Vil lage . Every one wondered how they couldhave reached the vi llage i n so short a time. The boys stopped at thedoor of a house and

,l ook ing in

,saw many people eating . They stood

there awhile but were not asked in,and they passed on from door to

door,as they had done at Oraibi

,and no one invited them to eat. It

was a very large vi llage , a nd the boys walked about all day, and they

were very angry. Discovering a house a l ittle apart from the vi llage,

Ma’asewe said,

“ Let us go there,” pointing to the house ;

“ perhaps

there we may get food,

” and upon reach ing the door they were greeted

by the man,woman , and chi ld ren of the house, and were invited to eat .

The boys were,as before, disguised wi th the honey spread over thei r

bodies . After the meal Ma’asewe

,addressing the man and woman

,

said : “ You and your children are the first and on ly ones to i nv ite us

to enter a house and eat,and we are happy, and we give you thanks.

We have been in th is vil lage all day and,until now

,have had noth ing

to eat . I guess the people do not care to have us eatWi th them . Why

did your ti’amoni i nvi te people from al l vil lages to come here ? He was

certainly not pleased to see us . You (addressing the man and woman)and your ch ildren must leave this vi l lage and go a l ittle way off. I t

wil l be wel l for you to do so .

”

And th is fami ly had no sooner obeyed the commands of the boys

than the people of the vi l lage were converted into stone,just as th ey

were passing about,the Ka’tsuna as th ey stood in l i ne of the dance

,

some of them with their hands raised . It was never known what be

came of the beings of the Ka’tsuna. M a’asewe then said : “ Younger

brother,now what do you th ink ?” U '

yuuyewe repl ied,“ I do not thi nk

at all ; you know .

” “ Yes,

” said Ma’asewe

,“ and I think perhaps I will

not return to my house,the house of my mother and grandmother . I

think we wil l not return there ; we have converted the people of two

Vi llages into stone,and I guess our mother wi l l be very unhappy.

”

And again Ma’asewe said : “ What do you th i nk ?” and U ’

yuuyewere

plied,

“ I do not th i nk at all ; you , Ma’asewe, you think well .

” ThenM a

’asewe said

,“ All right ; I think now I should l ike to go to see our

father .” “ Well,

” said U ’

yuuyewe,“ let us go to h im .

”

There was a great rainbow (Kash’- ti -arts)in ti

’n ia ; the feet of the

bow were on the earth and the head touched the heavens . “ Let us be

off,

” said the boys . They stepped upon the rainbow, and in a short

space of time the boys reached their father,the sun

,who was in m id ‘

heavens . The bow traveled fast . The sun saw the boys approach ing

STEVENSON ] THE CULT SOCIETIES . 57

on the bow and knew them to be h is ch ildren . He always kept watch

over them,and when they drew near the father said

,My chi ldren

,I

am very happy to see you . You have destroyed al l the giants of the

earth who ate my people,and I am con ten ted that they are no more ;

and i t was wel l you converted the people of the two vil lages i nto stone .They were not good people.” Then Ma

’asewe said : “ Father

,l isten to

me whi l e I speak . We wi sh you to tel l us where to go .

” “ Yes ,” said

the father,I wi ll ; I know where i t i s best for you to make your home .

Now,all the people of the earth are good and wil l be good from th is

time forth (referring to the destruction of the S ia by the cann ibals). I

thi nk i t wi ll be wel l for you to make your home there high above the

earth,

” poi nti ng to the Sand ia mountain,“ and not retu rn to thc people

of theearth .

” All r ight,my father,” repl ied Ma

’asewe ; we are con

tented and happy to do as you say .

”

Before leaving thei r people Ma'asewe organ ized the cul t societics

'

of

the upper world . These tiny heroes then made thei r home in the Sandia

mountain,where they have since remained

,travel ing

,as before

,on the

rainbow .

The diminutive footp rin ts of these boys are to be seen at the en

trance of their house (the crater of the mountain)by the good of heart,but such privi lege i s afforded only to the ti’amoni and certai n theurg

ists, they alon e havi n g perfect hearts ; and they claim that on look ing

th rough the door down into the house they have seen melons,corn

,and

other things which had been fresh ly gathered .

After the expi ration of four years the ti’iimoni desi red to travel on

toward the cen ter of the earth,but before they had gone far they found

,

to their d ismay,that the waters began to rise as in the l ower world

,

and the whole earth became one vast ri ver . The waters reached nearly

to the edge of the mesa,which they ascended for safety . The ti’iimoni

made many offerings of plumes and other precious articles to propi tiatethe flood

,but th is did not stay the angry waters , and so he dressed a

youth and maiden in thei r best blankets,and adorned them wi th many

precious heeds and cas t them from the mesa top and immed iately the

waters began to recede . When the earth was again vis ib le it wa s verysoft

,so that when the animals wen t from the mes a they would sink to

thei r shoulders . The earth wa s angry . The ti’ii-moni cal led the K a’

pina Society together and said,

“ I th ink you know how to make theearth sol id

,so we can pass over i t,

”and the theurgist of that order re

pl ied,“ I th ink I know .

” The same means was used as on the previous

occasion to harden the earth . The theurgis t of the Ka’pina. returningsaid

,

“ Father [ ha ve been worki ng al l oVer the earth and i t is now

hardened .

” “ Th at i s well,

”said the ti’ii lnoni,

“ I am content . In fou r

days we wil l travel toward the cen ter of the earth .

”

During the journey of the S i a from the whi te-house in the north they

bui l t many vi l lages . Those vi l lages were close to gether, as the S i adid

not wish to travel far at any one time. F i nal ly,h aving con cluded they

had about reached the cen ter o f the earth,they determined to [m i ld a

58 THE SIA.

permanent home. The ti’amoni,desi ring that i t should be an exact

model of their house of white stone i n the north,held a council

,that he

m ight gain information regardin g the construction,etc .

,of the whi te

vi llage . I wish,

” said the ti’amoni,“ to build a vi llage here

,after our

white-house of the north,but I can not remember clearly the construction

of the house,

”and no one could be found in the group to give a detai led

account of the plan . The counci l was held during the n ight, and the

ti’amoni said,“ Tom orrow I shal l have some one return to the white

house,and carefully examine i t. I think the Si’sika (swallow) i s a

good man ; he has a good head ; and I th ink I wi l l send h im to thewhite-house

,

” and call in g the Si’sika he said : “ Listen attentively ; I

wish you to go and study the structure of the whi te-house in the north ;learn all about it

,and bring me al l the detai ls of the bui ldings ; how one

house j oins another.” The Si’sika repl i ed,Very wel l, father ; I wil l

go early in the morn ing.

” Though the distance was great,the S i’sika

vis i ted the white-house,and returned to the ti’amoni a l i ttle after the

sun had eaten (noon).“ Father

,” said the S i’sika

,“ I have examined

FIG 15. Diagram of the wh ite house of the north , drawn by a theurg ist .

L ines indicate ho u ses .

a,Street . d

,Doorwa y of the north W ind .

b,Pla z a . 6

,The great chita .

c , Pla z a . f , Cougar, mother of the north v illage .

the wh ite-house in the north carefully,flying all over i t and about i t. I

examined i t wel l and can tel l you all about i t.” The ti’amoniwas pleased,for he had thought much concern ing the white house

,which was very

beautiful .He at once ordered all hands to work , great labor being required i n

the con struction of the vi llage after the plan laid down by the Si’sika .

Upon the completion of thi s vi l lage,the ti’amoni named i t Koasaia .

It i s l ocated at the ruin some 25mi les north of the presen t site of Sia .

(Fig. It i s an accurate copy of a plan drawn by the theurgi st who

first related the cosmogony to the writer.

m m sox .) BORN or A VIRGIN. 59

The theurgist explained that the cougar could not leave her post at

the white stone vi l lage of the north ; therefore, the lyn x was selected as

her represen tative at thi s vi llage . And no such Open ing as shown in

d existed i n the dupl icated w'

llage, as the doorway of the north windwas ever i n the north vil lage . And the ti’amoni , wi th al l h is people,en tered the large ch i ta and held services of thanksgiving. G reat was

the rejoicing upon the completion of the vi l lage,and the people plan ted

corn and soon had fine fields .

The Sia occupied thi s village at the time of their visit from Po’shaiyanne, the quasi messiah , after he had attained h is greatness , and

when he made a tour of the pueblos before going into Mex ico .

Po’shaiyanne was born of a vi rgin at the pueb lo ofPecos ,New Mexico,who became pregnan t from eating two pinon nuts . The writer learned

through Dr . Shields,ofArchuleta

,New Mexico, that theJemez Indians

have a similar legend . When want and starvation drove the PecosIndians from their pueb lo they sough t refuge with the Jemez . Ph ilol

ogists claim that the languages of the Pecos and Jemez belong to the

same stock . The woman was very much chagrined at the b irth of her

ch i ld,and when he was very young she cast h im off and closed her

doors upon him . He obtained food and shel ter as best he could ; ofcloth ing he had none but the rags cast off byothers . While sti l l al i ttle boy he woul d foll ow the ti’amoni and theurgists in to the ch ita

and si t apart by the ladder,and l isten to thei r wise talk

,and when

they wi shed a ligh t for thei r cigarettes Po’shaiyanne would pass a

brand from one to another . But n o one ever spoke to h im or thanked

h im,but he con tinued to follow the wise men i n to th e ch ita and to

l i ght thei r cigarettes . Even when he reached years when other youths

were inv i ted to si t wi th the ti’amoni and theurgists and learn of them,

he was never spoken to or invited to leave h is seat by the entrance .Upon arriving at the state of manhood he

,as usual

,sat i n the ch ita

and passed the l ight to those presen t . G reat was the surpri se when i t

was discovered that a string of the rarest turkis enci rcled h is right

wrist . After he had l ighted each cigarette and had returned to hi s

seat by the en trance, the ti’i

‘

unoni called one of his men to h im andsaid

,“ What i s i t I see upon the wrist of the boy Po ’

sha iyiinne ; i t looks

like the r ichest turki s, but surely i t can not be. Go and examine i t.”

The man did a s he was bid,and

,returning, told the ti

’iinioni that i t was

i ndeed as he had supposed . The ti’iimoni reques ted the man to say to

the youth that he wished to know where he obtained the turkis and

that he desi red to buy the bracelet of him . the man repeated

the message,Po’shaiyanne said ,

“ 1 can not t el l h im how i t came uponmy wrist

,and I do not wish to sel l i t .” The reply being del ivered to

the ti’amoni, he said to hi s messenger, Return to the youth and tell

h im I have a fine house in the n orth . I t a nd al l i ts contents shall be

h is i n exchange for the bracelet .” The people presen t,hearing the

words of the ti’amoni, regretted that he offered h is house and all therein

60 THE SIA.

for the bracelet,but they did not say anything as they thought he knew

best. The message being del ivered to Po’shaiy‘

anne,he sa i d

,“ Very

wel l,I wi l l give the bracelet for the house and al l i t contains .” The

ti’amoni then cal led Po’shaiyanne to him and examined the bracelet,and h is heart was glad because he was to have the jewels . He then

begged Po’sha iyanne to be seated, saying ,“ We wi l l play the game

Wash /kasi. l

In playing the favori te game of Wash ’kasi (Fig. forty pebbles form a square, ten pebbles on a s ide, with a flat stone in the

center of the square . Four flat sticks,painted black on one si de and

unpain ted on the other,are held vertical ly and dropped upon the

stone . The ti'amoni threw first. Two black and two unpain ted sides

faced up . Two of the pain ted sides being up entitled the player to

Pa sha i -yé’

n -n ek ls; mow

r—‘

fi

fl -a -m o I ‘l tmar e

3 " d n Poss/za i y a n 01.9 52 1d

3 r d,

0 0

Po em -y an

-n e s 4 (h mor e

0 Q o ‘ 0 o O 0 o o

H _ J

F IG. 1 6 . The game of Wash 'kasi .

move two stones to the righ t. Po’shaiyaune then threw, turning upthe four painted sides . This entitled h im to move ten to the left. The

ti’amoni threw and three painted sides faced up . This en titled h im to

move three stones to the right. Again Po’shaiyanne threw and al l thecolored sides faced up

,entitl ing him to move ten more. The next

throw of the ti’amoni showed two colored s ides and he moved two

more . Po’sha iyanne threw again , a ll the colored sides be ing up ; thenhe moved ten . The ti’amoni then threw and al l four unpainted sides

turned up ; th is entitled h im to move six . Po’shaiyanne threw andagain al l the painted sides were up

,enti tl ing him to move ten

,which

brought h im to the starti ng poi n t,and won h im the game.

The following morn ing, after the ti’amoni had eaten

,they went into

the chi ta as usual ; Po’shaiyanne, following, took h is seat near the

en trance,with a blanket wrapped around h im . When he approached

the ti’amoni to hold the l ighted stick to h is cigarette, the ti’amoni’s

aston i shment was great to find a second bracelet,of ko-ha -qua

,

2 uponthe wrist of Po’shaiyanne. Each bead was large and beautiful . The

‘Though it is not mentioned in t he story , it seems to be understood that these games were p layedfor the houses , for had Po'shaiyanue lost the games he wou ld have lost the houses”A nc ient fiat she l l beads as th in as paper.

m m sox .) THE GAME or .WASHKASI. 61

ti ’amoni urged Po’shaiyanne not to return to h is seat by the ladder,but to si t w ith them ; but he declined, and then a messenger was sen t

to examine the bracelet,and theman’s report excited a great desi re in

the ti’amoni to secure to h imself thi s second bracelet,and h is house i n the

west,wi th a ll that i t contai ned, was offered in exchange for the bracelet .This house was even finer than the one in the north . Po’shaiyanne

replied that if the ti’amoni wished the bracelet,he would exchange i t

for the house in the west. Then he was invi ted to be seated near the

ti’amon i,who placed between them a large bowl contai n ing si x 2-i nch

cubes , which were h ighly pol ished and painted on one s ide . The

ti’amoni said to Po’shaiyanne,“ Hold the bowl with each hand

,and

toss up the si x cubes. When three painted sides are up the game is

won ; with only two pain ted s ides up the game i s lost . Six painted

s ides up i s equ ivalent to a march in euchre .” Po’shaiyanne repl ied ,

“ You first,not I . You are the ti’amoni ; I am no one .

” “ No,”said the

ti'amoni,“ you play first 5

” but Po’shaiyanne refused , and the ti’amoni

tossed up the blocks . Only two painted sides were up ; Po’shaiyanne,

then taking the bowl,tossed the blocks

,and al l the painted sides

turned up . Again the ti’amoui tried h i s hand , and three painted sides

faced up ; then Po’shaiyanne threw and the si x pain ted sides were up .

The ti’amoni again threw, turn ing up two painted sides only ; then

Po’sha iyanne threw, wi th h is previous success . The ti

’amoni throw,

and again two pain ted s ides were up . Po’shaiyanne threw, and s ix

pain ted sides faced up as before , and so a secon d house went to him .

The ti’amoni said,“ We wil l go to our homes and sleep

,and return to

the ch i ta in the morn ing,after we have eaten .

”

The following morn ing Po’shaiyanne took h i s seat at the usual place,but the ti’iimoui said to h im :

“ Come and s i t among us ; you are now

more than an ordinary man for you have two houses that belonged to

the ti’éimoni,

” but Po’sha iyanne refused and proceeded to light thestick to pass around for the l i ghting of the cigarettes . When he ex

tended h i s hand to touch the st ick to the cigarettes i t was discovered

that he wore a most beautifu l bracelet,which was red

,but not coral .

The ti’iimoni again sen t an emissary to negotiate for the bracelet,offer

ing l’o ’shaiyanne h is house in the sou th in exchange for the red brace

let . Po ’shaiyiinne consen ted and agai n a game was played . Four ci r

cular sticks some 8 i nches long , with hol low ends , were stood in lineand a blanket th rown over them ; the ti

’iimoni then put a round pebble

into the end of one,and removing the blanket asked Po ’

shaiyéiunc to

choose the stick con tain ing the pebble . “ No,my father

,

” said Po ’

shaiyanne,“ you first. What am l that I should choose before you ? ”

but the ti’iimoni repl ied,“ I placed the stone ; I know where i t i s .

”

Then Po’sha iyii nne selected a s tick and raising i t the pebble was v is i

b le . Po’shaiyiinne then threw the blanket over the sticks and placed

the stone in one of them , after which the ti’amoni selected a stick and

raised i t,but no stone was vis ible. This was repeated four times . Each

62 THE SIA.

time the ti’amoni fail ed and Po’shaiyanne sm a ck and again the

house in the south went to Po’shaiyanne.

The next day when all had assembled in the ch ita and Po’shaiyanne

advanced to l ight the cigarettes a bracelet of rare black stone beads

was noticed on h is wrist . This made the ti’amoni’s heart beat withenvy and he determined to have the bracelet though he must part with

h is house in the east ; and he offered i t i n exchange for the bracelet,and Po’shaiyanne accepted the offer . The ti

’amoni then made four l ittle

mounds of sand and throwing a blanket over them placed in one a small ,round stone . Then rais ing the blanket he requested Po

’shaiyanne to

select the mound in which he had placed the stone. Po’shaiyanne said :“ My father

,what am I that I should choose before you ? The ti’amoni

replied,I placed the stone and know where i t is .” Then Po’shaiyanne

selected a mound,and the one of his selection contained the stone .

The placi ng of the stone was repeated four times,and each time the

ti’amoni fai led, and Posha iyanne was successful ; and the hearts of al lthe people were sad when they knew that th is house was gone

,but they

said noth ing,for they bel ieved their ti’amoni knew best. The ti’amoni

said : “ We wil l now go to our homes and sleep,and on the morrow,

when we have eaten,we wil l assemble here .”

In the m orn ing Po’shaiyanne took h is accustomed place, entering

after the others . U pon h is offering the l ighted sti ck for the cigarettesthe people were struck with amazement

,for on the wrist of Po’shai

yanne was another bracel et of turkis of marvelous beauty, and whenthe ti’amoni discovered i t h i s heart grew hungry for it and he sen t one

of his men to offer his house of the zeni th . Po’shaiyanne repli ed that

he would give the bracelet for the house. This house contained manyprecious th ings . The ti’amoni requested Po’shaiyanne to come and si t

by h im ; and they p layed the gameWash /kasi and,as before

,Pe’shai

yanne was successful and the house of the zeni th fell to him .

The followingmorn ing,when the people had assembled in the ch ita and

as Po’shaiyanne passed the stick to l ight the cigarettes, the ti’amoni

and a ll the people saw upon his wrist another bracelet of large whitebeads . They were not l ike the heart of a shel l , but white an d trans

lucen t. The ti’amoni could not resist the wish to have th is rare string

of beads,and he sent one of h is men to offer hi s house of the nadi r for

it. When Po'shaiy‘

anne agreed to the exchange,all the people were

sad,that the ti’amoni should part wi th h is house, but they said nothi ng

and the ti’amoni was too much pleased with the beautiful treasure to

be regretful . He had Po’shaiy'

anne come and sit by h im and again

play the game with the si x blocks in the large bowl . Thegame wasplayed wi th success on the part of Po’shaiyanne and he became the

owner of the si xth house.On the following day when all were gathered in the ch ita the ti’amoni

said to Po’shaiyanne : “ Come and s it with us ; surely you are nowequal with me

,and you are rich indeed

,for you have all my houses ,

”

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

64 THE SIA.

great mountain a wh ite deer. The deer was passing toward the south ,and he said to h imself, “ Why can not the Sia catch deer “! And looking to the west

,he saw a yel low antelope on the summit of a high

mountain . He,too

,was passing to the south

,and Po’shaiyanne said

to h imself,“ Why can they not catch antelope ?” And he l ooked to

the sou th,and saw on the great mountain of the south a sheep , which

was also passing to the south , and he looked to the east, and there, on

a high peak , he saw the buffalo, who was passmg to the south ; and

then,looking al l over the earth

,he saw that i t was covered with rab

bits,rats

,and all k inds of small an imals, and that the air was fil led

with birds of every description . Then, returning to the ti’amoni, he

said : “ My mother,my father, why do your children say they can catch

no game ? When I first looked to the mountain of the north I saw the

deer,and to the west I saw the antelope

,and to the south the menu

tain sheep,and to the east the buffalo, and the earth and air were fil led

with an imals an d birds .” The ti’amoni inquired how he could see al l

over the earth . He doubted Po’shaiyanne’s word . Then Po’shaiyanue

said : “ In four days I wi l l go and catch deer for you .

” “ Well,

”said

,the

ti’amoni,“ when you bring the deer I wil l believe . Unti l then I must

think,perhaps, you do not speak the truth .

”

For three days the men were busy making bows and arrows,and

during these days they observed a strict fast and practiced con tinency .

On the fourth morn ing at sunri se Po’shaiyanne, accompanied by Ma’a

sewe and Uyuuyewe, who came to the earth to greet Po’shaiyanne,

and the men of the vi llage, started on the hun t. They ate before leav

ing the vi llage, and after the meal Po’shaiyanne asked : “ Are you al l

r eady for the hunt ?” And they repl ied : “ Yes ; we are ready.

” Po’

sh aiyanne, Ma’asewe, and Uyuuyewe started in advance of the others,

and when some distance ahead Po’shaiyanne made a fire and sprink led

meal to the north,the west, the south , and the east, that the deer might

come to him over the roads of meal . He then made a circle of meal,

leaving an open ing through wh ich the game and hunters might pass,

and when th is was done al l of the men of the vil lage formed into a

group a short distance from Po’shaiy'

anne, who then played on h is

flute,and

,holding i t upward

,he played first to the north

,then west

,

then south,and then east. The deer came over the four roads to h im

and entered the great ci rcle of meal . M a’asewe and Uyuuyewe called

to al l the people to come and ki l l the deer . It was now before the

middle of the day . There were many deer in the circle, and as thepeople approached they said one to another : “ Perhaps the deer are

large ; perhaps they are smal l .”

(The deer found by the Sia i n th is world are qui te different from those

in the lower world . Those i n the lower world did not come to this

world ; they are call ed sits’ t

'

a-iie,water deer . These deer l ived in the

water,but they grazed over the moun tains . They were very large

,

with great antlers . The deer in this world are much smal ler and have

smaller antlers .)

sm s ssom MIRACL ES or THE SIA. 65

The circle was en tered at the southeast,Ma’asewe passing around the

circle to the left was followed by half of the people,Uyuuyewe passing

to the right around the circle, preceded the remai nder. As soon as they

had all entered Po’shaiyanne closed the open ing ; he d id not go into the

c ircle but stood by the en trance . The deer were gra dual ly gathered

into a close group and were then shot with arrows . When al l the deer

had been killed they were flayed , and the flesh and skins carried to the

vill age. As they passed from the circle Po’sh aiyanne said,

“ Now carry

your meat home . G i ve your largest deer to the ti’amoni and the smaller

ones to the people of your houses .” After the Sia had started for their

vi l lage Po ’shaiyanne destroyed the ci rcl e of meal and then returned

to the ti'amoni, who said :“ You, i ndeed, spoke the truth , for my people

have brought many deer, and I am much pleased . On the morrow we

will k i ll rabbits .” The ti’amoni i nformed the coyote of h is wi sh for the

rabbi ts,and in the morn i ng a large fire was made, and the coyote spoke

to the fire,sayin g : “ We desi re many rabbits but we do not wi sh to go

far .” He then threw meal to the cardinal po ints, zen ith , and nad ir,and prayed that the sun father would cause the smal l and large rabbits

to gather together that they might not have to go a great di stance to

find them , for as he, the father, wished , so i t would be, and Ma’asewe

and the coyote sat down wh i le the people gathered aroun d the fire and

passed their rabb it sticks through the flames . Then Ma’asewe directed

them to start on the hun t. They formed i nto an extensive ci rcle sur

round ing the rabbi ts, and a great number were secured : Some were

kil led by being struck immedi ately over thei r hearts . It was very late

when the people returned to the vi l lage laden wi th rabb its .The ti’amoni said : “ Day after to morrow we wil l have a feast .”

Po’shaiyanne agreeing, said : “ I t i s well , father .” Al l the women

worked hard for the feast. Half of the ir number worked for the ti’amoniand half for Po’shaiyanne. The ti’amoni going alone to the house ofPo ’

sha iyiinne, said :“ Listen : to morrow you will have the great feast

at your house .” Po'shaiyanne repl ied : No,father ; you are the e lder,

and you must have i t at your house .” The ti’amoni an swered : Very

well , my house is good and large ; I wil l h ave i t there .

”

In the morn ing, when the sun was sti l l n ew , the ti’amom had the

feast spread—bowls ofmush,bread

, and meat ; and he said to Po’sha i

yiinne, who was presen t : “ Father, i f you have food bring i t to myhouse and we will have our feast together.” Poishaiyiinne repl ied : “ It

is well , father and , to the aston ishment of all;Po’shaiyiinnc’s food immed iately appeared . I t was spread on tables ;

1 the bowls holding the

food being very beauti fu l , such as had never before been seen . The

ti’amoni told Ma’asewe to bid the people come to the feast ; and all , ia

cluding the most aged men and women and youngest ch i ldren,were

presen t. Upon entering the house they were surpri sed wi th the th ings

1 Th is re ference to tab les a ppea rs to ev idence the fa c t tha t th is portion of tho cosmogony is of laterdate. and the who le paragraph savers of a co loring from Christian or b i b l ic a l tea ch ing .

1 1 E 'l‘

H —5

66 THE SIA.

they saw on Po’shaiyanne’s table, and all who could went to h is table

in preference to sitting before the ti’amoni’s. Even the water upon

Po ’shaiyanne’s table was far better than that furn ished by the ti’amoni ;

and those who drank of thi s water and ate Po’shaiyanne’s food imme

diately became changed, their sk ins becoming whiter than before ; butall could not eat from Po’shaiyanne

’s board and many had to take the

b od of the ti’amoni,and they remained in appearance as before.

After this feast, Po’shaiyanne vis ited al l the pueblos and then passed

on to Chihuahua in Mex i co. Before Po’shaiyanne left the Sia , he sa id

to them :“ I leave you

,but another day I will return to you

,for th is

vil lage i s mine for al l time,and I wi l l return first to th is vil lage.” To

the ti’amoni he said : “ Father,you are a ti’amoni

,and I also am one ; we

are as brothers . All the people,the men

,the women

,and the chi ldren

are mine, and th ey are yours ; and I wi ll return to them again . Watch

for me. I wil l return and he added,“ In a short time another people

wi l l come ; but before that time, such time as you may choose, I wi sh

you to leave th is v ill age,for my heart is here and i t i s not wel l for an

other people to come here ; therefore depart from th is vi llage before

they come near.”

Upon entering the plaza in Chihuahua Po’shaiyanne met the greatch ief

,who invited him to h is home

,where he became acquainted with

his daughter. She was very beautiful, and Po’shaiyanne told the

chief that he was much pleased with h is daughter and w i shed to make

her his wife. The chief repl ied : “ If you des ire to marry my daughter

and she wishes to marry you,i t i s wel l .” Upon the father question ing

the daughter the girl repl ied i n the aflirmative. Then the father andmother talked much to the daughter and said : To-morrow you wi l l

be married.

” The ch ief sent one of his official s to let i t be known to all

the people that Po’shaiyanne and h is daughter were to be uni ted in mar

riage i n the morn ing, and many assembled , and there was a great feast

in the house of the ch ief. Many men were pleased wi th the ch ief’sdaughter

,and looked with envy upon Po’shaiy

'

anne ; and they talked

together of k ill ing him,and finally warriors came to the house of

Po’shaiyanne and carried h im off to their camp and pierced hi s heart

wi th a spear,and h is enemies were conten ted

,but the wife and her

father were sad . The day after Po’shaiyanne’s death he returned to

h is wife’s home,and when he was seen alive those who had tried to

destroy h im were not on ly angry but much alarmed ; and again he was

captured,and they bound gold and si lver to h is feet, that after casting

him into the lake h i s body should not r ise ; but a wh ite fluffy feather

of the eagle fel l to him,and as be touched the feather the feather rose,

and Po ’shaiyanne with i t, and he l ived again , and he still l ives, and some

time he will come to us. So say the S ia . Po’shaiyanne’s name is held

i n the greatest reverence ; i n fact, he i s regarded as their culture hero‘

,

1 The cu l ture hero of the Sia bears a name s im il ar to that of the corresponding prodigy among theZuni . The same is true of other of the ir mytho log ica l be ings .

srsvsssosJ MYTHOL OGY . 67

and he i s appealed to in daily prayers, and the people have no doubt of

hi s return . They say : “ He may come to-day, to morrow , or perhaps

not in our l ifetime .”

Soon after Po’shaiyanne’s departure from Sia the ti’amoni decided

to leave his present v i l lage, though i t pained him much to give up h is

beauti ful house . And they moved and buil t the presen t pueblo Of Sia ,which vi l lage was very extens i ve . The ti’amoni had first a square Of

stone laid,which i s to be seen at the present day

,emb lema tic of the

heart of the vi l lage (for a heart must be, before a th ing can exi st).After the build ing Of th is vi l lage the aged ti’amoni con tinued to live

many years,and at h i s death he was buried in the ground

,i n a reclin ing

posi tion . His head was covered with raw cotton , with an eagle plume

attached ; hi s face was pai nted with corn pol len , and cotton was placed

at the soles Of hi s feet an d lai d over the heart. A bowl of food was

deposited in the grave, an d many ha’chamoni were plan ted over the

road to the north,the one wh ich i s traveled after death . A bowl of

food was al so placed on the read. A ll n ight they sang and prayed iuthe house of the departed ti’amoni, and early i n the morn ing al l those

who sung were bathed in suds Of yucca made Of cold water .

There are two rudely carved stone an imals at the ruined vi l lage sup

posed to have been vis ited by Po’shaiyanne. These the Sia alwaysspeak Of as the cougar , but they say, In real ity they are not the

cougar, but the lynx, for the cougar remained at the wh ite-house in the

north .

”

This cosmogony exhib its a chapter of th e Sia phi losophy,and though

th is ph ilosophy i s fraught wi th absurdi ties and contradicti on s,as i s

the case with al l aboriginal reason ing, i t scintil lates with poetic con

ceptions . They continue :“ The hour is too solemn for spoken words ; a new l ife i s to be given

to us .”

Theirs i s not a rel ig ion mainly Of propi tiation,but rather of suppl i

cation for favors and paymen t for the same,and to do the wil l of and

thereby please the be ings to whom they pray. I t i s the paramount occupation Of their l i fe ; all other desirable things come th rough i ts

practice . I t i s the foundation Of thei r moral and social laws . Ch i ldren

are taught from infancy that i n order to please the pantheon of their

myth i cal beings they must speak wi th one tongue as straight as the

l ine Of prayer over which these bein gs pass to enter the images of

themselves .I t wil l be understood from the cosmogony that the S ia did not derive

their clan names from an ima l ancestors, nor do they bel ieve that thei r

people evolved from an imals,other than the S ia themselves . The

Zuni hold a. simi lar bel ief. The Zufii’s reference to the tortoi se and

other animals as ancestors i s explained in the “ Rel igious Li fe of the

Zuni Ch ild .

”1

I am Of Opin ion that cl oser investigation Of the North American In

F i fth A nn. ltept. Bu . Eth ., pp . 530-653.

68 THE SIA.

dian will reveal that the bel i ef i n the descent of a people from beasts,

plan ts, or heavenly bodies is not common , though thei r mythological

heroes were frequen tly the offspring of the un ion of some mortal w ith the

sun or other object Of reverence . There is no mystery in such un ions inthe ph i losophy Of the Indian

,for

,as not only animate but inan i h ate objects

and the elements are endowed with personal i ty,such beings are not

only brothers to one another,but hold the same kin sh ip to the Sia , from

the fact,according to their ph i losophy

,that all are l iving beings and

,

therefore,all are brothers . Thi s is as clearly defined in the Indian mind

as our recogn ition of the Afri can as a brother man .

The Spider i s an important actor in Sia, Zufii, and Tusayan mythology.

Sia cosmogony tel ls us the Spider was the primus,the creator of al l .

S ii s’sistinnako i s referred to as a man,or,more properly

,a being pos

sessing all power ; and as Sfis’sistinnako created first man and then

other beings to serve h is first creation,these beings

,al though endowed

with attributes superior to man i n order to serve h im,can hardly be

termed gods,but rather agen ts to execute the wil l Of Sfi s’sistinnako

in serving the people Of his first creation .

Sfi s’sistinnako must be suppl icated through the mediator Utsét,who i s present at such times i n the fetich I’arriko. K o

’shairi and

Quer’ranna appear for the sun and moon . The war heroes and the

warriors of the six mountains of the world,the women Of the card inal

points,and an imals, i n sects, and birds holding the secrets of medi ci ne,

are present, when invoked, i n images of themselves . The Sia can not

be said to practice ancestor worsh ip . While the road to Sh ipapo (en

trance to the lower world)i s crowded with Spi rits of peoples returning

to the lower world,and sp irits Of unborn infants coming from the lower

world,the Sia do not bel ieve in the return Of ancestors when once they

have entered Shipapo . While many Of the kokko (personated by per

sons wearing masks)are the immediate ancestors of the Zuni , theKa" suna of the Sia

,also personated by men and women wearing masks

,

are al together a di stinct creation,and can not be considered to bear

any relation to ancestor worsh ip .

The Sia,h owever

,have someth i ng as appall in g to them as the return

Of the dead,i n their bel ief i n witchcraft

,those possessi ng thi s craft

being abl e to assum e the form of dogs and other beasts ; and they are

ever on the a lert when travel ing about on dark nigh ts, especially i f thetraveler i s a man Of wealth , as witches are always env ious of the finan~

cial success Of others . They create disease by casting into the bodysnakes

,worms

,stones

,bits of fabric

,etc. Hair must be burned that

i t may not be found by w izards or wi tch es , who, combin ing i t with

other th ings,would cast i t i n to the person from whose head i t was cut,

causing il l ness and perhaps death . There i s, however, a panacea for

such affl ictions i n the esoteric power Of the theurgists of the secret cult

societies . A man was rel ieved of pain in the chest by a snake being

drawn from the body by an eminent theurgist during the stay of the

sm ss sox i CU LT SOCIETIES . 69

wri ter at Sia . Such i s the effect Of fai th cure in Sia that,though the man

was actually suffering from a severe cold,his improvement dated from

the hour the snake was supposed to h ave been extracted .

“

CU L T S O C IET IE S .

Ut’sct, being directed in al l th ings by Sfis’sistiunako

,originated the

cu lt societies of the lower world , givi ng to certain of them the secrets

for the heal ing of the S ick .

The societies are mentioned in thei r l in e of succession , most of them

having been named for the animal s Of wh ich they were composed .

The first society organ i zed was the Ka’pina,wh ich i ncluded on ly

the spider people,i ts ho’-na -ai-te

,

l or theurgist,being S iis’sistinnako

himsel f ; and as the members Of th i s society were directly associated

wi th Sfis’sistinnako, they knew his medici ne secrets .

Then followed the societies of the bear, cougar, badger, wolf, and

sh rew (Sorer).

The h is’tian 2

(knife)was composed Of the cougar and the bear, these

two societ ies being consol idated . Sfi s’sistinnako finding that the bear

was always d issati sfied and inclined to growl and run from the peoplewhen they approached

,decided to make the cougar first and the bear

second,giving as h i s reason that when the people drew near the cougar

he sat sti l l and looked at them ; he neither growled nor ran , and the

people were not afraid ; he commanded thei r respect, but not thei r fear,and for th i s reason Sfis’sistinnako un ited these societies that the bear

migh t be second,and under the direction of the cougar.

The next si x societies organ i zed were the snakes, composed of the

snakes of the cardina l poin ts,the snake of the north being Ska ’towe

(Plumed Serpen t), the west K a’spanna , the south K o

’

qua ira , the east

Quis’sera , the heaven s Ha

’wuka,the earth Y a ’

ai. The Ska ’towe (Ser

pent Of the North)and Ko’

quaira (Serpen t Of the South)having special

influence over the cloud people,have their bod ies marked with cloud

emblems ; the K a’spanna (Serpen t Of the l i

r

est)and the Quis’séra (Ser

pent Of the East)hold esoteric relation s with the sun and moon ; hence

thei r bodies are pain ted with the crescent . Hu’waka (Serpent Of the

l ieavens)has a body like crystal , and it i s so bril l ian t that one’s eyes

can not rest upon him ; he is very closely al lied to the sun . The Ya ’a i

(Serpen t Of the Earth)has special relation s wi th Ha’arts (the earth).

His body i s Spotted over l ike the earth,and he passes about over

Ha’arts unti l someone approaches, when he hastens in to h is house in

the earth .

The seven an t societies fol lowed the sn akes . The five an ima l soci

eties . the six snake soc ieties, the fi rst three an t societies,and the

Pres id i ng o ilic c r of u c u l t soc ie ty .

2 Th is soc iety dill‘ered from the one Of the same name a fterwards organ i z ed in the u pper worldkn i fe in the lormer re ferring to the imp lement u sed for domes t ic and other purposes

,wh i le the word

in the la tter indicate s the arrows presente dto Ma'asewe and U '

yuuycwe. the two war heroes. sons of

the sun. by their fa ther.

70 THE SIA.

society of the eagle were given the secrets of the medicin e for heal ingthes ick

,through the process of sucking, the an t alone receiving the

secret of the medicine by brush ing ; the last four societies of ants werein structed i n the songs for rain only. The reason given for th is d i

vi s ion i s that only the first three ants produced irri tation or swell i ng

from their bites,the last four being peaceable ants. (Fig.

The next six societies were those of the birds of the cardinal poi nts,zenith and nadir .—The Ha

’-te—e

,Bird of the North ; Shas

’-to, Bird of

the West ; Ma’-

pe-nu

,Bird of the South ; Shu-wa -kai'

,Bird of the East ;

Tia’mi,B i rd of the Heaven s (the eagle); Chas

’-ka

,Bird of the Earth

(chaparral cock). While these six societies were instructed i n the

songs for rain,the eagle alone learned the medicine songs . It wil l be

noticed that only such an imal s as were regarded as virulent were given

the secrets of the medicin e for heal ing the si ck . All of th e animals of

the world were subordi nate to the an imal societies ; all of the snakes

of the world were submi ss ive to the six snake societies ; all the ants

and other insects were subject to the seven ant societies,and all the

birds of the world to the si x bird societies .The next society organ ized was the Ha'kan

,fire. S ii s'sistinnako,

desiring to have fire that thei r food migh t be cooked,placed a round

fiat stone on the floor and attached a smal l sharpened stone to one end

of a slender round stick ; he then cal led together the ho’naaites of the

cult societies, and the priestly rulers of the S ia and other Indians, requesting each one in proper succession to produce fire by r ubbing the

circular stick between the hands upon the round fiat stone. As each

one attempted to make the fire,a blanket was thrown over him and the

stone that he might work in perfect seclusion . A ll fail ing in their

efforts (th i s work being performed in the daytime) Sfis'sistinnako

dismissed them. He then passed through three chambers, carryi ng

the fire stone with h im,and entering the fourth sat down and thought

a long wh ile and after a time he attempted to make the fire and was

successful . Sfis’sistinnako then call ed i n Ot’set and her principalofficer (a man of the Sia people), and handing her an ign ited fire brand

of cedar told her to light a fire,and thi s fire burned four days and nights .

flt’set,obeyi ng the command of Sfi s

’sistinnako, requested her offi cer

to place a ho’naaite of a snake society at the first door,the ho’

naaite of

the H is’tian and h is vice (the cougar and a bear)at the second and thirddoors, and to guard the inner door himself, that no one might enter and

see the fire . On the fifth day all the people di scovered the smoke, whi ch

escaped from the chamber,and they wondered what i t could be, for as

yet they did not know fire . On the sixth morn ing Sus’sistinnako saidto the officer of Ot’set

,“ I wil l now organi ze a fire society and I appoin t

you the ho’naaite of the society .

” On thi s same morning the ho’naaitesof the cult societies and the priestly rulers of the Indians were called to

the chamber to see the fire and to understand i t. Then the ho’naaiteof the fire society carried some of the fire to the house of the ruler ofthe S ia .

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THE BIA.

swan } asme M e waw given the secrets of the medicine for hea li nga t aims , th rough the pamess of sucking, the ant alon e rece ivi ng thewow it th e mmiieme by brush ing ; the last four soc ieti es of ants wereu w 1 am } in the songs for rain Only. The reason given for this discam in tha t only the first three an ts produced irri tation or swell ing

9'

M N t he i r bi tes, the last four being peam ab le ants . (Fig .

‘

l ‘34 next six societies were those of the biids of the ca rdina l po i nts,smith and i

‘

iad ir.—The Ha

l-te e. B i rd of the North ; Sha s

'-to , Bird of

th e West ; Ma’-

pe-nu, Bird of the N inth ; Sbu wa ka i

"

, Bi rd of the East ;Tia‘ini, Bird of the Heavens (the eagle); Chew-ks

,Bird of the Earth

(chaparral cock). While thes e s ix societies were in structed in\

the

so ngs for rain,the ea g le alone lea rne d the med ic ine songs . It will be

noticed that onl y such an ima l s as we re regarded as virulen t were given

the secrets of th e medicinefor hea l ing the sick . A ll of the an imal s ofthe world were subordin ate to the an imal societies ; all of the snakes

of the world were submissive to the six Snake societies ; all the an tsand other insects were subject to the seven ant ‘ societies

,and all the

birds of the.world to the six bird societies.The n e xt organ ized was the Ha’kan

,fire. Sfi s’sistinnako,

desi ri ng to ha ve fire that thei r food might be cooked,placed a round

flat "mini-t m [ li é ' floor and attached a small sharpen ed stone to one endof r it a nit stick ; he then called together the ho

’uaaites of the

eu‘t s. » z N 3 w! the wiesrly rulers of the Sia and other Indians, re

d from m us s. prune : surressien to pro duce fire by rubbing the

um c 94am dais tsw . bla nks rw as thmwn over him and the

m e its u gh"

. mom a . perfe c

t N y mszen . All fa ding in their

attes t 5. being penr ee d ii; the (l a yman !) Sfis

'nis tiuh ako

{Il b t’ufi ‘ a 5 In it » the » in » : a s th rough three chambers, carrying

the a: v in. as him. as l {fl h fibf'lflg the fourth sa t down and thought

a long a ti de . a nd after a tune he a ttempted to make the fire and was

success lni. Sus ‘s isrinnako then call ed in fit’sét and her principal

officer (a man o f“ the Sia people), and handing her an ign ited fire brand

If ced ar a dd her to l ight a fire, and this fire burned four days and nights .

obe y ing the command of Sfi s’si

‘

stinnako, requested her officer0 place a Iii / naa ite of a snake society at the first door

,the ho’naaite of

“

na Il ls’tian a nd his vice (the cougarand a bear)at the second and thirdours, and to

,

guard the in ner doorhimself, t hat no one migh t enter andth e fi re . On the fifth day all the people d iscovered the smoke,wh ich

a . a a t : from the chamber,and they wondered wha t it could b e, for as

did not know fire . On the sixth morning S fis'sl‘

stinnako saidwem of Ut’set

,“ I wil l now organiz e a fire soc iety and i appoint

a c w‘

naa itc of the soc iety.

” On thi s samemorning the ho‘nzmitc s

an» ts ties and the priestly rulers of the l udlam We re ca lled to‘w to see the ti re and to undersh irt-d it. Time the ho’

naa ite

i . i mu wtv carried some of the tire to ( in butwe of the ruler of

srsvm son.) THE CUL T SOCIETIES. 71

K o’shairi received d irectly from the sun valuable medicine for rain

,

and so the songs of the Ko’shairi are principally invocations for rain

to fructi fy the earth .

Quer’ranna’s ofiice i s s imi lar to that of the K o

’shairi

,though his

dress is d ifferent,a s he comes from the house of the moon and not the

sun . Besides the songs for rain the sun gave him the secret of the

med icine , which wou ld not on ly make ba’arts but women pregnant .

After the Sia,an imals and Ka ’tsuna entered this world , they being

led by the mother fi t’set, the Ka" sun a were d irected by Ut’sét to go

to the west an d there make thei r homes . Before their departure,how

ever,masks were made to represent them . Ut’set sent Ko’shairi and

Quer’ranna to the east

,tell ing the former to make h i s home near the

house of the sun and the latter to make h is house a l ittle to the north

of the sun’s . I t wil l be remembered that Shs’sistinnako sen t the sun to

th is world before the adven t of the S ia . Ko’shairi performs not only

the offi ce of courier between the sun and Ka" suna , but i s al so medi

ator between the Sia and the sun . (See P ] . X .)Upon the departure of Ko’

shairi and Quer’r

'

anna, Ct’sét organi zed

two orders bearin g their names,to wait upon the personators of the

K a" snna whenever they should appear . The representatives of K o

shai ’r i and Quer’ranna are supposed to be the exact reproduction s of

the originals . The body of Ko’sha iri i s pain ted white and striped in

black ; that of Quer’ranna i s half yel low and half white, dotted wi th

blac k crescents . Thus we see stripes and particolors as indicative ofthe harlequin is of prehi storic origin . The hair of K o

’sha iri is brought

to the fron t and tied with painted black and white corn husks . The

breech cloth i s black cotton (Pl . X A). Quer’ranna’s hai r is brought

forward and tied to stand erect (Pl . x B).Wh enever the Ka" suna appear i n Sia they are attended by the

Ko’sha iri and Qucr

’riinna , they waiting upon the Ka" suna , adjusting

any of their wearing apparel which becomes disarranged , etc . They

also play the fool , thei r bufi’

oonery causing great merriment among

the spectators .After ridd ing the world of the destroyers of the people, Ma

’asewe

said 1 0 the ti’iimoni of Sia (the Sia were sti l l l iving at the white house),“ Now that l have k illed the bad people of the world i t i s well to

organ ize societies simi lar to those in stituted by Ut’sét i n the lower

world,and learn from the an imal s the secrets of medicine .

" I t must

be understood that al l the an imal s were not bad.

The first society originated by Ma'asewe was the His ’tiiiu or Kn i fe .

This society being first. because i t was th rough the power of the kn ives

or arrows given to the boys by the sun father that th e enemies were

destroyed ; IIIs’tiiin

,in th is case

,mean ing the kn i fe or arrow of l ight

n i n g.

The next society ori ginated was that of the cougar , then followed thesocieties of the bear, the skoyo (giant), the snake , and the a nt. The

72 THE sm.

ho’naaite of each society was furni shed with medicine by the two warriors

,th i s medicine being bits of the hearts of the enemies destroyed ;

a portion of each heart being given to each ho’naa ite.

Ma’asewe then organized the Ope Society (Warriors), designat ing

himself as the ho’naaite l of the society and his brother as its vicar .

He then appointed si x men members of the society, to reside for all

time in the si x high mountains of the world, that they might look from

the six cardinal points and discover bad people, and inform the Sia of

an approaching enemy. These si x men, in conjunction wi th Ma’asewe

and U ’

yuuyewe, guide the arrows of the Sia when contending wi th the

enemy. It will be remembered it was stated in the Sia Cosmogony”

th at Ma’asewe and U ’

yuuyewe went to reside in the interior of the

Sandia mountain.

When these societies had been formed,the an imal societies assembled

at the white house and taught the ho’naaites their medicine songs ;

previous to th is,when the Sia were il l , they received their medic ine

d irect from the an imals , the an imals ofii ciating and singing. After instructing the Sia in their songs, they tol d them to make stone images

of themselves,that passing over the road of meal they m ight enter

these images ; and so the Indians are sure of the presence of the animals. The beings pass over the line of meal, entering the fetiches,where they remain unti l the close of a ceremon ial , and then depart over

the l ine.The secret of the fire was not brought to this world

,and the fire so

c iety was originated here in thi s way. The people grew tired of feed

ing about on grass, like the deer and other animals, and they consulted

together as to how fire m ight be obtained . It was final ly decided bythe ti’amoni that a coyote was the best person to steal the fire from the

world below,and be di spatched amessenger for the coyote. Uponmak

ing his appearance the ti’amoni told of the wi sh of himself and his peo

ple for fire,and that he wan ted him to return to the world below and

bring the fire, and the coyote repl ied,“ It is well

,father ; I wi l l go.”

Upon reaching the first entrance of th e house of Sfi s’sistinnako (i t wasthe mi ddle of the n ight), the coyote found the snake who guarded thedoor asleep, and he qui ckly and quietly sl ipped by ; the cougar whoguarded the second door was also asl eep

,and the bear who guarded the

third door was sleeping. Upon reach ing the fourth door he found the

ho’naaite of the fire asleep , and, sl ipping through, he entered the room

and found Shs’sistinnako also soundly sleeping ; he hastened to the

1The ho ’naa ite, in this instance. is not, stric tly speaking, the theurgist, for the priest-doctor of the

soc iety of warriors practices surgery exc lusively, such as ex tracting bal ls and arrows, while thetheurgist has to deal with afflictions caused by witchcraft and the anger of certain anima ls and in

sects , be acting simp ly as the agent of the prey anima ls . The functions of the ho'naaites of the

K oshai'ri and Quer'rii nna a lsodiffer from those of the other soc ieties . As these two societies received

their songs and medicine directly from the sun, they are not entitled to the s lat a l tars used in ceremonia ls and given by Ut'sét to the societi es in the lower world ; only those ho'naa ites who prac ticethrough the power of the prey anima ls possess the sand paintings . The Warriors, K oshai‘ri and

Quer'riinna , make their c loud emb lems of mea l .

su m -son.) THEURGIS

’

I‘

IC R ITES . 73

fire, and, l ighting the cedar brand which was attached to his tail , hur~

ried out. Sfi s’sistinnako awoke, rubb ing his eyes , just in t ime to be con

scious that some onewas leaving the room .

“ Who i s there ?” he cried ;some one has been here,

” but before he could arouse those who

guarded the entrance the coyote was far on his way to the upper world .

A fter the organi

zation of the cul t societies the ti’amoni , influenced by

Ut’sét, commanded the cougar to make his home . for all t ime in the

north ; the bear was likewise sent to the west, the badger to the south ,the wolf to the east, the eagle to the heavens, and the shrew to the

earth.

THEU RGl ST IC R ITES .

It i s onl y upon acquaintance wi th the secret cu lt societies that onemay glean someth ing of th e Indian s’ conception of disease, i ts cause

and cure . It i s supposed to be produced almost wholly through one or

two agencies—the occ ul t powers ofwizards and wi tches,and the anger

of certain animals,often insects . Therefore

,though some plant medi

cines are known to these Indians,thei r materia medica may be said to

be purely fetichi stic ; for when anything of a medicinal character i s

used by the theurgist i t must be supplemented with fetich medicine

and magica l craft .

Wh ile there are thirteen secret cul t societies wi th the Zufii,there are

but eight in Sia,some of these being reduced to a membership of two,

and in one instance to one. Wh i l e the Zuni and S ia each has i tssociety of warriors, the functions of these societies are somewhat different.

The cul t societies of the Sia,as wel l as those of Zuni

,have thei r

altars and sand paintings ; butwhi le each Zuni altar, wi th i ts medicines

and fetiches , i s guarded during ceremoni als by two members of the

Society of Warriors , th is ent i tl ing the members of this society to be

present at the meetings of all the cult societ ies,the Sia have no such

customs . Their a l tars and fetiches are not protected by others thanthe theurgi sts and fl ee-theurgists of thei r respective societies . At the

present time, owing to the depleted numbers of the Society of Warriorsof th e Zuni, some of thei r al tars have but one guardian.

The Society of Warriors has for its di rector and vicar,l ike the Zuni

and the other pueblos , the representatives of the mythologic warheroes

,who, though small in stature , are invulnerable . “ Their hearts

l l‘

C large, for they have the heart of the sun .

” The head or d irector of

t society is termed the e lder brother the vicar, younger brother .When the cul t societies invoke the cloud people to water the earth ,the presence o f certa in anth ropomorph ic and zoomo rph ic beings hayi ngpotent influence over the cloud people is assured by the drawing of aline of meal from the altar to the entrance of the ceremon ial chamber,

74 THE SIA .

over which these beings pass, temporarily abiding in the stone images

of themselves which stand before the al tar. These beings are exhorted

to use their mysti c powers wi th the cloud people to water the mother

earth , that she may become pregnant and bear to the people ofBa’arts

(the earth)the fruits of her being.

In order to obtain their services the Sia compensate them. The

ha’chamoni (notched stick), which is depos ited to convey the message,invariably has plumes attached to it

,these p lume offerings being actual

compensation for that wh ich i s desi red . Other offerings are made,

among which are gaming blocks,hoops for the cloud people to ride

upon,and cigarettes filled wi th the down of humming birds , corn pollen,

and bits of precious beads . (See Plate x 1).Eagles are kept caged

,and turkeys are domesticated for the purpose

of obtain ing plumes for these offerings .I t is the prerogative of the ti’amoni to specify the time for the

meetings of the cult societies,excepting ceremonials for the heal ing of

the sick by the request of the patient or his friend . These meetings

being entirely under the j uri sdiction of the theurgist,who does not

possess wi thin h imself the power of heal ing,he i s simply the agent

acting under the influence of those beings who are present in the stone

images .

The gal a time i s the beginning of the new year in December,when

the cult societies hold syn chronal ceremon ials extending through a

period of four days and n ights,at which time the fetich medicines are

prepared ; and those possessing real or imaginary disease gather in

the chamber of the society of wh ich they are members,when the the

urgists and their followers elaborate thei r practices of mysticism upontheir subj ects.

The cul t societies have two ways of retaining their complement ofmembers. An adul t or chi ld j oins a society after being restored to

health‘

by a theurgist, and a parent may enter a ch il d into a society, or

a boy or girl having arrived at years of discretion, may declare a des ire to join a society.

In the case of a young ch ild the paternal or maternal parent call s

upon the theurgi st and, making known his wi sh , presents him wi th a

handful of shel l mi xture,

‘ saying,“ I wi sh my child to become a mem

ber of your society that his mind and heart may be strong.

” In the

case of an elder boy or girl the clan is first notified, and the appl icant

then cal ls upon the theurgist and, presenting him a handful of the

shell m ixture,makes known his wish .

Most of the societies are divided into two or more orders , the moreimportan t order

,

being that in which the members are endowed wi th

the anagogics ofmedicine, except in the Snake Society,when the snake

l The sac red mea l , or shel l mix ture as it is often ca l led by the Sia , may be prepared by an adult ofeither sex ; it is composed of coarsely ground mea l , powdered she l ls. and turkis .

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THE SIA.

over which these beings pass , temporarily abiding in the stone imagesof themselveswh ich stand before the al ta r. These beings are exhortedto use the ir mystic powers with the cloud people to water the motherearth

,that she may become pregnant and bear to the people of Ha’arts

(the earth)the fruits of her being.

In order to obtain their service s the Sia compensate them . The

ha ’chamoni (notched stick), which is deposited to convey the message.

invariably has plumes attached to i t. these plume otterings being actual

compensation for that which is desi red . O ther offerings are ma de,among which are gaming blocks, beeps for the cloud people to

.

ride

upon, and cigarettes fil led wi th the down of hummmg bi rds , corn pol len,and bi ts of precious bead s . (See Plate K I).

Eagles are kept caged . and turkeys MN . domest icated for the purpose

of obtain ing plumes for these ofl'

erings .

It is the prerogative of the ti'i‘

tmnni to specify the time for the

meetings of the cu lt societies, excepting ceremonials for the healing ofthe sick by the request . of the patient or his friend . These meetingsbeing entirely under the jur isdiction of the theurgist, who do es not

possess within himself the power of heal ing, he is s imply the agentacting under the influence of those beings who are present in the stone

image i.

Th e gala time is the beginn ing of the new year in December, when

the cult soc ie ties hold synchrona l ceremon ials extending th rough a

perio dof four days and nights,at which time the fetich medicines are

prepared ; and those possessing real or imfisginary disease gather in

the chamber of the society of which tloer are members . when the the

urg ists and their fol lowers elabora ti term-tuwe t ewstir ifl n mam

thei r eulneets.

The cult soc ieties have two wa y s at re tin a)“ 1 i ts i'

.e. at. im ient o f

mus-

r isers. A n adalt or ch i ld M U N a soc ie ty a fter ivemg re s to red to

hea lth i v a theu rgist , and a parent may ente r a c h i ld mma society, ora boy or g i rl having arrived at years of discretion . may dec lare a des ire in win a society .

In the ease of a young ch ild the pa ternal or maternal parent call supon the theurgist and

,mak ing known hi s wish, presents him with a

handfni o f shell mi xture,‘ saying

,“ I wi sh my child to become a

-mem »

ber of your soc i ety that h is m ind and heart may be strong.

” In the

case of a n elder boy or g irl the clan is first notified and the appl icantthen ca t s up on the theurgi st and, presenting him a handful of the

she ll rm aw ma kes known hi s wish .

Most r ; em soci eties are divided into two or more orders , the mor e

impor tant a being that in which the members are endowe d wi th

the anagogw o f medicine,except in the Snake Society , when the snake

~d nu a‘

‘J 1 n ixture as it is often ca l led by the Sin, may be prepa re d .m w'u l l ofis ovum a

‘ amrsely ground mea l , powdered she l ls. and Nu t i s

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76 THE SIA.

RAIN CEREMON IAL OF THE SNAKE SOCIETY .

The morning was spent by the ho’naaite (theurgist)and his v icarin the preparation of ha’chamoni 1 and p l ume offerings . The ha’cha

moni are symbol ic of the beings to whom they are offered,the mes

sages or prayers being conveyed through the notches upon the sticks .These symbols frequently have her’rotuma (more slender sticks rep

resenting the ofii cial staff)bound to them with threads of yucca ; P ls.

X I and XI I show an incomp lete set of ha ’chamoni before the p lume

offerings are appended,which the. Snake Society deposits when rain

is desired ; Pl . X I I I , specimens of ha’chamoni w i th p l ume offerings

attached ,

About 4 o’clock p . m . the ho’naaite and his younger brother were

j oined by the th ird member of the society, when the ho’naaite began the

sand painting ,2 the first one being laid immediately before the a’tchin

(slat altar), which had been erected earl ier i n the day, and the second infront of the former (Pl . XIV).

U pon the comp letion of the paintings the ho’naaite deposited several

long buckski n sacks upon the floor and the three proceeded to remove

such articles as were to be p laced before the al tar . There were six

ya’ya,four of these being the property of the ho’naaite, _

two hav ing

come to h im through the Snake Society,and two through the Sp ider

,

he being also ho’naaite of the Sp ider Society,the others belonging to

the Vice ho’naaite and th ird member of the Snake Society .

The ya ’ya are most carefull y preserved,not on ly on account of their

sacred value, but also of their'

intrinsic worth , as the parrot p lumes of

which they are partial ly composed are very costly and difficult to ohtain

,they being procured from other Indians, who ei ther make journeys

into Mexico and trade for these plumes w ith the Indians of that country,or the Indians on the border secure them and

‘

bring them for traffic

among their more northern brothers .

The ya’ya are wrapped firstWi th a p iece of soft cloth,then w ith buck

skin,and final ly with another cloth ; slender Sp l int-s are placed around

th i s outer covering and a long buckskin string secures the packages.

After unwrapp ing the ya’ya the ho’naaite proceeds to arrange the

fetiches . Three of the ya’ya are pl aced immediately in front of thealtar upon a paralellogram of meal , which is always drawn at the baseof the al tars, and i s emblematic of seats for the ya

’ya . A n image,8

1 A member of a soc iety is selec ted by the ho'naa ite to collec t the w i llow tw igs from wh ich theha ’chamoni are made . The ho'naaite arranges a bunch of b ird pl umes wh ich the collec tor a ttaches tothe l imb of a wi ll ow , say ing : “ I have come to collec t twi gs for ha’chamoni and I pay you w i th thesep l umes . The tree to wh ich the plumes are a ttac hed is not touched , bu t the one nearest to i t . A

stroke at the p lace where the tw ig is to be cut is made w ith an anc ien t stone knife and the tw ig issevered from the tree on a l ine at right angles w ith itself. the stick vary ing from four i nches to a footin length , according to the symmetry of the tw i g, wh ich is d iv ided by three cu ts ( these hav ing firstbeen ind icated by the s tone knife), leav ing the selected portion w i th a poin ted end wh ich i n crosssec tion would show an equ i latera l triangle.

”The Sia do not d iffer from the Zuni , Tusayan , and Navaj o in their process of prepa ring sand pa in tings, the powdered p igmen t being sprinkled between the index finger and thumb . A ll these Ind ianartists work rap idly .

reamof Eihno logy.

EleventhAnnua l Repon . P4

M Oh m mm:

W ~ CHA - M O - N . arrest. um mn vm s s in un even

THE SIA.

RAIN CEREMON IAL OF THE SNAKE SOCIET Y .

The (morn ing was sp ent by the ho’naaite (theurgi st)and his vicar

i n the {w a is t-ion of h‘

a’chamm i' and p lume ofierings. The hii

’cha1mm are symbol ic of the beings to whom they are offere d

, the mes

sage s or prayers being conveyed through the notches upon the sticks.l i ne-re symbols frequent ly have her’rotuma (more slender sticks representing the ofl‘lcial stafl

‘

)bound to them with threads of yucca ; Pls.

xx and x 1 1 show an iiw napleue set of haf’chamoni before the plumeo li

'

erings are appende d, whéuh the Snake Society deposits when raini s desired ; 1PI.

“

3 13 1 , specimens at hii’

chamoni with p lume offeringsa ttached .

About 4 o’clo ck p 11 1 the ho'nanite and his younger brother were

joined by the this( 1 memnei of the society. when the ho’naaite began the

sand painting,2 the first cue being laid immediately before the it" chin

(slat altar), which had beer erected earl ier inthe day and the second 111front oi the formerr (Pl. XIV,Upon the completion of the paintings the ho’naaite deposited several

long buckskin sacks upon the floor and the three proceeded to remove

such articles as were to be pa ced before the altar . There were six

va’ya. four of these being the property of the ho’naaite, two havingcome to him through the Snake Society, and two through the Sp ider ,he be ing also ho’naaite of the Sp i ler Society

,the others belonging to

the vice ho’uaa ite and th ird member' of the Snake Society .

The ya‘ya are most. carefull y prese rved, not only on account of their

em'

red value, but als o of thei r intrins. worth . as the parrot p lumes ofn hinh th ey a i e per itial y (mnniosed ar verr mrl tly a nd diflicult to ob21 1m . the y being pI

‘

UOUTC‘d from othei 1 11 1 , who eitln 'z make j ou rn eys

mmMex ico and tra de for these plumes u i. ‘1 th e ind iaue of that m au try ,or the" l udians on the bo rder secure thei and bring them for traliic

among their more northern brothers .

The ya’ya are wrapped first With a pi ece of o ft cloth, then with buck

skin , and final ly with another cloth ; slender xlints are p laced around

this ou ter cover ing and a long bucksk in strin,secures the packages.

After unwrapp ing the ya ’ya the ho’naa-ite p . aceeds to arrange the

feticlws . Three of the ya’ya are pl aced immemately in front of the

altar upon a paralellogram of meal , which is alwa; a drawn at the base

of the al tars , and is emb lematic'

of seats for the 3 “ya .

,

A n image,8

‘A mcmllet cl a soc iety is selec ted by the ho'naa ite to col lec t the wilh tw igs from wh ich thehc hamoui us e 114 19111 . The ho'naaite arranges a bunch of b ird pl umes w i nch e collectqr attaches to

the l imb of a a ir” sa y ing : I have come to col lec t twigs for hii'chumoul a. I pa y you wi th themp lumes .

"The tn 1)wh ich the plumes are a ttached is not. touched but 'he r D‘M r l in it . A

stroke at eh a m t here the tw ig is to be cut ie made w ith an am‘len! stone “I n 1 11 1' tim i c in m

severed from to: 1 n a l i ne at right angles w ith itself. the s tick vary ing from v w 1 foe-l

in length . aoumlta the symme try of the tw ig, which is d iv ided by three ems O n hm 11 1 1: umbeen ind icat ed 11 w in e kni fe), leav ing the selec ted port ion wi l l. a po in ted 1 a deb m. nu

sec tion would sho n 1 un ila tera l triangle .

" l’

l ie S ia do not ci v ic-1 from the Tusayan , and Navajo in their prov-es of preps . 1 1mm“. paint.

ings , the powdered p'

n-n 1 11 bei ng sprinkled between the in dex finger m l thumb. AL re u Ind ianartists work rap idly

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srevnxsox d RAIN CEREMONIAL . 77

inches h igh,of K o

’chinako (Y ellow Woman of the N orth) stands to

the right of the ya’ya,and a wol f of red sandstone

,i ts tai l being qui te

the length of i ts body , which i s 6 i nches, i s placed to th e left of the

ya’ya,and by the s ide of th is wolf i s a bear of black lava

,and next an

abalone shel l ; two cougars of red sandstone, some 1 2 i nches in l ength ,are posted to the right and left of the al tar ; an antique medicine bowl ,finely decorated in snake

,cloud

,and l ightn ing designs

,i s placed in

front of the three ya’ya ; two finely pol ished adzes,1 2 i n ches long

,are

laid either side of the medici ne bowl,and by these two large stone

kn ives ; two ya’ya stand side by side in fron t of the bowl

,and before

each is a snake’s rattle, each rattle having twelve buttons ; the sixthya ’ya stands on the tai l of the sand -pain ted cougar ; a min iature bow

and arrow is lai d before each of th e six ya’ya ; eight human images

are arranged in l ine i n front of the two ya’ya,these representing

M a’asewe, Uyuuyewe, and the s ix warriors who live in the six moun

tains of the card inal points,the larger figures being 8 an d 1 0 i nches

high and the sma ller ones 4 and 5, the figure of the Warrior of theNorth having well -defined eyes and nose in bas -rel ief. Th is figure i s

decorated w ith a necklace of bears’ claws,a simi lar necklace being

around i ts compan ion,a clumsy stone hatchet. Most of the images in

this l ine have a fringe of white wool around the face,symbol ic of clouds .

In front of these figures are three fetiches of Ko’sha iri, not over 4 or 5

i nches h igh,with a shel l in front of them

,and on either side of the shel l

there are two wands of turkey plumes standing in clay holders, the

holders having been first modeled into a bal l an d then a cavi ty made

by pressing in the finger sufficiently deep to hold th e wand . These

holders are sun dried . In fron t of the shel l i s a cross,the only evi

dence discovered of an apparen t influence of Cathol ic ism. The cross,however

,bears no symbol of Chr istian i ty to these Indians . The one re

ferred to was given to a theurgist of the Snake Society in remote times

by a priest so good of heart,they say

,that, though h is rel igion was not

thei rs,his prayers traveled fast over th e straigh t road to Ko’pishtaia ;

and so thei r reverence for th is priest as an honest,truthful man led them

to convert the symbol ofChristian i ty into an obj ect of fetich istic worsh ip .

The cross stands on a 6 - i nch cube of wood,and i s so covered wi th

plumes that on ly the ti ps of the cross are to be seen,and a smal l bunch of

eagle plumes i s attached penden t to the top of the cross with cottoncord . A bea r of white stone , 5 i nches long , i s placed to the left of the

cross and j ust back of i t a tiny cub . A wolf,also of wh i te stone

,and

5 i nches i n length , i s depos ited to the right of the cross . A t either

end of,and to the fro n t of, the al tar are two mass ive carvings in rel ief,

i n red sandstone,of coi led snakes . Bear-leg skins

,wi th the claws

, a re

pi led on ei ther side of the al tar , and by these gourd rattles and eagle

plumes,i n twos

,to be used by the members i n the ceremon ial . A neck

lace of bears’ claws, with a whi stle attached midway the string, having

two fluffy eagle plumes fastened to the end with native cotton cord,

78 THE S!A.

hangs overthe north post of the altar . The ho’naaite wear this neck

lace in the even ing ceremony . The sacred honey j ug (a gourd)and

basket contain ing the sacred meal,a shel l fil led with corn pollen

,a

bucksk in medicin e bag,an arrow point

,and an ancient square pottery

bowl are grouped i n fron t of the snake fetich on the north side of the

altar,and to the north of th i s group are other medicine bags and tur

key feather wands, with bunches of fluffy eagle plumes, tipped black

and the other port ion dyed a beautiful lemon color,attached to them

with cotton cord . These wands are afterwards hel d by the women ,who form the l ine at n ight on the north side of the room . A Tusayan

basket,contain ing the offerings

,consi sting of ha’chamoni, each one

being tipped wi th a bi t of raw cotton and a single plume from the wing

of a humming b ird,with plumes attached upright at the base ; Hér

’ro

tume (staffs)ornamented with plumes, Ta’-wa -ka (gaming blocks and

rings for the clouds to r ide upon), M aid -kur-i-wa -pai (bunches of

plumes of birds of the cardinal poin ts,zeni th and nadir), i s deposi ted

i n fron t of the snake fetich on the south s ide of the altar,and beyond

this basket are simi lar wands to those north of the a l tar,which are

carried in the ceremonial by the women on the south s ide of the room .

F ive stone knives complete the group. A white stone bear,1 2 i nches

long,i s placed in front of the whole

,and a parrot is attached to the top

ofthe central -slat figure. (PI. xv)U nfortunately, the dash - l ight photo

graph of the al tar of the Snake Society made during the ceremon ial

failed to develop wel l,and

,guarding against possible fai lure, the wri tersucceeded in having the ho’naaite arrange the al tar at another time.The fear of discovery induced such haste that the fetiches

,wh ich are

kept careful ly s tored away in diiferent houses , were not al l brought

out on thi s occasion .

‘

When the al tar i s completed the ho’naaite and his associates stan dbefore i t an d supplicate the presence of the pai

’atamo and K o’

pish

taia,who are here represented by images of themselves

,these images

becoming the abiding places of the beings i nvoked . A fter the prayer,

the ho’naaite and hi s v icar si t upon their folded blankets near the fire

place, where a low fire burns,and wi th a supply of tobacco and corn

husks conten t themselves with cigarette s unti l the open ing of the

even ing ceremony .

By 9 o’clock the Snake society was j oined in the chai -an~ni~kai (cer

emonial chamber)archaic, Su’t-ser-ra -kai by the K apina

,i t being the

prerogative of th e honaaite of one organization to invi te other societies

to take part i n h is ceremon ies . They formed in l ine,s itting back of

the al tar ; the honaaite being in the rear of the central slat figure,which symbol ized the honaaite of the cult society of the cloud people .The other members were seated in the rear

,as near as could be

,of

l The uncolored il lus trat ions are from photographs by M i ss M ay S . Cl ark , the in ter ior views be ingby flash ligh t . The wr i ter is pleased to congratulate M i ss C l ark for hav ing succeeded under themos t trying circums tances .

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THE SIA.

hangs over the north post of the altar . The ho’naa ite wear this n eck

la ce in the even ing ceremony. The sacred honey j ug (a g ourd)andbasket con tain in g the sacred meal , a shell fi ll ed with corn po llen, a

buckskin med ici ne bag, an a rrow point, and an ancient square potteryb owl are grouped i n fron t of th e snake’

fetich on the north side of the

alta r, and to the north of th is group are other medicine bags and tar

key feather wands , with bunches of flufl‘

y eagle plumes , , tipped blac k

and the other por tion dyed a beauti ful lemon color,attached to them

with cotton cord . These wands are a fterwards held by the women ,

who form the l ine at n ight on the north side of the room . A Tusayan

basket containing the offerings,consis ting of hii ’chamoni, se-ch

’

one

being tipped wi th a bi t of rawcc tt o'

n and a single plume from the wing

of a humming bird . with plumes attac hed uprigh t at the base ; l ler’ro

tume (stan’

s)ornamented wi th plumes, Tau-wa ke, (gaming blocks andrings for the cl ouds to r ide upon), M ai c

’-khr-i-wa -pai (bunches of

plumes of birds of the cardin al poin ts,zen i th and nad i r), is deposi ted

i n fron t of the snake fetich on the south s ide of the altar,and beyond

thi s basket are s imi lar wands to those north ,of the a l tar, which arecarr ied i n the ceremon ial by the women on the south side of the room .

F ive stone knives complete the group . A wh i te stone bear,1 2 inches

l ong, is“

Ma-“cd in fron tof the whole,and a parrot is attached to the top

of the .l amt. figure. (Pl . xv)U nfortunately, theflash -l ight photo

graph of n

'

h i the Snake Society mad e during the ceremon ialfailed a s: ma s sing: aga inst possible fai lure, the wri ter

succeeded n 3 nines» was? rm. i i'

ar a t another time .

out on this occ asion .

:

When the al tar i s eonipieru l the h e‘

na a ue and his aesrwiates stand

before it and supplicate the presence of the pai'iitamo and Ro

’pish

tain,who are here represented by images of themselves

,these images

bec oming the abid ing places of the beings i nvoked . A fter the prayer,

the ho’naa ite and hi s v icar s it upon their folded blankets near the fire

place, where a low fire burns,and wi th a supply of tobacco and corn

husks content themselves wi th cigarette s un ti l the open ing of theeven ing ceremony.

By 9 o’clock the Snake society was j oined in the chai -an-ni-kai (cer'

emonia l-chamber)archai c, S ii’!-ser-ra -kai by the K apina, i t being the

prerogative of the honaaite of one organ i zation to i nvi te other societiesto ta ke part i n h is ceremonies . They formed i n lin e , s itting back of

the alta r ; the honaaite being in the rear of the central sl at figure.which symbol i zed the honaa ite of the cult society of the cloud people.The other members were seated in the rear, as near as could be, of

l The unco lored i llus trat ions are from pho tographs by M iss M ay S . Clark, the in ter i or v iews be ingby (las h 115m The w ri ter i s pleased to congratulate M iss Clerk for having succeeded under themoat trying ci rcumstan ce s .

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80 THE SIA .

water)proceeded to consecrate the water. He danced in front of the

al tar and south of the l ine of meal,which had been sprinkled from the

altar to the entrance of the chamber, r ai sing first one heel and then theother

,wi th the knees sl ightly bent

,the toes scarcely leaving the floor ;

he held h is eagle plumes in his left hand,and shook the rattle wi th the

right,keeping h is upper arms cl ose to h is side, excepting when ex

tending h is plumes toward the al tar,which he did three times

,each time

strik ing the plumes near the qui l l endwi th h is rattle as he shook themover the medicine bowl . He then waved h is plumes toward the north

,

and giving a quick motion of the rattle in uni son with those of the

choir,he drew a breath from the plumes as the fourth stanza closed

,

and in a moment the song was resumed . The three members of the

Snake order then put on necklaces of bears’ claws,each having attached

,

mi dway,a whistle. The yanitsiwittanfii, who had not left h is place in

fron t of the altar,danced for a few minutes

,then dipped a gourd of

wa ter from the vase,raised it high wi th a weird hoot

,and emptied it

into the medicine bowl . A second gourdful was also elevated,and

,

with a cry,i t was emptied into the cloud bowl

,which stood on the sand

pain ting of the clouds . The third gourdful was emptied into the same

bowl,the raising of the gourd and the cry being omi tted ; the fourth

gourdful was upl ifted wi th a cry and emptied into the medicine bowl .The fifth gou rdful wasalso hoisted wi th a cry, as before, to the snake

honaaite to implore the cloud rulers to send their people to water theearth

,and emptied into the cloud bowl . The sixth gourdful was raised

wi th the cal l and emptied into the same bowl . The seventh gourdful

was elevated wi th a wave from the south to the altar and emptied into

the medicin e bowl . The eighth gourdful was rai sed wi th a simi lar

motion and emptied into the cloud bowl . The n inth gourdful was

elevated and extended toward the east and returned in a direct l ine

and emptied into the medicine bowl . The tenth gourdful was raised

toward the west and emptied into the cloud bowl . The eleventh ,twelfth

,th irteenth

,and fourteenth gourdfuls were l ifted from the vase

and emptied without being hoisted into the same bowl . The fifth stanza

closed as the last gourd of water was poured into the bowl . In filling

the medicine bowl the gourd was passed between two ya-

ya . Thewoman returned the water vase to the corner of the room,

and the

yén i‘siwittanfl i l ifted the bowl and drank from i t, afterwards admin

istering a d raught of the water from an abalone shel l to each member,excepting the honaaite

,who

,after the yani

tsiwittanni had resum ed his

seat in the l ine, passed to the front of the altar and drank directly from

the bowl and returned it to its place .

In the admini s tering of the water the women were helped first, a

feature never before observed by the wri ter in aboriginal l i fe .

W i th the beginn ing of the sixth stanza the honaaite arose, and

lean ing forward waved h is plumes over the medicine bowl wi th a weird

call , each member repeating the cal l , the women exhibi ting more enthu

TH E 81A .

st eer)pimwedwl to consef'rate the water. He dam e s!w front of the

M aed. of the l ine of meal , which had been mam led from the

mr to entrance of the chamber , r ais ing firstwas he » 5. and then the

the knees s l i ghtly bell t, the toes iii-(w ing the floor ;eagle plumes in his left hand , and new; be ra ttle with the

ing his upper arms close to h is a id e. when ex

plumes towa rd the al tar,which be ats : “it :w h ines . eac h timedwi th s

. W mul e as be shook them'

0 bowl . He then wave d ii i-g the north ,ie

’

tf. motion of the ra tthv iu k arm a w ri t those of thedrew a breath from the plumes a t. m h em -

t it atmzza closed,moment th e song was resumed . The thre e memb ers of the

ler then puton necklaces of bears. claws . met he h ue: a ttac hed,

midway , a whistle . The yénitsiwittanfii, Who bM t h u l in i t M s pla ce in

front 01 the a ltar,danced for a fewm inutes , then Aimed v

gom i of

wa te r frees the vase, raised it high wi th a wei rd ho ot. a xed ari-h npthed it

into the medicine bowl . A second gourdful was also ek ’m ted , and ,

v.ith away, A was emptied into the cloud bowl , which stood on the sand

paia llng a ? the clouds . The third gourdful was emptied into the same

how i, tit» raising of the gourd and the cry being omi tted ; the fourth

geasr iifmwas uplifled wi th a cry and emptied into the medicine bowl.

1 he fi fth gnn ld l‘

ul was also hoisted wi th a cry, as before, to the snakeiv

‘

h‘ea ite to impl ore the cl oud rulers to send their people to water the

M M , and emptied into the cloud bowl . The si xth gourdful was raised

with t ie : t a l l and emptied int o, the same bowl . The seventh gourdful

was «h arem !wi th a wave from the sou th to the al tar and emptied intothis: audi t: mu b owl . The eigh th gourdf ul was ra ised wi th a similarat (when and c an-131 94 1 lute the cloud lwwl. The ninth mam-di l l !was

M alaw i and e xte nd ed towa rd the ea s t and returne d in a dm e t line

and M iami “ . um ; H ie lnm'

i lc ilm huwi. The tenth gourdfu l was rai sed

me? ml the we s t and emptied into th e. c loud bowl . The eleventh ,twelft h . th irteenth , and fourteenth guma

'lfuls were li fted from the vase

and empt iedwi thout being ho isted into the same bowl . The fifth stanzac losed as. the last gourd of water was poured into the bowl . In fi l ling

the med ic im bowl the gourd was passed between two ya-

ya . Thewoman retu r ned the water vase to the corner of the room,

and the

ytai‘siwitmm‘

l i l i fted the bowl ’ and drank from i t, afterwards admin

istering a d raught of the water from an abalone shell to each member,if t eeming the henaa ite, who, after the yani‘siwittiin i

‘

li had resumed his

we t in the“

t ime, passed to the front of the altar and drank d irectly from

r bowl a n dreturned it to its place .

in the mimin ieterulg of the water the women were helped. first . a.

timers new : bfl ure observed by the wri ter in aboriginal l ife .With. the beg inn i ng: of the sixth s tanza the honaaite arose, and

mm in forwa rd wa ved his pl umes over the medicine bowl with a we ird

i Mi. ear-h member l 'ic inmtillg the call , the women exhibiting mu re enthu

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srnvsxsox . ] RAIN CEREMON IAL . 81

siasm than the men in this particular feature of the ceremony . The

cry, which was repeated four times, was an invocation to the cl oud

rul ers of the cardinal points to water the earth , and, with each cry ,meal was sprinkled into the medicine bowl , each member being pro

videdwi th a smal l bucksk in bag ofmeal or corn pol len , wh ich had been

previously taken from a bear- leg skin . and laid beside the al ta r .

The members of the Snake Div i sion sprinkled corn pol len instead of

meal,the pol len being especially acceptable to the Snake honaaite, to

whom many of their prayers are addressed .

The preparation of the medicine water began wi th the open ing of

the seventh stanza. The ya’nifsiwittanfii danced before the al tar , keep

ing south of the line of meal , and holding six pebble fetiches in either

hand , which he had taken from two smal l sacks drawn from one of the

bear- leg sk ins . He did not sing, but he kept time wi th the choir . Ex

tending hi s right hand toward the a l tar,be touched the two front ya’ya

,

a nd then , placing 11 18hands together , he again extended them, and, draw

ing closer sti l l to the altar, he dropped a fetich from his right hand into

the medicine bowl wi th a wei rd cry to the Snake ho’naa ite of the north

to invoke the cloud ruler of th e north to send his people to water the

earth ; and after ra ising h is hands above h i s head he again extended

them toward the a l tar,and

,lean ing forward , dropped a fetich from his left

hand into the cloud bowl . This was repeated four timeswi th each bowl,

wi th peti tions to the Snake ho’naaites of the north , the west, the south ,and the eas t to intercede wi th the cloud rulers to send their people towa ter the earth . Then, taking two large stone kn ives from before the

al tar,he struck them together , and, pass ing from the south of the l ine of

meal to the north,he again brough t the kni ves together . Recrossing

the l ine ofmeal , he dipped the knives into the bowl of medicine wa ter

and sprinkled the al tar ; then , passing to the north of the l ine, he dipped

the kn ives into the med icine wa ter and repeated the sprinkl ing of thealtar fou r times ; aga in, standing south of the l ine , he dipped the kn ivesinto the water

,throwing i t to the cast

,and

,cross ing the line, dipped

them into the bowl and repeated the motion to the cast,and resumed

hi s seat at the south end of the line of men . The ho ’naa itc then l eanedover the altar, and , dipping his plumes into themedicine bowl , sprinkled

the altar fou r times by strik ing the plumes on the top wi th the ra ttleheld in the righ t hand . The song, which had cont inued for a n hour

wi thout cessa tion , now c lo sed , and the men ga thered a round the tobacco

wh ich lay nea r the lire -plac e, and, making ciga rettes,returned to the i r

seats and smoked . The boy igni ted the fire -sti ck and held i t for the

men to l igh t thei r ciga rettes . He pa ssed i t firs t to the ma n at the no rth

o f the l ine . A s Ill il l l took the fi rs t whiff of h is ciga rette lie blew

the smoke toward the a l tar a nd waved the ci ga re tte in a c i rc le a s beextended i t to th e a l ta r. A fter the, smoke the song a nd rattle again

resounded th rough the room , a nd a t. the c l ose o f a sho rt stanza the man

a t the north end of the line cried o ut in a h igh to ne a nd the women

1 1 n'

ru— G

82 THE sm .

gathered before the al tar,and each , taking a pinch of meal from the

meal bowl,sprinkled the al tar and returned to their seats . The ya’n i

tsiwittanfii l ifted the shel l of pollen from before the al tar, and, passing

to the entrance and opening the door,waved h is rattle along the l ine of

meal and out of the door. A fter repeating the waving of the rattle

he passed h is hand over the l ine and threw out the pol len from his

fingers,as offering to the Snake ho’naaite. Return ing to the al tar

,he

stood whil e the ho’naaite dipped h is plumes into the medicine water

and sprinkled the altar by striking the plumes wi th the rattle. A fterthe ya

’nitsiwittanfii and ho’naaite had returned to the l ine, the cloud

maker (a member of the Spider Society), who sat at the north end,

crossed the l ine ofmeal , and, holding his eagle plumes and rattl e in hisleft hand , l ifted wi th h is right the reed which lay across the cl oud

bowl , and, transferring i t to h i s left, he held i t and the plumes vertical ly

wh i le he prayed . The vice ho’naa ite dipped ashes from the fire-placewi th h is eagle plumes

,holding one in either hand , sprinkled the cloud

maker for purification , and threw the remainder of the ashes toward

the choir . During h is prayer,which continued for eight m inutes

,the

cloud -maker appeared l ike a statue . At the close of the prayer hedropped into the cloud bowl a quantity of to’ch ainitiwa (a certainroot used by the cult societies to produce suds, symbol ic of the clouds),and sprinkled with corn poll en the surface of the water, which wasalready qui te covered wi th i t ; then, taking the reed in his right hand

and sti l l holding i t vertical ly, he began a regular and rapid movement

w ith the reed , in a short t ime producing a snowy -whi te froth,which

,

under h is dextrous mani pulation,rapidly rose high above the bowl

,and

fell from i t in cascades to the floor . The bowl stood on a cincture padof yucca

,a circle ofmeal symbol ic of the heart or l ife of the water h aviug

been first made . The reed was never raised from the bowl during the

stirring of the water . When the clouds were perfected the song ceased,and the cloud -maker stood the reed in the center of the suds , which .

now whol ly concealed the bowl . He then rose,and

,after holdin g

h is two eagle p lumes in h is left hand for a moment, he changed one

to the right hand and began dancing before the altar ; presently hedipped a quanti ty of suds from the base of the bowl wi th h is two eagleplumes, and threw them to the north of the altar ; again dipping the

suds, he threw them to the south ; continuing to dance to the mus ic of

the rattle and the song,he d ipped the suds and threw them to the fire

place ; dipping them again, he threw them to the earth , each time wi than invocation to the cloud people . A s he threw the suds to the earthtwo of the choir dipped thei r plumes into the bowl of medicine water

and sprinkled the al tar by strik ing the upper s ides of the plumes wi th

thei r rattles . The cloud -maker again dipped up the suds, and, facing

east, threw them toward the zen i th ; he then dipped the suds and depos ited them ia the cen ter of the basket contain ing the plume offerings ; then waving h is eagle plumes from north to south

,he continued

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St a t-m om RAIN CEREMONIAL . 83

dancing, raising first one plume and then the other as he poin ted themtoward the altar . In a moment or two he d ipped suds and threw themtowa rd the women on the north side of the room

,and dipping them

again threw them toward the women of the south s ide ; at the same

time the male members reached forward , and, dipping the ir plumes int o

the med ic ine bowl , sprinkled the a l tar, each t ime petit ion ing the c loud

people to gather . The cloud -maker then threw suds to thewest aga inhe dipped the suds and threw them to the zen i th

,then to the altar ; a

portion was then placed on the front ya’ya again he danced,for a time

extending his eagle plumes andwi thdrawing them ,and dipped the suds

and threw them upward and toward the man on th e north end of the

l ine ; at the same time the ho’naaite dipped his plumes into the medi

cine bowl and sprinkled the altar a s heretofore described ; and the

cloud -maker dipped the suds,throwing them towa rd the vice ho’naaite

,

and,again dipping them ,he threw them toward the ya

’ni'siwittanni ; he

then l ifted suds and th rew them to the west , then to the zeni th , never

fai l ing to cal l the cl oud people together . The ho’naa ite, keeping his

pos i tion back of the al tar,dipped h is plumes into the med icine water

and sprinkled the members ; again the cl oud -maker li fted suds and

threw them to the zen i th ; at the same time the second woman at the

west end of the l ine on the north side dipped herwand into themedicine

water,wi th a cry for the cloud people to gather ; the cloud -maker then

th rew the suds to the west and the ho’naaite sprinkled the members

wi th the med icine water, and the cloud -maker placed the suds upon the

heads of the whi te bea r and parro t ; and stooping he sti rred the suds

briskly .

The ti’i‘imoni l igh ted a cigarette from a coa l at the fireplace and

handed it to the cloud -maker,who stood the reed in the center of the

Suds before recei ving th e ciga rette ; he blew the first few wh iffs over thesuds and then smoked a moment or two and la id abou t one- th i rd of the

ciga rette by the side of the cloud bowl . The song,which had continued

almost incessantly for three hours , now cea sed , and the cloud -maker retu rned t ohis seat in the l ine . The ti’iimoni sat by the ti re and smoked ,

severa l jo in ing him for a shor t time ; but a ll soon returned to thei r sea ts

in the l ine and continued their smoke .

At the beg inning of the suc ceeding song the two women at the ea st

end of the so uth l ine da nced before the al ta r and sprinkled i t by strik~

ing the wand held in the left hand on the top wi th the one held in the

right . One of the, Women wa s frequently deba rred tak ing pa r t in the

ceremony owing to the a ttention requi red by he r infant , who wa s a t

times freti‘

nl.

Two women from the ea s t end o f the no rth l ine jo ined in the da ncea nd then a th ird woman front the south line ; three o l

'

the women fo rmed

in l ine runn ing no rth a nd south ; a n aged woma n a t the west end o f

the south l ine da nc ed , but did not lea ve her pla c e a t the e nd o f the

l ine . She pulled the young boy who sa t near her fo rwa rd , te l l ing h im

84 THE SIA.

to dance. The dancers faced first the east,then the west

,sprinkl ing

the altar whenever they reversed, invoking the cloud people to gather.The boy was beautiful ly graceful , but the women were clumsy ; one of

them attempted to force out the man at the north end ; fai l ing in th is,a second woman tried wi th better success

,and the man joined in the

dance ; th is little byplay amused the women . The ho’naaite sprinkl ed

the young man,who in turn sprinkled the ho’naaite. Before the close

of the dance the aged woman at the west end of the south l ine joinedthe group of dancers and pulled the young man about

,tell ing him to

dance wel l and wi th an imation . A t a . m . the women sprinkled

the al tar and returned to their seats,but the man and boy continued

to dance and Sprinkle the al ta r at intervals . The vicar placed the bas

ket of plume offerings on the l ine ofmeal,and collecting suds from the

base of the cloud bowl depos i ted them in the center of the basket ofplumes ; and al l the members dipped their plumes into the medicine

water and sprinkled the al ta r ; the man facing south and the boy

north,then sprinkled toward the respective poin ts

,and passing down on

e ither s ide of the meal l ine they sprinkled eastward, and crossing the

l ine of meal the man sprinkled to the north and the boy to the south,

and they returned to the altar and danced for a time, the man remaining north of the l ine and th e boy south . The sprinkling of the cardinal

points was repeated four times .

The dancers having taken thei r sea ts in the l ine the ya’ni‘siwittanfii

removed the bowl ofmedicine water and placed i t before the basket of

p lume offerings ; then stooping, he took one of the ya’ya in h is left hand

and wi th the right admini stered the ‘medicine water from an abalone

shell to the women first, the infan t in the mother’s arms receiving its

portion ; then to the boy and men . A fter each draft the hi’shami

and wands were touched to the ya ’ya and the sacred breath drawnfrom them ; the ho

’naaite was the last to be served by the ya

’nitsiwit

tiinfii, who in turn received the medi cine water from the ho’naaite

,who

held the ya’ya wh ile ofiiciating. The ya’nitsiwitt

'

anni then left thechamber

,carrying the ya’ya in his left hand and bowl of medicine

water wi th both hands . When outside the house he Sprinkled the sixcardinal points

,the water being taken into the mouth and thrown out

between the teeth .

The ho’naaite l ifting the basket of plume offerings stooped north of

the meal l ine and the ti’amoni and the younger member of the snake

division stooped south of the l ine of meal . The necklaces of bears’

claws had been removed and al l but the ho’naa ite’s lai d on a pi le of

bear- leg skins,he deposi ting his on the snake fetich at the north side

of the altar. The two young men put on their moccasins and wrapped

around them their blankets wh ich had served as seats during the ceremon ial before advancing to meet the ho ’

naaite, who, wh ile the threeh eld the basket repeated a long l i tany

,responded to by the two young

men . The women laughed and talked, paying little attention to this

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THE “ A.

to dance . ’

_The dance rs fac ed firs t the must. then the We 1 9; salamistmth e a lta rwhenevermet 1 versed invok ing the cloud pt o n? hasm i

The boy was hez 'i u tlffi ii) ima m l l but the womenwere chain s ; um at

them a ttempted te times out t he our f ai r. the north end ; fai ling in th is ,a second woman trie dwith ti c-Jr 2 ”m e s s . and-the man joined in the

dance ; this lrttle by pia } amennga s h da m). The ho’naa ite spri nkled

the young ma n. a im ia'

ca n . r do» tw‘

a aaite.

“

Before the closeof the da nce the ag o

-d ww w a a ,~ é “ fl of the south l ine j oined

the grim] , of da nce rs um ’

pass e 1 1 p a n; ma n about

,telling h im to

dance we l l a n m tn m‘

l imm um . m t he? a . m. the women sprinkl edthe Eris-o and re turned no hei r sea ls.

uni the man and boy continued

to (La w mi ld sprinkle the. a l ta r a 1. intervals . The v ic ar placed the basket e f

'

plame’

otferings on the line. of me’

e l. a nd m iteeting suds from the

tits -

a o f the cloud bowl depos i ted them in the c e nter of the basket of

plumes ; a nd all the members‘

dipped their p lumes h a s the martin is» ,

water and sprinkled the al ta r : the ma n fac ing s outh and 4 ia boy

north then sprinkled toward the respective points , a nd pass ing down (fi t

e ither s ide of the meal l ine th ey sprinkled eastward, ,and crossing the

l ine of meal the man sprinkled to the’

north and the boy to the south ,and theyre t urned to the altar and danced for a time

,the man remain

ing north of the line and the boy south . The sprinklingof the cardinalpoint s wa s repea ted four t imes .The d anc e rs ha ving ta ken the irs ea t s in the lie: the in fo ss iwlrtazah i

ire-mm 1 ! tin"

uu w i it low i ic'm i s a t“ a nd p i mat! M in a W e in che s? «at

plump i'

hs u i emg‘mg i in ( o ut “ i n” i f i ii?

“

m i fl i n i 5s ie ’i Wand wi th the i p h i

"

. :u

'

inu as‘nw l i. a r' a

t» 4 a

she i l to the s mar t). firs t , th e i n Wh i t her : 1 a m s wa m? wpo rtion ; then to tie bu t m i awe

ca ri e s e»

“

4. gru ff“ ‘

xw he Q a ta ri

and wands m ere ts unami m the y am rm? t he sw im he a th drawn

from them ; the lm‘tm a l

‘

hl ' was th e las t to w e a e t a s the ye’nitsiwit

tanfii,who in turn re wire dthe

'

nn'd iv‘me mm r [ mm the ho’naaite, who

held -the ya’ya wh ile ofiic ia tiug . The ya'nifisiwittanfi i then left the

chamber, earrying‘

the yafva in his left hand and bowl of medicine

water wi th both hands . When - outs i de the house he'

sprinkled_

the six

cardinal points,the water being taken into the mouth and thrown out

between the teeth .

The ho’naaite til ting the basket of plume offerings stooped north of

the mea l l ine and the ti’amoni and the younger member of the snake

clii ision stooped south of the l ine of mea l . The neeklaet s o f bea rs'

claws had been removed and al l but the ho’naa ite’s la id on

“

a pi le of

bea r-leg skins, he deposi ting his on the snake fetich at the no r th w k

of the a lta r . The two young men put on thei r moccasins and «amb ien t

around them the ir blankets wh ich had served as seats during. i ts ten

monia l bef oreadvanc ing fo meet the ho’naa ite, who , at t ile the three

held the basket repeated 9. long l i tany, responded to by the two youngmen . The women laughed and tal ked

,pay ing li tt le a tte nt ion to this

Bureau of Ethno logy. Eleventh Annua lReport. P la te XV

Jrawn by Mary M MIlChell

C E R EM O N IA L VA S E .

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86 THE SIA.

Spider Society as were designated by the ho’naa ite. They were plan ted

to the north,west

,south

,and east of the vi l lage

,whence Po’shaiyanne

departed,with prayers to fit’sét to receive the ha’chamoni for Sus’sis

tinnako, the Creator. After examining them (the spi ri tual essence)to see that they are genui ne, she hands th em to Sfi s

’sistinnako.

The h ii ’chamoni convey to those to whom they are offered messages

as clear to the Indian understanding as any document does to the civi l

iz ed mind .

The following account of the in itiation of a member in to the thirddegree of the Snake order was given the wri ter by the vicar of theSnake Society .

I was very ill w ith sma llpox c a u sed by angry ants, and one n ight in my dreams

I saw many snakes,very man y

,and a ll the next day I tho ught abo ut it, and I knew

if I did not see the ho’naa ite of the Snake Soc iety and tell h im I w ish ed to become a

member of that body I wou ld die . In two days I went to the ho u se of the ho ’naaite

bearing my ofi‘

ering of sh ell m ixture and related my dreams and made known mywish to be received a s a member of the soc iety . The man now ill with h is heartnotified the ho

’naa ite of the Snake Society th at he wished to j oin the soc iety . The

h o’naaite sent for me and the other offi cial member to meet h im in the ceremonial

ch amber to receive the sick man,who , presenting the shell m ixture to th e ho’

na aite

informed him that he h ad dreamed of many snakes and knew that he must become a

member of the society or die .

Such is the impression made upon these people by dreams . Th isman wil l be a novitiate for two years

,as it requi res that time to l earn

the songs wh ich must be committed to memoryb efore en tering the

third degree . He continued :

I was two years learn ing the songs, during wh ich time I passed through the

first and second degrees . I then a ccompan ied th e ho’naaite and the members of the

soc iety to the hou se of the snakes, when I was made a member of the th ird degree .

The ceremon ials in wh ich snakes are in troduced are exclus ively for

the i n it iation of members into the th ird degree of the Snake divis ion .

These ordinances must be observed after the ripeni ng of the corn .

The day of the arrival of the society at the snake house (a log strue

ture wh ich stands upon a mound some 6 miles from the vil lage)hwchamoni are prepared by the ho’naaite and the other members of th i s di

vi si on of the society ; they are then dispatched by the ho’naaite to the

north i n search of snakes ; and after the find ing of the first snake theha’chamon i are planted ; the number of snakes required , depending uponthe membersh ip, the ratio being equal to the number of members ; theremust be a snake from each of the cardinal points, unless the member

sh ip i s less than four,which i s now the case . There being but th ree

members at the presen t time,on ly the north

,west, and south are

v isi ted for the purpose of col lecting snakes,but the members must

go to the east and deposi t ha’chamoni to the Snake ho’naa ite of theea st .

The war ch ief notifies the people each day that they must not vi si tth e n orth , west, south , or east ; should one disobey thi s command and

BUREAU OF ETHNOLOGY EL EVENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. xvn

VICE HO'-NA-Al-TE OF SNAKE SOCIETY.

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88 THE SIA.

The snake is then placed around the throat and head and over the

body of the novi tiate .

Though the snake can not Speak,he hears al l that is said, and when

he i s placed to the body he l isten s atten tively to the words of the

ho’naaite,who asks him to look upon the boy and give th e boy wi sdom

like h i s own that the boy may grow to be wi se and stron g l ike himself,for he is now to become a member of the third degree of the Snakedivision of the soci ety. The ho’

naaite then prays to the snake that he

wil l exhort the cloud rulers to send their people to water the earth ,that she may bear to them the fruits of her being .

The snake i s not only implored to intercede wi th the cloud rulers to

water the earth that the Sia may have abundant food,but he is

invoked in conjuncti on with the sun -father in the autumn and win terto provide them with blankets and al l th ings necessary to keep them

warm .

Propiti atory prayers are n ot offered to the snakes,as

,according to th e

Sia bel ief,the rattlesnake is a peaceful

,and not an angry agent . They

know he is fri endly,because i t i s what the old men say , and their

fathers’ fathers told them,and they also tol d them that i t was the

same with the snakes in Mexico .

“ In the summer the snake passesabout to adm i re the flowers

,the trees and crops

,and al l things beau

tiful .”

The snake i s afterwards placed in the empty vase, and the viceho’

naaite repeats the ceremony with a sec ond snake,and th is ri te i s

followed by each member of the Snake division of th e society . The

h o’naa ite th en directs h is vicar and anoth er member of the society to

carry the vases to the grotto (the con ical structure outside)and the

latter to remain i n the gr otto with the snakes ; he then wi th a novi tiateby his side passes from the house

,and approach ing the grotto stands

facing i t wh i le the vicar and other male members of the society form in

line from east to west facing the north,the vice and novitiate standing

at the west end of the line.Th ose of the Snake di vision wear fringed ki lts of buckskin wi th the

rattlesnake painted upon th em,the fringes being tipped with conical

bits of tin . The ho’naaite’s ki lt i s more elaborate than the others,the

fringes having fawns’ toes i n addition to the tin . Their moccasin s are

of fine buckskin painted with kaolin . The hair i s flowing. The body of

the one to receive the third degree i s colored black wi th a fungus foundon cornstalks

,crushed and mixed with water . The face is pain ted red

before i t i s colored black,and a red streak i s painted under each eye

,sym

bolic,they say

,of the l i nes under the snakes’ eyes . A fluffy eagle plume

i s attached to the top of the head , and the face i s encircled with down

from the h awk’s breast. The hands and feet are painted red,and the

body zigzagged with kaolin,symbolic of l ightn ing . The buckskin kilt.

i s painted white,with a snake upon i t

,and white moccasin s are worn

(PI. x C). The other members of the society do not have thei r bodies

Srnvr-zxsoxq THE SNAKE ORDER . 89

painted,and they wea r the i r hair done up in the usual knot and their

feet bare . l They wear in stead of the ki l t a wh ite cotton breechcloth .

The women who do not. take part i n the dance wear thei r ordinary

dress,the cotton gown bein g di scarded .

Upon the open ing of the song and dance the ho’naaite procures a

snake at the entrance of the grotto and holding it horizon ta l ly with

both hands presents i t to the novi tiate, who receives i t i n the same

manner,clasping the throat with the right hand ; the ho

’naaite and

novi ti ate pass back and forth north of the lin e from the grotto four

times,now and then the novi tiate al lowing the snake to wrap i tself

around his throat . The ho’naaite then takes the snake and returns it

to the man in the grotto. If there be a secon d novi tiate he and the

first one change places , and the ho’naa ite i nqui res of the second whom

he wi shes for a father an d compan ion ; the boy designates a member

of the Snake division , and the chosen one i s required by the ho’naaite

to take h is place by the side of the novit iate and accompany him to

the grotto ; he again receives a snake which he hands to the boy and

the former ceremony i s repeated . When the novitiates have concluded,

each member of the Snake division takes h is turn in passing back andforth four t imes wi th a snake , the snake being handed him by a com

pan ion member. The song and dance does not cease unti l each snake

has been passed through the ceremony. Two of the novi tiates,if there

be two or more , i f not, a novi tiate and a member, are requested by the

ho’naa ite to en ter the grotto and receive the vases from the man in

s ide. These they carry to a cave about half a mile distant,and here the

bearers of the vases take out each snake separa tely and placing it

upon the ground say : “ Go to your home ; go far and be contented .

The first snake i s deposi ted to the north,the second to the west

,the

third to the south,and the fourth to the east ; this i s repeated unti l al l

the snakes are disposed of. The vases are then placed in the cave and

the en trance covered wi th a large slab . The ho’naa ite return ing to the

house takes the ya’ya from the tai l of the sand -painted cougar and

holding i t in h is left hand places the pa lm of hi s right hand to the cou

gar and draws from i t a breath and rubs h is hand over h is b reast, after

which a ll evidences of the sand -pain ting a re soon erased by the mem

bers who hasten forward and rub their bodies wi th the sand that they

may be menta l ly and physica l ly purified .

W'

hcn Mr. Stevenson discovered that the Sia held ceremon ial s withsnakes he induc ed the vica r of the snake society to conduct. him to th e

loca l i ty f or that specia l ri te . Leaving S ia i n the ea rly morn ing a ride

of 6 miles over sand dunes a nd a round blufi'

s brought the party , in

cluding the wri ter,to the structure known as the snake house , h id away

among chaotic hil l s . Every precaution had been observed to maintai n

‘ A l l the figures show the foot a s they are colored be fore the moc cas ins a re pu t on . The red spot onthe body des igna tes the he a rt , the b la c k s po t on the figure o f the member o f the tire so c ie ty ind ic a testhe coa l wh ich is ea ten . The wh i te a round the face. a rms . a nd legs is down from the breas t o f thehawk .

THE SIA.

secrecy . The house is a rectangular structure of logs (the latter must

have been carried many a mi le)and i s some8by 1 2 feet, having a rude

fireplace ; and there are two n iches at the base of the north wal l near

the west end i n which the two vases stan d during the indoor ceremo

n ial . Though th is house presented to the vis itors a forlorn appearance,

i t i s converted into qui te a bower at the time of a ceremonial, when the

roof i s covered and fringed with spruce boughs and sunflowers and

the i nterior wal l i s wh itened . Some diplomacy was required to persuade

the vicar to guide Mr . Stevenson to the cave i n wh ich the vases are

kept when not in use. A ride half a mi le farther into chaos and theparty dismounted and descended a steep decl ivity

,when the guide

asked Mr. Stevenson’s assistance in removing a stone slab which rested

so naturally on the h il ls ide that i t had every appearance of having

been pl aced there by other than human agency. The removal of the

slab exposed two vases side by side in a shal low cave . A smal l chan

nel or flume had been ingen iously made from the hi l l top that the

waters from ti ’n i a might collect i n the vases . These vases belong tothe superior typ e of ancient pottery, and they are decorated in snakes

and cougars upon a ground of creamy tint . Mr . Stevenson was not

quite satisfied with simply seeing the vases, and determin ed if pos

sible to possess one or both ; but in answer to h is request the vicar

repl ied : “ These can not be parted with,they are so old that no one

can tel l when the Sia first had them ; they were made by our peopleof long ago ; and the snakes would be very angry if the Sia parted with

these vases .” Whenever opportuni ty afforded , Mr . Stevenson expressed his desirefor one of them ; and final ly a counci l was hel d by the

ti’amoni and ho’naaites of the cult societies , when the matter was

warmly discussed,the vi car of the Snake society insi sting that the gift

should be made,but the superstiti on on the part of the others was too

great to be overcome . Mr . Stevenson was waited upon by the mem

bers of the council ; the ho’naaite of the Snake society addressing him

“ You have come to u s a friend ; we have learned to regard you as ourbrother

, and we wish to do al l we can for you ; we are sorry we can not

give you one of the vases ; we talked about letting you have one, but

we concluded i t would not do ; i t would exci te the anger of the snakes,and perhaps al l of our women and l ittle ones would be bitten and die ;you wil l not be angry, for our hearts are yours .

”

The n ight previous to the departure. of the party from Sia the vicar

of the Snake Society made several visi ts to the camp, but finding other

Indians present he d id not tarry. At midnight when the last Indian

guest had left the camp he ag ai n appeared and hurriedly said ,“ I wi ll

come again,

” and an hour later he returned .

“ Now,”said be,

“ closelyfasten the ten t

,an d one of you l isten attentively al l the while and tel l

me when you hear the first footstep ;” and he then took from the sack

one of the vases,he being i n the meanwhi le much exci ted and also

distressed . He would not allow a close examination to be made of

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and wingara up on a ground“

of ore

q uite M antel with s imply seei ngM

’

W [eta-am “ on : far but"

M M : “ The m as» ! be partw!

gn arl to he N ew s Ht

bers of the from] : int he

You have m ine in a s a frieia l : we have learned to regard you as =our

bro'

thcr. and we wi sh t o do a ll we can‘

for you ;we are‘

sorry we can,not

give. ymi one of the vases ; we ta lked about letting you have one, butwe m a e lude d i t would not do ; i t would excite the anger of the snakes,and 3a na ps a ll

‘

of ‘c lrf women and l ittle ones would be bitte‘

ii and die:you i». i ll no t be angry for our hearts are yours .

”

Th e ‘

g i'f previous to the departure of the party from Si a the

:

i u:a :

o f the sna ke Soc iety ma de severa l Visits to the camp,ta t finding 4 r

I‘aa icum pre sent. he d id not tarry. At midnight when fee last initial;

gue st ha d‘

ml the c amp he again appeared and hurr iedly said .

“ I wi ll

( «one ag a in.

"and a n hour later he returned .

“ Now,

" sa id be .“ clo s e ly

fa sten the I.m w e} me of you l isten attentively alf alfa nmic and teli

me win n yo u he a r m e nrst footstepf’and he then Ly ok

'

trmn tlu'

sne‘

u

one of the vanes . he bu l l igz inthe meanwhile muc h; e x ”ed and als o

d is tre ssed . He. would not. al low a close

Bureau of Ethnology. EleventhAnnua lReport Pla te Xvlll

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92 THE SIA

ch ild brough t the hank from the farther end of the room to the

woman , who, tak ing a needle of the yucca, wound i t four times around

her thumb and index finger ; then wrapping th i s wi th an extra threadof yucca formed the ring . When the four rings were completedthe ch ild took them to the paint stone

,which thewoman had removed

to the far end of the room,and dipped them i nto the yellow pain t an d

laid them by the woman,who tied three of the pi les of plumes to

gether and afterwards handed the rings to the ho’naaite,who added to

each ring a plume from the wi ng of a humming bird . These r i ngs were

offerings to the cloud children emblematic of the wheels upon wnichthey ride over ti ’nia .

In attach ing the pltune offerings to the ha’chamoni

,the latter are

held between the large and second toes of the right foot of the menand woman . There were ten ha’chamoni to bear messages to the cloudrulers of the cardinal points—Ho

’channi

,h igh ruler of the cloud people

of the world,S ii s'sistinnako, fi t

'sét

,and the sun

,the extra bunches of

plumes being tied pendent to those already attached to the ha’chamoni

for S its’sisti-nnako, d t’set, and the sun .

The ho’naaite placed the ha’ch amoni and rings in a flat basket and

set i t before the altar i n fron t of the cloud bowl,and posted a stufied

parrot upon the central slat of the al tar. At this time the other officialmembers appeared

,and

,unwrapping their ya ’ya

,handed them to the

ho ’naaite

,who stood them before the altar (Pl . XIX). The woman then

brough t a. vase of water and gourd from the far end of th e room,and

the ho’naaite emptied four gourdfuls i n to the medicine bowl and then

sprinkled corn pollen upon the water,and

,dipping h is two eagle plumes

in to the bowl,he Sprinkled the al tar and offerings . He did not speak

a word,but took h is seat by the fire and began smoking, awaitin g the

hour for the even ing ceremon ial . The ho’naaite and vi car had their

meals served i n the ceremonial chamber,and after eating

,the rema inder

of the basket of bread and bowl of meat was placed before the altar.The n ight ceremony opened with the ho’naa ite (PI. xx)and his v icar

dipping their plumes in to th e medicin e water and sprinklingthe altar and

the food wh ich had been placed before i t ; the ho’naaite then

,sitting i n

fron t and to the north side of the altar,repeated a lon g prayer, suppl i

catingMo’kaitc, Cougar of the North , to i ntercede with the cloud people

of the north towater th e earth that the crops might grow ; Ko ’hai, theBear

,to in tercede wi th the cl oud people of the west to water the earth

that the crops migh t grow ; a smilar i nvocation wasmade to the Tuo’

pe,

Badger of th e South,K a

’kanna , Wolf of the East, Tia’mi

,Eagle of the

Heaven,and M ai’tubo

,Shrew of the Earth . The vicar then gathered

a bit of bread from the basket and of meat from the bowl and handedit to the ho’naa ite

,who left the house with the food in h is left hand ,

holding h is eagle plumes in his righ t ; be cast th e food to the an imal

K o’

pishta ia of th e card inal poi nts , begging that they would intercede

wi th the cloud people to come and water the earth ; then , returning to

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94 THE SIA.

and the men then returned to thei r seats . The second man from the

north end of the lin e coming forward danced wh ile the others sang to

the accompan imen t of the rattle,each succeeding stan za following in

qu ick succession,the dancer n ow and then varyin g the monotony of

the song by call in g wildly upon the cl oud people to come and water the

earth . The woman and ch i ld waved their wands to the rhythm of the

song ; the woman who held a si ck infant much of the time occasionally

fel l as leep,but she was awakened by the v icar who sat near her, pass

ing h is eagle plumes over her face . Wh enever the in fant slept i t was

laid upon a sheepskin,seemingly uncon scious of the noise of the rattle

and song .

When an especial appeal was to be made to Ut’set, the ho’naaite

reached over the al tar and took the Navaj o ya’ya in his right hand

and the one south of it i n h is left hand (he had deposited hi s eagle plumes

by the altar,but he held h is rattle). A ll now stood, the ho

’naaite ener

getically swaying h i s body as he waved the ya’ya

,holding them out

,

then drawing them in as he appealed to Ut’set to i nstruct the cloud peo

ple to come and water the earth . This petition concluded, the ho’na

ai te leaned over the altar,return ing the ya ’ya to their p laces

,and the

choir took their seats and smoked cigarettes of native tobacco wrappedi n corn husks . In a few moments the song was resumed , when the

woman sprinkled the altar with meal and passing to the west end of

th e room she l i fted a vase of water,placing i t on the l ine of meal

,not

far from the door,keeping time with the song wi th her two wands and

moving her body up and down by bending her knees, her feet resting

firmly on the floor and over the l i ne of meal ; again the bowl was raisedand moved about 2 feet forward

,and she repeated the motion . The

bowl was in th is way moved five times , the last time being placed

immediately before the basket of offerings . As she placed the bowl for

the last time she waved the wand held i n her right h and twi ce over

the altar , when the song closed only to begin again immediately. The

ya’ni‘siwittanni now appeared before the al tar, north of the meal l ine

a nd danced,holding two eagle plumes in the left hand and rattle in

the right. After a time,transferring the rattle to his left hand

,he

l i fted a gourd of water’

from the vase and , holding i t for a moment,waved it before the al tar and emptied i t in to the medici ne bowlwith an appeal to the cougar of the north to intercede with the cloud

people that the earth migh t be watered ; another gourdful immediatelyfollowed ; he then took the rattle in the righ t hand and joined in the

song,and danced . A th ird time he dipped a gourd of water, waved it

toward the west wi th an exhortation to the hear of the west, andemptied i t in to the bowl, fol lowing thi s with another gourdful , when a

weird cal l was given for the cloud people to come and water the earth .

Again he danced and sang, and after a time a fifth gourdful was lifted

and waved toward the south,with an appea l to the badger of the south ,

and emptied i nto the bowl , when another gourdful followed , and

BUREAU or ETHNOLOGY GLEVENTH ANpuAL REPORT PL. xx

HO'-NA-AI-TE OF GIANT SOCIETY.

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96 THE SIA.

th is plumes into the medicine water and sprinkled the altar . Theho’naaite then lean ing forward dipped h is plumes into the water and

sprinkled the al tar with a weird cal l for the cloud people to gather and

water the earth that she migh t be fru itful . Then each member repeated

the spri nkl ing of the altar with a similar prayer, the l ittle girl being

quite as enthusiasti c as the others,strain ing her voice to the utmost

capaci ty as she implored the cloud people to gather . The men struck

the plumes in thei r left hands with the rattles held i n their right,and

the woman and ch i ld struck the wand held i n the left hand wi th the

one held in the right . Each person repeated the sprinkl ing of the al tarsuccessively six times

,with appeals to the an imals of the cardi nal

poin ts . After each sprinkling the sprink ler returned to hi s place inthe l ine . Thus the ch oir was at no time deficien t i n more than one of

i ts number . At the conclusion of the sprinkl ing a stanza was sung

and the al tar was again sprinkled six times by each member ; i n th i s

in stance,however , the choi r was grouped before the al tar, the ho

’naaite

alone being seated back of i t absorbed in song. After the spri nkling

the choi r returned to the l ine and joi ned the ho’naaite i n the chant and

at i ts conclusion he sprinkled the al tar four times . He did not leave

h i s seat,but leaned forward and dipped h is plumes into the medicine

water . The ti’amoni then advanced from the south end of the l ine and

the ya’nitsiwittanfii from the north end and sprinkled toward the car

d inal points,by passing along the l ine of meal as heretofore descr ibed

,

the sprinkl ing being repeated twice . The ti’amoni returned to h is seat

and the ya’nitsiwittanfii removed th e bowl of medici ne water

,placing

i t before the fetiches and on the l ine ofmeal and stoop ing wi th bended

knees and holding his two eagle plumes and a ya'ya. i n his left handhe admin istered the medicine water to al l present, the girl receivingthe first d raught from an abalone shel l . The woman was served next,some being given to the infan t she held i n her arms

,the ho’naaite re

ceiving the l ast draught . Taking the ya’ya from the ya’nitsiwittanfii

he drew i t to h is breast an d then returned i t to the ya’nitsiwittanfii

,

he receiving it i n h is l eft hand and l ifti ng the bowl with both handshe left the h ouse an d fi ll ing his month from the bowl threw the medi

cine water through h is teeth to the cardinal po in ts , and returning

placed the bowl and ya’ya i n position before the al tar .

The ho ’naaite gathering the h

'

a’ehamoni i n h is left hand and taking

a pinch of meal wi th h is right,stooped before the al tar and south of

the meal l ine and offered a silent prayer, and, after sprinklin g the altar

and ha’eh amoni, he divided the offerings, holding a portion i n either

hand . The ti’amoni and a companion then stooped north of the l ine of

meal and facing the ho’naaite,clasped h is hands with thei r right hands,

hold ing their eagle plumes in their left and responded to a low l i tany

offered by the ho’naaite, who afterwards drawing a breath from the

plumes laid them upon the blankets over th eir left arms, the two menhaving wrapped their blankets about them before advancing to the

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98 THE SIA.

the pain ting to the bear fetich , which stood foremost on the pain ting ;thence across theb lanket and along the floor to the entrance on thesouth side and near the west end of the chamber ; again , beginn ing at

the center of the blanket he spri nkled a l in e of meal across the blan

ket to the south edge,and beginn ing again at the cen ter he sprinkled

a l in e of meal to the north edge and con tinued this l in e to the north

wal l . Then begin ning at the l ine ending at the south of the blanket,

he ran i t out to the south wal l (these four l ines being symbol ic of thefour winds), and placed the bowl of meal i n fron t of the painting and

north of the line of meal . The meal having become somewhat ex

hansted , the pottery meal bowl was replaced by an Apache basket,contain ing a quantity of fresh meal

,ground by a woman in an adjoin

ing room , wh ere a portion of the fami ly had already retired . The bas

ket of mealwas received from the woman by the ti’amoni, who stoodto her left s ide while she ground the corn in the ordinary family mi ll .

The remainder of the contents of the pottery meal bowl was emptied

i nto the Apache basket,the portion from the bowl being deemed suf

ficient i n quanti ty to lend a sacred character to the freshly groundmeal . The ho’naaite then fastened about h is neck a string of bears’

claws with a smal l reed whistle,having two soft white eagle plumes

tied to the end , attached midway, which he took from a pi le of bear-leg

skin s,having first waved the necklace around the whi te bear fetich ,

which stood to the front of the painting. Each member of the society

then put on a s imilar neck lace ; two of the members fastened amulets

around their upper right arms and two around their left arms . The

ho’naaite rolled h is blanket in a wad and sat upon i t. The other mem

bers made simi lar cush ions . The ti’amoni,whose seat was at the south

end of the l ine,crossed to the north side of the room , and taking a bi t

of red pigment rubbed it across his face and returned to h is seat, each

member rubbing a bit of galena across the forehead, across the face

below the eyes, and about the lower part of the face. The paint was

scarcely perceptible. It was put on to insure the singing of the songcorrectly . The ti’amoni again crossed the room ,

and taking from the

north ledge a bunch of corn husks,be handed them to the man who

sat next to him,who was careful to manipulate them under h is blanket,

drawn around him . The wr iter thinks that they were made in to

funnels,i n wh ich he placed tiny pebbles from ant h i lls. The vice-he’

naaite,at the north end of the lin e, left the room, and during h is ah

sence the ho’naaite,taking a bunch of straws which lay by the bear

leg skins, divided i t into five parts , giving a portion to each one pres

ent . He reserved a share for the absent member, who returned in ashort time

,bearing the sick chi ld in h is arms

,being careful to walk on

the line of meal ; he set the chi ld upon a low stool placed on the broad

band of embroidery of the blanket. (Pl . xxr)The man then handed the

basket of meal to the ch ild,who

,obeying the in structions of the vi ce

ho’naaite, took a pinch and threw i t toward the altar with a few words

“ nut-a n t

A LTAR AND S AN D PA I NT IN G .

KN I FE S O C I ETY .

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100 THE SIA.

left hands over the invalid boy, and passed them simultaneously down

h is body from head to feet,strik ing the plumes and straws Wi th rattles

which they held in their,right hands ; and as the plumes and straws

were moved down the boy’s body ants in any quant ity were'

supposed

to be brushed off the body, while in reali ty tiny pebbles were dropped

upon the blanket ; but the conjuration was so perfect the writer couldnot tel l how or whence they were dropped , although she stood close tothe group and under a bright ligh t from a lamp she had placed on the

wal l for the purpose of disclosing every detai l. The tiny nude boy

standing upon the wh i te embroidered blanket,being brushed with the

many eagle plumes,struck with their rattles by five beautiful ly formed

Indian s,was the most pleasing scene of th is dramatic ceremon ial . The

brushing of the chi ld with the plumes was repeated six t imes,and he

was then backed off the blanket over the l ine of meal and set upon the

stool,which had been removed from the blanket

,and was afterward

given a p inch of meal and told to stand and look at the an ts which hadbeen extracted from his body, and to sprinkle the meal upon them .

After this sprink l ing he resumed his seat upon the stool . The ho'na

aite stooped wi th bended knees at the northeast corner of the blanketand whispered a prayer and sprink led the b lanket. Each member

with eagle plumes sprinkled t he blanket with meal and careful ly

brushed together a ll the material which had fallen on the floor insteadof the blanket

,after wh ich the ti’amoni gathered the corners

'

together,waved i t over the child’s head

,and left the room with it. All sat per

fectly quiet, holding their rattles , eagle plumes, and straws in theirright hands dur ing the absence of the ti

’amoni. Upon his return he

waved the folded blanket twi ce toward the group of fetiches and

toward h imself, then passed i t twi ce around the chi ld’s head

,and final ly

lai d i t upon the pi le of bear-leg sk in s at the south side of the painting.

The chi ld,who was i ll and burn ing with fever

,was led by the vice

ho’naa ite to the fetiches,whi ch he sprinkled with meal

,and was car

ried from the chamber and through an outer room to h is mother at the

en trance.The ho’

na aite i s not supposed to leave the ceremon ial chamber

throughout the four days and ni ghts, as he must guard the an imalfetiches and medicin e. The other members are also supposed to Spend

much of the day and all of the night in watch ing the fetiches ; but thewriter i s of the opin ion that they al l go to sleep after the feast

,wh ich

is enj oyed as soon as the ch i ld leaves the chamber .The only variation in the ceremonial on the second nigh t was that

the vicar dipped the bi t of bread into the bowl of stew and scattered i tto the animal fetiches

,having previously l ifted ashes from the fi replace

and sprinkled the altar with them by striking the plume held in theleft hand on the under s ide with the plume held in the right ; then hold

ing the plumes between his hands be repeated a long and scarcely

audible prayer. After scattering the food to the an imal fetiches,he

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THE SIA.

had unwrapped h is ya’ya he prepared the sand painting in fron t of the

altar (Pl. x xu b). The five ya’ya were stood on the l i ne specially made

for them and a mi n iature bow and arrow laid before each ya’ya . Theho’naaite then grouped fetiches of human and animal forms

,then the

medicine bowl conta in ing water and a basket of sacred meal . He

then drew a l ine of meal whi ch extended from the slat altar to a dis

tance of 3 feet beyond the group of fetiches,his vicar afterwards

assi sting him with the additional fetiches . Two stone cougars 2 feet in

length each were stood up on ei ther side of the group . A cougar 1 2

inches long,with l ightn ing cut i n rel ief on ei ther side

,and a concretion

,

were then deposi ted before the group . Bear-leg ski n s were p iled high

F IG . 17 .—Sand pa int ing as indicated in Pl . xxv .

on either side of the altar. The cloud bowl and reed were added,the two flat baskets of ha’

chamoni and plume offerings sh own i n thesketch were afterwards deposited upon the backs of the cougars.

While th i s arrangement was in progress the minor members returnedthe powdered kaol in and black pigment to the ancien t pottery vases,from wh ich they had been taken to prepare the sand -pai nting .

The ho’naaite consecrated the bowl of water by a prayer, and drop

ping ia the six fetiches he dipped h is eagle plumes i nto the water and

strik ing them on the top with his rattle , sprinkled the altar ; holding

th e plumes in the left hand and th e rattle i n the righ t, he sprinkled

the cardinal points . The vicar formed a circle of meal , then sprinkled

BU REAU O = ETHNOLOGYELEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT PL. XXIV

HO'-NA-AI-TE OF KNIFE SOCIETY .

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104 THE SIA.

ho’naaite’

s eagle plumes and rattle laid beside it ; a prayer before thealta r by all the members cl osed the afternoon ceremony.

It wi ll be noticed that the slat al tar in PI. XXV differs from that in Pl .XX I I I . Both belong to the Kn ife Society and may be seen hanging

side by side on the wal l i n the ceremonial chamber of the Quer’riinna

,

(Pl . XXVI I I)which is also the official chamber of the Knife Society .

The second was made i n case of fai lure of the first. The vicar of th is

society i s al so ho’naaite and on ly surviving member of the Ant Soc iety, and he, bein g an xious that the wri ter should see the sand pain ting of the Ant Society, prepared the painting for th i s occasion in stead

of the ho ’naaite (Fig . He also drew her a sketch of the painting

of Ant Society for ceremon ial held for the sick,which i s here intro

duced (Fig. This last may be described as follows :( 4. represen ts meal painting emblematic of the clouds

,b and c bear-leg

skin s laid ei ther side of i t . The remainder of painting i s i n sand .

d: Ant ch ief clad in bucksk in fringed down the a rms and l egs ; he carries l ightn ing i n h is left hand ; hi s words pass straigh t from h is mouth ,as indicated by a l in e

,to the i nval id 6

,who s i ts at the Open ing of the

ceremonial to the righ t of the pain ting . The ant ch ief speaks that the

malady may leave the i nval id . A song of this character is sung by

the members of the society. The i n val id then passes to the front of

the al tar and stands upon a sacred Tusayan blanket (posit ion indicated

byf when the ho’naaite and other members 0 fthe society proceed wi th

their incantations over h im,imploring the prey an imals to draw the

ants to the surface of the body . When the ants have appeared and

been brushed from the body then a song i s addressed to the eagle g to

come and feed upon the ants . When the ants have been eaten by

the eagle the invalid wil l be restored to health . The two ci rcular

spots h represen t an t houses . These, with the paintings of the ant

ch i ef and eagle, are gathered in to the blanket upori wh ich the inval idstood and carried some d istance north of the vi llage and deposi ted .

After the blanket h as been taken from the chamber the meal paintingi s erased by the ho ’na-ai te brush ing the meal from each of the cardinal

points to the center with his hand ; he then rubs the inval id’s body wi th

the meal,after which the members hasten to rub thei r bod ies with i t,

that they may be purified not only of any physical malady but of all

evil thoughts .When the writer entered the ceremon ial chamber later i n the even

ing food was being placed in l ine down the middle of the room. There

were seven bowls , con tain ing mutton stew,torti llas, waiavi, and hominy

There was also a large pot of coffee and a bowl of sugar. The ho’naai te

,standing to the east of the mea l l i ne

,which extended from the

al tar to the entran ce,repeated a long grace

,after wh ich one of the boy

members gathered a bit of food from each vessel,'

and standing on theopposi te side of the l in e of meal

,handed the food to the ho’naaite, who

received i t i n his left hand, having transferred his eagle plumes to the

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1 06 THE SIA.

rettes were l igh ted from the long stick passed by one of the boys,and

after smoking, the ho’naaite and his younger brother put on white cot

ton embroidered Tusayan k il ts as breechcloths,which they took from

a hook on the wal l, those of the other members being plain wh ite cotton .

The ho’naaite now took hi s seat back of the altar and li ghted a secondcigarette from the long stick

,blowing the smoke over the altar. Th is

smoke was offered to Pai’at'

amo and K o’

pishtaia, the ho’naaite saying :

“ I give this to you ; smoke and be conten ted .

” He then admin isteredmedicine water to al l presen t

,dipping the water wi th a shell . The

vice-ho’naaite who received the last draft,drank directly from the

bowl , and was careful not to leave a drop i n it, after which the ho’na

ai te removed the si x stone fetiches from the bowl . The process of pre

paring medicine water i s substantial ly the same with all the cul t socie

ties,there not being in Sia nearly so much ceremony connected with

thi s importan t feature of fetich worship as with the Zuni an d Tusayan,

The six fetiches were returned to the bucksk in bag and the ho’naaite

resumed h is seat beh i n d the al tar,the members and novi ti ates having

already formed in li ne back of the altar,the official members each hold

ing two eagle plumes in the left hand and a gourd rattle in the right.

After a sh ort prayer by the ho’naaite,the boy li fted ashes from the

fireplace wi th h is eagle plumes and placed them near the altar and east

of the meal line ; again he dipped a quantity , placing them west of the

l i ne of meal . As the chan t Opened,he stood west of the l i ne and fac

ing the al tar, and an adult member stood on the east side, and each ofthem held an eagle plume in ei ther hand and a gourd rattle also in the

right. The boy dipped wi th the plumes the ashes which lay west of

the l ine of meal and the man those wh ich lay east of the l ine, and

Sprinkled toward the north by striking the plumes held in the l eft

hand on the unders ide with the plume held in the right ; again dip

ping the ashes,the boy sprinkled toward the west and the man toward

the east ; again l ifting ashes , they passed to the south and sprinkled

there ; the boy then crossed to the east of the li ne of meal and the man

to the west of the l ine, and when midway of the l ine the boy sprinkled

to the east and the man to the west ; then , dancing before the altar,they again li fted ashes and sprinkled to the north . When dan cing,both eagle plumes were held i n the left hand and the ratt le in the

right. Ashes were again l ifted and thrown twice toward the zen ithand then thrown to the nadir . The sprinkl ing to the cardinal points,zen ith and nadir

,was repeated fifteen times in the manner described,

This was to carry off all impurities of the mind , that i t might be pure ;that the songs would come pure from the l ips and pass straight over

the road of meal—the one road. The man and boy havi ng resumedtheir seats i n the line

,the vice-ho’naaite stood before the altar to the

west side of the l ine of meal,shook his rattle for a moment or two,

then waved i t vertically in front of the altar , i nvoking the cloud peopleto come ; he then waved the rattle from the west to the east , repeating

w av es-sore.) THE KNIFE SOCIETY . 107

the weird exhortation , his body being kept in m otion by the bending of

h is knees, his feet scarcely leaving the ground . The rattle was waved

three tiines from the west to the east , and then waved toward the west

and toward th e a l ta r,the east and to the alta r ; then , rai sing the rattle

high above h is head , he formed a c i rcle . Thi s wavin g of the rattle was

repea ted sixteen times . Previous to each motion he held the rattle

perfectly stil l , resting i t on the eagle plumes which he held in the left

hand .

After the s ixteenth repetit i on he waved the ra ttle over the altar .

The song dur i n g th is t ime i s an appeal to the cl oud people of the north ,west

,south

,east

,and al l the cloud peoples of the world , to gather and

send rain to water the earth , that all mankind may have the fru its of

the earth . The vicar then stood to the right of the ho’naaite, and the

choir,ri s ing

,con tinued to s ing . The ho’naaite

,lean ing over the altar

,

took two of the central ya’ya,one in either hand , and alternately rai sed

them,keeping time wi th the song, now and then extending the ya

’ya

over the a ltar . The young novi tiate held neither rattle or plumes .The boy at the east end of the l ine

,having passed through two degrees ,

held hi s rattle in the right hand and in h i s l eft a min iat ure crook . The

vicar who stood at the right of the ho’naa ite and the man who stood

to hi s left moved thei r rattles and feathers i n h armony with h is mot ion,

the three swaying their bodies back and forth and extendin g their

arms outward and upward . About th is time i t was noticed that theboys at the east end of the l i ne had fal len asleep

,and i t was more than

the man who sat next to them could do to keep them awake,alth ough he

was constantly brush ing thei r faces wi th h is eagle plumes . Th is l i ttle

scene was somethi ng of a picture,as the boy whose shoulder acted as

a support for the head of the other i s the son of on e of the most promi

nen t and richest men i n the pueb lo , the other boy being the pauperreferred to . The stan zas in thi s song were much longer than any before

heard by the writer,and each closed with a qu ick shake of the rattle .

The song Con tinued an hour and a quarter,when the singers took a few

moments’ res t, and again sang for thi rty m inutes ; another few minutes”

rest,and the Song again con tinued . In th is way i t ran from hal f past

1)o’clock unt il midn ight. At its close one of the boys brought a vase

of water and a gourd from the southwest corner of the room and

placed i t near the al tar and west of the l in e of meal . The ya’ni‘s im

’

t

tanni stood before the vase , and , l ifting two gonrdfuls of wa ter, emptied

them into the medicine bowl ; emptyin g two gourdfuls, also , in to thecloud how]

,he danced for a time before the altar, waving his plumes

and rattl e over i t ; he then emptied two more gonrdfnls i n to the med i

cine howl and two more into the cloud bowl,and resumed his dance .

He did not sing whi le performing this part of the ceremony,but when

emptying the wa ter in to the bowls he gave bi rd - l ike tril ls,ca ll ing fo r

the c loud people to gather. Aga i n he emptied two gonrdfnls i nto themedicine bowl and two in the c loud bowl ; and a fter danc ing a moment

108 THE SIA.

or two he poured two more gourdfuls i n to the medicine bowl and two

in to the cloud bowl,and resumed the dance ; again he emptied a gourd

ful in to the medicine bowl an d two into the cloud bowl then he emptied

three i nto the medicine bowl and drank twice from the bowl,after

which he returned to h i s seat in the l i ne,the boy restoring the vase to

the farther corner of the room . Two smal lmedicin e bags were handedto each member from the al tar

,one con tain ing corn pollen and the

other corn meal of si x varieties of corn : yel low,blue

,red

,white

,black

,

and variegated . The bags were held i n the left hand with the eagle

plumes,that hand being quiet

,whi le th e rattle was shaken wi th the

right in accompan imen t to the song . After singing a few minutes,

pol len and meal taken from th e medicine bags were sprinkled into the

medicine bowl . The choi r did not ri se and pass to the altar,but leaned

forward on ei ther si de ; and with each sprinkling of the meal and pollen

a sh ri ll call was given for the cloud people to gather ; the ho’naaite, i n

sprinkling in h is pollen,reached over the altar slats . The sprinkl ing

of the pollen was repeated four times , the novi tia tes tak ing n o part in

th i s feature of the ceremony,although they were provided with the

bags of pollen and mea l . The ya’nitsiwittanni danced before the al tar

an d west of the li ne of meal wi thout rattle or plumes,but continually

hooted as he waved h is hands wildly over the altar and dropped pebble

fetiches alternately i n to the medicin e and cloud bowls,un til each bowl

contained six feti ches ; then , reach ing behind the altar for h is rattle and

eagle plumes,he held an eagle plume and rattle in the right hand and

an eagle plume in the left,and stirred the water and Sprinkled the

al tar ; then he sti rred the water in the cloud bowl wi th the -reed , and

sprinkled the al tar wi th i t. The sprinkl ing of the al tar from the medi

cine bowl an d the cloud bowl was repeated six times .After each sprinkling a quick shake of the rattle was given . The

ho’naaite then reached over the al tar slats , tak ing a ya’ya in either

hand,and all stood and sang . In a moment the man to the right of

the ho’naa ite leaned over the west side of the altar, and, dipping h is

plumes in the medicine water,sprinkled the altar ; he repeated the

sprinkl i ng four times,and wh en the two ya’ya were returned to the

al tar the ho’naaite dipped h is eagle plumes in to the medicine water,and sprinkled the altar by strikin g them on the top wi th the rattle

held in the right hand . Each member then sprinkled the al tar four

times,with a wi ld exhortation to the cloud people, a ll apparently ex

h ibiting more enthus iasm when sprinkl ing the a l tar than at any othertime during the ceremonial . When the song closed two of the boys

proceeded to prepare cigarettes,tak ing their places before the fireplace,

and,tearing off bits of corn husks of th e proper size, they made them

pl iable by moistening them with saliva. O ne boy made hi s cigarettesof native tobacco

,wh ich he took from an old cloth hanging on the wall ;

the other fil led h i s with commercial tobacco . As the boys made cigar

ettes they tied them with ribbon s of corn husks, simply to keep them

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swat-m om} THE KNIFE SOCIETY . 109

i n shape unti l the smokers were ready . The rema in ing native tobacco

was returned to the old cloth and put in place upon the wal l . About

the time the boys had fini shed preparing the cigarettes,the vice

ho’naa ite took h is seat on h is wadded blanket, in front of the cloud

bowl and west of the line of meal . The man at the east end of the l i ne

d ipped hi s eagle plumes into the ashes,holding a plume i neither hand

and strik ing the one held in the l eft hand on the under side with theplume held in the right

,he sprinkled the head of the vicar

,who was

offerin g a si len t prayer, and at the same momen t the song Opened to

the accompan iment of the rattle . Previous to the vicar leaving the

l ine,the ho’naaite removed a wh ite fluffy eagle feather from one of the

ya ’ya,to wh ich i t had been attached with a white cotton cord

,and t ied

i t to the forelock of the vicar, who put in to the cloud bowl the pow

dered root which was to produce the froth ; then dipping the reed into

corn pollen he sprink led the al tar . He placed a pinch of pol len in tothe upper end of the reed

,and, turn ing that i nto the water, he put a

p i nch i n to the other end , and touched the four cardin al poin ts of the

cloud bowl wi th the corn pollen , and made bubbles by hold ing the

hollow reed i n the center of the bowl and blowing through i t. This

operation lasted but a few moments , wh en he began stirring the water

with the reed,moving i t from righ t to left

,and never raising the lower

end to th e surface of the water , producin g a beautiful egg -l ike froth .

Not sati sfied wi th i ts ri si ng h igh above the bowl,he did not ceas e

manipulating unti l the suds had completely covered i t,so that noth ing

could be seen but a mass of snowy froth ; fifteen m inutes of continual

sti rring was required to produce th i s effect. He then stood the reed i n

the center of the froth,and holdin g an eagle plume in each hand

danced before the al tar vehemently gesticulating . He dipped suds

with his two plum es and threw them toward the al tar, wi th a wild cry,and agai n dippin g suds he threw them over the al ta r to the north ; a

l ike quan ti ty was thrown to the west,and the same to the south

,the

east,the zeni th

,and the nadi r. He then dipped a quan tity

,a nd

placi ng some on the head of the white bear and putti ng some over the

parrot,he resumed his seat on the b lanket and began blowin g through

the reed and beating the suds . In five minutes he stood the reed as

before in the cen ter of the bowl,then

,dancing

,he dipped the suds ,

placing them on the head of the bear a nd over the parrot ; he then

removed the remain ing suds from the plumes by strik ing on e against

th e other over the bowl (th i s froth i s always referred to by the S ia a s

clouds). During th is part of the ceremony the choi r sang an exhortation

to the cloud peoples. A boy now handed a cigarette of na t ive toba cco

to the vicar,who puffed the smoke for some time , extend ing the cigar

ette to the north ; smoking again , he blew the smoke to the west,

and extended the cigarette to that poin t ; th i s wa s repeated to the

south and cast ; when he had consumed a ll but an i nch o f the c iga r

ette,he laid i t in fron t of the c loud bowl and ea s t o f the mea l l ine The

1 10 THE SIA.

choir did not cease singing during the smoking,and when the bi t of

clgarette had been deposited, the vicar tran sferred hi s rattle to hisright hand, keeping time with the choir. When the song closed he

left his seat in fron t of the cloud bowl an d stood by the west s ide of the

al tar,and removing the eagle plume from his head returned it to the

ya’ya and took his seat near the fireplace . Two of the boys then lightedcigarettes of native tobacco with the long firestick

,handing one to each

member.In fifteen m inutes the song was resumed and the man west of the

ho’naaite dipped his eagle plumes in the medicine water and sprinkled

the altar,repeating the sprink l ing four times . In twenty-five minutes

the song closed and the men enj oyed a social smoke,each man after

l ighting h is cigarette waving i t towards the al tar. In twenty-five min

utes the ch oir agai n sang,two boys stan ding in fron t of the altar

,one

on ei ther s ide of the l ine of meal . The one on the west side of the l in e

dipped h is plumes i nto the medici ne water and sprinkled the altar,and

the one on the east s ide of the l ine dipped his crook into the medici ne

water and sprinkled the altar. They then dipped into the cloud bow1and threw the suds to the north ; dipping suds again the boy west of

the l ine threw the suds to the west,and the one east of the l ine threw

the suds to the east ; again dipping medicin e water they passed to the

south and threw the water to that poi nt,the boy west of the meal l in e

crossed to the east,and the one on the east of the l ine of meal crossed

to th e west, and return ing to the altar they dipped suds, the boy tothe west of the l ine throwing suds in that direction

,and the boy east

of the l ine th rowing suds to that point ; again d ippi ng the medici newater they sprinkled to the zen i th

,and dipping the suds they threw

them to the nadir ; then the boy on the west of the l ine crossed to the

east,and the one on the east of the line crossed to the west

,and thus

reversing positions th ey repeated the sprinkl i ng of the cardinal points,

zen ith and nadir,twelve times

,dipping alternately into the med ici ne

water and the cloud bowl . With the termination of th e Sprinkl ing

the song ceased for a momen t,and by command of the ho’naaite the

boys, each tak ing a basket of ha’chamoni, which were resti ng on the

backs of the cougar fetiches either si de of the altar,stood in front of

the altar,

’

one on the west side of the meal l ine and the other on th eeast

,and hold ing the baskets i n their left hands shook their rattles ;

they then held the basket with both hands,moving them in time to

the song and rattles of the choir. The ho’naaite directed them towave the baskets to the north

,west

,south

,and east

,to the zenith and

the nadir ; th i s they repeated twelve times and then deposi ted the

baskets ei ther side of the cloud bowl,and the Vicar placed the bowl of

medicine water two feet in fron t of the cloud bowl,on the l in e ofmeal ,

and taking one of the ya’ya i n his left hand,he passed east of the l i ne

and,stoop ing low

,he stirred the medicine water wi th an abalone shell

,

and then passed h is hand over the ya’ya and drew a breath from it.

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su m -sou END OF CEREMONIAL . 1 1 1

The man at the west end of the l i ne of worsh ipers now came forward

and the vicar gave h im a drink of the medicine water,then the man at

th e east end of the lin e received a draft . The boy who threw the

suds with the plumes came next, and followi ng him the boy (thepauper)who held the min iature crook ; then the th ird boy advanced

and drank ; the man on the left of the ho’naaite followi ng next,the

ho’naaite came forward ; he did not receive the water from the shel l ,but drank directly from the bowl ; th e vi car holding the bowl with his

right hand placed i t to the ho’naaite’s l ips, the ho’naaite clasping th e

ya’ya , which was held in the left hand of the vicar ; he then ta king the

bowl with h is right hand and clasping the ya’ya wi th h is left , held i t

to the lips of the vicar, who afterwards left the room , carryi ng with h im

the remainder of the medicin e water and the ya’ya . He passed in to

the street and , fil li ng hi s mouth w ith the water, he threw a spray

through his teeth to the north,west

,south

,and east

,the zenith and

the nad i r and then to al l the world , that the cloud people mi gh t gather

and water the earth . In a short time he ret urned and placed the bowland ya’ya before the altar . The shell was laid east of the l ine of mea l

and in front of the cloud bowl . A cigarette was then handed the

ho’naaite and , after blowing the fir st few pufi

'

s over the altar,he

fin ished i t without further ceremony,and takin g the two baskets of

plume offerings in ei ther hand he stooped wi th bended,

knees a short

d istance i n fron t of the al tar and west of the l i ne of meal . The two

m inor members wrapped their blankets around them and stooped before the ho’naaite on the opposite side of the meal line . The ho ’

naaitc

divided the offerings between the two,placing them on the blanket

where i t passed over the left arm ; these offerings were to Pa i’atiimo

and Ko’

pishtaia , and were deposited by the boys at the shrines of

Kopishtaia (Pls. xxvrand xxvu). Food was now brought in by the boy

novi tiate,and wi th the feast the society adjourned at 3 o’clock in the

morning .

SOC IE TY OF THE QU E R’RANNA .

The Society of the Q uer’ranna has a reduced membership of three

the ho’naaite, vicar, and a woman ; and there is at the present t1me anovitiate, a boy of 5 years . Three generations are represented in th is

society— father, son , and grandson . The elder man i s one of the most

aged in Sia , and, though ho'naaite of the Quer’ranna and vi car of the

Society of Warriors, and reverenced by hi s people as being almost aswise as the “ Oracle,

” hi s fami ly i s the most desti tute i n Sia,being

composed , as i t i s,of nonproducing members . His wife i s an i nval id ; hi seldest son , the vicar of the Quer

’ranna Society , i s a para lytic, and a

younger son i s a trifl i ng fellow . The third ch i ld i s a daughter who has

been bl ind from infancy ; she is th e mother of two ch ildren , but has

never been married . The fourth chi ld i s a 1 0-year-old girl,whose time

is consumed in the care of the ch ildren of her bl ind sister,bringing

the water for family use, and grind ing the corn (the mother and si steroccasionally assi sting in the grinding)and preparing the meals, which

consist, with rare exceptions, of a bowl of mush . During the plantingand harvest times the father alone attends to the fields

,wh ich are their

main dependence ; and he seeks such employment as can be procuredfrom h is people

,and i n th i s way exchanges labor for food . Every

blanket of value has been traded for nouri shment,unti l the family i s

reduced to mere tatters for garments . For several years this family

has been on the verge of starvation , and the meagerness of food and

mental suffering tells the tale in the face of each member of the household

,excepti ng the worth less fellow (who vi s its about the country, im

posing upon his friends). E ven the l ittle ones are more sedate than

the other ch ildren of the vi l lage.Noth ing is done for this fami ly by the clan . C lose observation leads

the writer to bel ieve that the same ties of clan sh ip do not exist with

the Sia as with the other tribes . This,however

,may be due to the

long contin ued Struggle for subsi stence. Fathers and mothers lookfirs t to the needs of their chi ldren

,then comes the ch ild’s interest i n

parents, and brothers and s isters i n one another. No lack of self-den iali s found in the family.

The ho’naa ite of the Quer’ranna i s the only surviving member of th eEagle clan

,but hi s wife belongs to the Corn clan

,and has a number of

connection s. When the wr i ter ch ided a woman of th is clan for notassi sting the sufferers sh e repl ied : I would help them i f I could, butwe have not enough for ourselves,”a confirmation of the opinion that

the clan i s here secondary to the nearer ties of consangu in ity . Thecare of one’s immediate family i s obl igatory ; i t i s not so with the clan .

1 1 2

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sw a m .) QU ERRINNA RAIN CEREMON IAL . 1 1 3

The house in which th is family l ives is smal l and wi thout means of

venti lation,and the old man may be seen , on h is return from his dai ly

labors,ass isting h i s in val id wife and paralytic son to some poin t wh ere

they may have a breath Of pure air . Thev are usually accompan ied by

the li ttle girl leading her bl in d s i ster and carrying the baby on her back

by a bi t of an Old shawl which th e girl holds tightly around her .Always patien t, always loving, i s the old man to those of hi s house

hold,and the wri ter was ever sure of a greeting of smiles and fond

words from each of these unfortunates . Not wan ting i n hospital i ty

even in thei r extremity , they invi ted her to joi n them whenever she

found them at thei r frugal meal .

The on ly medicine possessed by the Quer’ranna i s se’-wil i

,which i s

composed of the roots and b lossoms of the six mythical med icine plants

of the sun,archaic white shel l and black stone beads

,turkis

, and a

yel low stone .

The preparation of th is medi cine and that of the other cult societies

i s S imi lar t o the mode observed by the Zuni . Women are dressed insacred whi te embroidered Tusayan blankets

,and th ey grind the medi

cin e to a. fine powder amid great ceremony . When a woman wishes to

become pregnant th is medici ne i s admin istered to her privately by the

ho ’naaite

,a small quanti ty of the powder being put into cold water and

a fetich of Q uer’riinna dipped four times in to the water . A dose of this

med icine insures the real i zation of her wi sh ; should i t fail , then the

woman ’s heart i s not good . Thi s same medicine i s also admin istered at

the ceremonial s to the members of the society for the perpetuation of

their race ; a nd the ho ’naa ite, tak ing a mouthful , th rows i t out th rough

hi s teeth to the cardina l points , tha t the cloud people may gather and

send rain that the earth may be fruitful .

RA IN CE REMON IAL OF THE QU E R’RANNA SOC IETY .

During the day hii’chamo ni and plume offerings are prepared by the

ho ’naa ite

,and i n the afternoon he a rranges the altar

,whic h ' i s quite

difi'

erent from those of the other cult societies , and makes a mea lpain ting symbol ic of clouds . S ix fetiches of Q uer’ranna a re then

arranged in l ine , the largest being abou t 6 i n che s,the smalles t 3

,the

others graduating in s i ze ; a medicine bowl is set before the li ne of

fet iches ; a ntlers are stood to the ea s t o f the mea l pain ting ; and bas

kets of cereals,corn on the cob, medic i ne bags , a nd a. b asket of bil ’cha .

mon i and plume ofl'

crings are a rranged about the pai nting . Pl . XXVI I I

shows photograph a t time o f cerenum ia l ; l’ l. XX IX , made i n c ase of

fa i lu re of the fi rs t, shows the meal p ai n ting , symbol ic of cl ouds , wh ich

is completely h idden in the fi rs t photograph , and i l lustrates more deli

nitc ly the fea ther decoration of the a l tar . The b i rd s surmounting the

two posts are wood ca rvings o f no mean preten s ion s ; the feathers by

the bi rds are eagle plumes , and the bunches of plumes suspended from

1 1 ETH — 5

1 1 4 THE SIA.

the cord are tai l feathers of the female sparrow hawk (Fa lco sp a rverius)and the long- crested j ay (Cyanocctla ma crolopha).The men and chi ld have their forelocks drawn ba ck and tied with

ribbons of corn husks,the men each havi ng a bunch of hawk and jay

feathers attached penden t on the left side of the head . They wear

white cotton breech cloths and necklaces of coral and kohaqua (archaicshel l heads).

1 The woman wears her ordinary dress and several coral

necklaces,her feet and l imbs being bare.

The ho’naaite

,removing a bowl of meal from before the altar and

holding i t i n h is left hand,together with h is eagle plumes and a wand

,

the wand being a miniature crook elaborately decorated with feathers,spri nkled

'

a l in e of meal from the painting to the entrance of the

chamber,for the being of Quer

’ranna to pass over.

The ho’naaite, h is v icar, and the woman sat back of the altar, the he

’

naaite to the west side,the vice to h is right , and the woman to the east

side. At this time a ch i ld was sleeping near the al tar.The ho’naaite fil led an abalone shel l with corn poll en and holding the

shell,his two eagle plumes

,and wand in hi s left hand and rattle in the

right, offered a long prayer to Quer’rauna to i nvoke the cloud people to

water the earth,and sprinkled the altar several times with pollen .

At theclose of the prayer he handed the shel l of poll en to the woman ,who passed to the front of the altar and east of the meal l in e and

Sprinkled the altar wi th the pol len . The song now began , and the

woman,retain ing her pos i tion before the altar

,kept time by moving her

wand right and left,then extending i t over the altar ; each time before

waving i t over the altar she rested i t on the sh ell for a momen t ; after

repeating the motion several times,she extended the wand to the north ,

moving it righ t and left, and after resting i t on the shel l she extended

it , to the west, and the wand was in th i s way motioned to the cardinalpoints

,zenith and nadi r . The waving of the wand to the points was

repeated four times ; and the woman then returned the shel l t'

o the ho’

naa ite, who had at i ntervals waved h is plumes and wand over the altar .

At this time the chi ld awoke,and making a wad of h is blank et sat

upon i t between the ho’naaite and the vicar ; the latter supply ing the

ch i l d wi th a wand and rattle, he joined i n the song.

The V icar bein g affl icted with paralysis could add li ttle to the cere

mony, though he made strenuous efforts to singxand sway h is palsiedbody . The group presented a pi ti ful p icture

,but i t exhibi ted a striking

proof of the devotion of these people to the observance of th ei r cul tthe fl i ckering fire- l igh t playing in lights and shadows about the headsof the three members , over whom Time holds the scythe wi th grim

menaces,while they strained every nerve to make all that was possible

of the ri tual they were celebarting ; the boy, requi ring no arousing to

sing and bend h is tiny body to the time of the rattle , j oined in the call sl The portraits of the ho’

naai te s were mad e in sec l uded spots in the woods . The ha ir is not arrangedas it is in the ceremon ial s , fear of d i scovery preventing the proper arrangement and adornment withfea thers . (P l . xxx .)

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STEVENSON .) QUERRANNA RAIN CEREMONIAL 1 15

upon the cloud people to gather to water the earth with as much enthusiasm as h is elders .The song continued

,with all standi ng

,without cessation for an hour.

The woman then brought a vase of water and gourd from the southwestcorner of the room and placed i t i n front of the altar on the line of meal

,

and the ho’naaite took from the west side of the altar four med icine

bags,handing two to the man and two to the boy (pollen bein g i n one

bag and meal i n the other), and giving the shel l contain ing the pollen

to the woman . She stood in fron t of the al tar east of the l i ne of meal

swaying her body from side to side,holding her wand in the right hand

and the shel l i n the left,keepi ng time to the rattle and the song. She

emptied a gourd of water from the vase in to the medicin e bowl,implor

ing Q uer’rauna to intercede wi th the cloud people to assemble ; the

ho’naaite then Sprinkled se’wili i n to the medici ne bowl ; then the l ittle

boy sprinkl ed pol len in to the bowl , invok ing the cloud people to gather,and the vicar

,with the same peti tion , sprinkled the pol len . The woman

then emptied a second gourd of water,first waving i t to the north

,i n to

the medicine bowl,with a ca l l for the cloud people to gather ; the

ho’naaite again deposi ted a portion of the se’wili i n to the bowl and

h is vicar and the boy sprink led in meal , with an appeal to the cloud

people ; again the woman l ifted a gourdful of water and waved i t to

ward the west and emptied i t i n to the bowl , i nvok ing the cloud people

to gather ; and the others sprinkled corn pol len , the vicar and boy call ~

i ng upon the cloud people to gather ; the woman then waved a gourd

of water to the south and emptied i t i n to the bowl , and again the

others sprinkled pollen,the vicar and boy repeating thei r peti tion ;

another gourdful was l i fted and waved to the east and emptied in to

the bowl and the sprinkl ing of the pol len was repeated . The woman

returned the vase to the farther end of the room (she officiated in the

making of the medicine water, as the vicar, being a paralytic, was unable to perform th is duty), and resumed her seat back of the altar ;reach ing forward

,she removed two smal l medicine bags

,and taking a

pinch of pollen from one and a pinch of meal from the other, sprinkled

the medic ine water ; after repeating the sprinkl ing, she tied the bags

and returned them to thei r place by the al tar. The ho’naaite

,dipping

h is plumes into the med icine bowl , sprinkled the al tar three times by

striking the top of the plumes held in the left hand wi th the rattle held

in the righ t. The sprinkl ing was repeated three times by the otherswhi le th e ho’

naa ite sang a low chant. A ll new rose,and the ho’naaite

con tinu ing the song, moved h is body violen tly , the motion being from

the knees ; a s he sang he extended his e agle plumes over the al tar amld ipped them into the med icine water wi th a cal l for the cloud people to

ga ther ; he then dipped the bird feathers attached to his wand in to themedicine water wi th a s imi lar exhortation ; the boy dipped the feathers

attached to h is wand in to the w ater, s trik ing them with the rattle, cal l

ing upon the cloud people to gather and water the earth ; the ho’naa ite

1 1 6 THE SIA.

dipped h is eagle plumes twice consecutively in to the medicin e water,

i nvoking the cloud people to water the earth ; and the vicar d ipped h isfeathers into the medici n e water

,making the most revol ting sounds i n

hi s efi‘

orts to invoke the cloud peopl e ; the boy sprinkled with the invocation to the cloud people . The sprinkl ing was repeated alternately six

times by each of the members, the ho’naaite pointing to the cardinal

points as he con tinued his exhortation to the cloud people . After re

suming their seats they sang unti l midnight, when the ho’naaite placed

the en ds of h i s feathers in to h is mouth and drew a breath and the

woman lai d her wand to the east side of the meal painting. The cere

mon ial closed wi th administering the medici ne water,the ho’naaite

dipping i t with a shell . Owing to the depleted condi tion of the society,

the duty of depositing the ha’chamoni and plume ofi'

erings fel l to theho’naaite

'

himself.

OTHE R SOCIE TIE S .

In addition to the thir teen cul t societies of the Zuni they have thesociety of the Kok ’k o

,the mythologic society .

I t i s obl igatory that all youths become members of this society to ih

sure their admittance in to the dance house in the lake of departed

spirits ; first by involun tary and later by volun tary in iti ation . Femalessometimes

,th ough seldom

,jo i n th is order. Whi le the Sia mythology

abounds in these same an thropomorph i c beings,thei r origin is accounted

for in an entirely different manner from th ose of the Zuni . The K a’

tsun a of the Sia were created by fl t’sét i n a s ingle n ight in the lower

world .

1 These beings accompan ied the Sia to this world,and upon their

advent here Ot’set di rected them to go to the west and there make the ir

home for all time to come .They are solici ted to use their i nfluence with the cloud people

,and

the dances of the Ka’tsuna are usual ly held for rain or snow. I t i s

the prerogative of the ti’amoui to control the appearance of the K a’

tsuna . When a dance i s to occur,the ho’naaite of the Society of Q uer

’~

ranna selects such men and women as he wishes to have dance and holdsa number of rehearsals

,both of the songs and dances . Those who are

the most graceful , and who have the greatest powers of endurance and

the most reten tive memories for the songs,are chosen to personate the

Ka’tsuna regardless of any other consideration . Both sexes, however,must have been first in i tiated in to the mysteries of the Ka" suna.

Previous to in itiation the personators are bel ieved by the Sia to bethe actual Ka" suna. The instruction con tinues from four to eight days,and dur ing th is period con tinency must be observed

,and an emeti c

drank by the married men and women each morn ing for purification

from conjugal relations .

Whenever the Ka’tsuna appear they are accompanied by thei r attend

1 There were other K a"shna ,however, wh ic h were in the u pper world before the Sia came . Wh i le

the Sia can not account for the ir orig in they are al so personated by them .

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sm ut-soy .) OTHER socmrins . 1 1 7

ants,the K o

’sh a iri and Q ucr

’riinna . who wa i t upon them ,

attend ing to

any disarranged apparel an d mak ing the spec tators merry with their

witty sayings and bufi’

oonery .

The S ia have a great variety of masks , wh ich must be very old , judg

ing from their appearance. and th e priest of the Quer’riinna ,

who has

them in charge,claims for them' great an tiquity . Pls . XXX I and xxxn

i llustrate some masks of the Ka" suna .

When a boy or girl reaches the time when,as thei r fathers say

,they

have a good head,some ten or twelve years of age

,the father first sug

gests to the ho’naaite of the Quer’ranna (i f the father i s n ot l i ving then

the mother speaks)that h e would l ike h is son or daughter to become

acqua in ted with the Ka" suna ; he then makes known h is wish to the

ti’iimoni,and after these two have said , “ It i s well

,

” he says to h is

ch i ld,“ My child

,I th ink i t i s time for you to know the Ka

’tsuna,

” and

the ch i ld repl ies,

“ It i s well,father .” The paren t then informs the

ho’naaite that h is chi ld wishes to know the Ka" suna , and the ho’naaite

repl ies,

“ I t i s well .” The next time the Ka" suna come he may know

them .

The ho’naaite prepares a meal painting for the occasion , covering i t

for the t ime being wi th a blanket. Upon the arrival of the Ka" suna

the father and child,and , if the ch ild be a member of a cult society,

the theurg ist of the society , proceed to th e ceremon ia l house of the

Q uer’riinna . If the ch i ld possesses a fetich of th e ya’ya he carries i t

pressed to h is breast . Upon entering the ceremon ial chamber the chi ld

and attendants take their seats at the north end of the room near

the west side,the ho ’

naaite of the Quer’ra

‘

nna si tting just west ofthe meal painting

,the boy to his right

,and the paren t next to

the boy . The ti’iimoni and ho’naa ite of warriors are present and si t

on the west side of the room and about midway . The Sa ’ia hlia (two of

the Ka" suna)stamp about in the middle of the room for a time , then

the ho’naaite leads the chi ld before the meal painti ng, which is, how

ever,sti l l covered wi th the b lanket

,and says to the Ka" suna

,“ A

youth [or maiden , whichever i t may be ] has come to know you .

” The

Ka’tsuna each carry a bunch of Spanish bayonet in either hand , and

the ch ild receives two strokes a cross the back from each of the Ka" suna,

un less h e be an o fficia l member of a cul t Soc iety ; in th i s case he is ex

empt from the chasti semen t. A boy i s n ude excepting the breech

cloth ; a girl wea rs her ord inary cloth ing . The ho ’naa ite

,addres si ng

the Ka" suna , says : “ Now i t. is wel l for you to raise your masks that the

chi ld may see .” O ne ot'

thc Sa ’iahlia places h i s ma sk over the ch i ld ’s head

and the other lays h is by the meal pa in ting , the ho ’naa ite having re

moved the bl anket. The personators of the l( a “ suna then say to thechild : “ Now you know the K a

”suna yon wi l l henceforth have only goml

thoughts and a good hea rt ; sometime , perhaps , you wi l l be one of us .

You mu st n ot. speak o f these th i n gs to a nyone. no t i n itia ted .

”The ma sk

i s then taken from the chi ld ’s head a nd la id by the. s ide of the othe r,

1 18 THE SIA.

and the boy answers : “ I wi ll n ot speak of these th ings to anyone .The Ka" suna then rubs the mea l of the painti ng upon the ch ild

,and

those presen t afterwards gather around the painting and rub the meal

upon their bodies for mental and physical purification . The chi ld de

posi ts the ha’ch amon i presented to h im by the ho’naaite at the shrine

of the Quer’ranna at the base of the vi l lage and to the west. The

ha’chamoni i s composed of eagle an d turkey plumes. The ch i ld says

when depos itin g it,

“ I now know you,Ka ’tsuna

,and I pay you this

ha’chamoni.” The ho’naa ite deposi ts a h'

a’chamoni for each member

of the society at the shrine,which i s i n a fissure in a rock

,and after

the deposi tion of the ha’chamoni the open ing i s covered with a rock and

no evidence of a shr in e remains .

SOCIE TY OF THE COU GAR .

This society i s nearly extinct,i ts membersh ip cons isting of the he

naaite (the oracle)and h is vicar, the former being also ho’naaite of the

society of warriors ; though aged, he retains his facul ties perfectly andperforms h i s ofii cial and rel igious duties with the warmest in terest.

P revious to a hunt for game a two days’ ceremon ial is held by th is

society,and on the th ird morning ha’chamoni and plume offerings are

depos ited by the vice ho’naaite . The cougar is appealed to, as he is

the great father and master of all game ; he draws game to him bysimply s itting still, fold ing h is arms, and men tal ly demanding the pres

ence of the game ; l i kewi se when he wishes to send game to any par

ticular people he controls i t wi th h i s m ind and not by spoken words .Though the cougar sends the game i t i s the sun who gives power to the

Sia to capture i t .

It i s the prerogative of the ho’naaite of th i s society to decide upon

the time for the hunt. Ha’chamoni are deposi ted to the cougar of

the north,the west, the south , the east to convey the messages

of the Sia . If a rabbit hun t i s to occur a rabbit stick and‘

an arrow

poin t are deposited as offerings to the sun . The ofi'

erings to the

cougar of the zen ith are deposited to the north and those to the sun to

the east. If the hun t i s to be for larger game an arrow poin t on ly isdeposited to the sun . The hun t may occur very soon after these offer

ings are made or not for some time,i t being optional wit-h the ho’naaite.

He does not directly notify the people,but speaks to the war chief

,who

heralds h is message. When announcement has been made of the pro

spective hunt a fire i s made at n ight on the east s ide of the vill age and

the selected huntsmen form in a ci rcle around i t ; here the night is Spent

making plan s for the hunt,in epi c son gs

,and story tel ling, and, l ike

other Indians,the Sia recount the valorous deeds

'

of the myth ical beingsand their people i n low

,modulated tones . The hunt occurs four days

from thi s time,and continency i s observed unti l after the hun t. On the

fifth morn ing,i f the hun t be for rabb i ts

,the men and women of the

vi llage prepare to j oin in the chase by first having thei r heads bathed

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1 18

and the boy answers “ I wi ll not spea k o i'

t hese things to -.y gate."

The Ka" suna then rubs the me al of the. [muti ng upo n the ch ild“ andthose present afterwa rds gath er aroun d th e pa i n ti ng and ra te the men

“

upon their bodies for inental and physical purificat ion, The child dc

posi ts the hti ’chauion i presented t o h im by the ho’mm it

‘

e the the m es

of"

the a r’ranna a t the base of the vil l age and t o PM" “ M y The

ha’chamoni i s composed of eag le and turkey plumes. The s h imWwhen depos iti ng it ,

“ I now know you, Ka" suna . and i, pa y yon this

M 'txheaw i.

"

The ho ’naaite deposi ts a h it

’bhamoui for ea ch memberof the Mabe l-r ig at the shrine , wh ic h is i n a fissure in a

\

rock,and a fter

the derms ition of the hii‘chamoni the opening i s co vered wi th a rock

‘

and

no evidence of a shrin e rema ins.

SOCIETY 0 1" T h”: BAR .

Th is s oc i ety i s nearly extinct, its members hip ra nd fi ifi g of the ho'

naaite (the oracle)and his v icar, the former bei ng a ls o ta lism anof thesoc iety of warriors ; though aged, he retain s h is facul ties perfertfly and

performs h is official and religious duties w ith the warmest in terest.Previous to a hun t for game a two days’ ceremon ial i s held

" by th is

soc i ety, and'

on the th ird morning ha’chamoni and plume offerihgs are

depos ited by the. vice ho’naa ite . The cougar is appealed to, as he is

the gre at. father and“

tal’

d héb i set a ll game ; he draws game to him by

siniply s i t ti ng am: his a rm-L . « mt am » ta lks demanding thepresence of th e name : sixes

-m : m h e s inew sf s i t game i n may W ‘

ticnlar "9 U " Wis 4-8'th is? » ( saw-Q yd «Otis?»

Though the eongar semis t li '

gases f i mm W h r

81a to capture i t.

It i s the preroga t i ve n é’

the lacs'

soszaizn wt. th is fux'

sfl ifs w rie r-4 554 i gnite

the time. tor the. ha s ! [M astmnimh aw (term inal 9 th e. ran g e of

the north the Wes t, the sou th . the reset to c onvey the. messages

of the Sia . lf a rabbi t hun t is to occur a rabbit s ti ck and‘

iin arrow

point are deposited as offerings to the sun . The offerings to the

cougar of the zen ith are depos ited to the north and those to the sun to

theeas t. If the hunt i s to be for larger game an arrow po int on ly isdeposited to the sun . The hun t may occur very soon afterthese ofi

‘

er

ings are made or not for some timen'

t being optional wi th the ho’naaite.

He does not d i rectly notify the people, but speaks to the war chief, whoheralds h is message . When announcement has been made of the pr o

spective hunt a. ti re i s made at n i gh t on the east s ide of the vi l lag e and

the selected huntsmen form in a circle around i t ; here the n igh tis see ] at

making’

plans for the hun t, ia epic songs, and sto ry telling , and , like

other Indians. the Sia recount theyalorous deeds"

o f the ni'

sthaeni iwingsand their people in low,

modulated tones . Th e hunt swea rs fiia‘

r days

from thi s time,and con tinency i s observed un til afte r t he hun t. On the

fifth morn ing,it

‘ the hun t. be for rabb its, the men and women of thevillage

"

prepare to j oin i n the chase by firs t. ha vi ng thei r head s bathed

Bureau of Ethnology. EleventhAnnua l Report Pla te XXXI.

S IA M AS K S .

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THE SIA.

seemed perfectly absorbed in h is infant daughter,h is wife’s greeting

,

l ike those of the other wives,being simply to take first

'

his gun and

then hi s other traps from hi s horse .

The ho’naaite of the cougar society vi si ted the houses of all the returned hunters, first entering the house of his v icar. The young man

stood in the center of the room and the ho’naaite embraced him and

repeated a prayer of thanksgiving for h is success in the hunt and h issafe return . The old man was then assi sted to a seat upon a wadded

blanket and the father of the hunter spread a sheepskin upon the floor,

wool s ide down,and emptied the contents of the sack which was takenfrom the hunter’s horse upon i t, wh ich was noth ing more than the

desi ccated meat and bones of an antelope . The aged man then took

from h is pouch a feti ch of the cougar,about 3 inches long

, and touching

i t to the meat of the antelope many times prayed most earnestly for

several minutes . H is prayers were addressed to the cougar,thanking

him for h is goodness in sending h is chi ldren over the land that the Siam ight secure them as payment to the cloud people for watering the

earth .

In the next house visi ted the meat of the antelope was spreadupon a bear’s skin

,the hair down . The skin of the antelopewas folded

lengthwi se and laid by the side of the meat, and the skul l and antlers

placed at one end. The wi fe of th e hunter laid over the skul l many

strings of coral , ko’haqua , and turki s bead s, and afterwards sp read a

whi te embroidered Tusayan blanket over the carcass . A smal l bowl of

sacred meal was deposi ted in front of the head . The aged ho’naaite

repeated a prayer similar to the one he offered in the first house,not

om i tting placing the fetich to the antelope ; he then clasped h is hands

four times over the skul l of the antelope and drew a breath,afterwhich

the hunter l ighted a cigarette for the ho’naaitewho blew the first whifi

over the ante lope and extended the cigarette toward i t. The ho ’naaite

repeated the prayer in the houses of the four successfu l hunters . The

other two men were not overlooked,as he embraced them and repeated

a prayer of thanksgiving for their safe return .

‘ The war ch ief visited

all of the houses , but d id noth ing more than sprinkle the antelope wi thcorn pollen

,drawing in a sacred breath from the game

,puffing the first

whiff of h is cigarette over i t and extending the cigarette toward it.

When the game i s shot,the hunter dips his feti ch into the blood

,

tel l ing i t to drink . The blood i s often scraped from fetiches and drunkin a l ittle water to insure greater success in the hunt . There are Specimens of such fetiches in Mr . S tevenson’s collection in the National

Museum . Some students,through theirimperfectknowledge, have been

led into the error of supposing from their new appearance that thesefetiches were of recent manufacture . The game i s kept in the housesof the hunters unti l the following morn ing

,when i t i s taken to the cere

mon ia l house of the ti’iimoni, the war chief decid ing what day i t sha ll

The aged ho'naa ite has s ince died .

Bureauof Ethnology. Pit » XXX“ ,

Hi d!

120 mm: su .

seemed perffnasly absorbed in h is infant daughter, hi s r im greeting,l ike those

'

of the o ther wives, be ing‘

s imply to take firs t his firm and

then his other traps from his horse .

The ho’naaite of the ra vages H ie/fl it," visited the houses of i t! the re ~

turned hunters , firs t enteri ng the tarmac o f his vica r . We { vi-mg iuz‘

m

stood in'

the c enter of the M o m and the ho’naa ite M aw him and

repeated a prayer of thanksgiving fo r h is s a t-TN in the hunt aad h is

safe re turn. The old man was then as sis ted to a m et upen a Weddedba nkerand the fat her of the hun te r spread a shee pskin upon the floor,wmyt a nte do om , and emptied the contents of the sac k whic h was takenfrom the hun te r

‘

s ho rse upon i t, which was noth ing more than the

des iccated mea t and bones of an ante lo pe . The aged man then tookfrom h is pouch a fetich of the conga : about { inches long, and touching

it to the mea t of the antelope many times prayed most earnestly forseveral minutes . H is prayers were add re tn the w ngar, thanking

h imfor h is goodness in sending h is chi ldren ove r the lan d tha t the Sia“

.

mi ght secure them as payment to the cloud peo ple fer watering the

In the next house vis ited the meat of th e antelope was spreadupon a hea skin

,the. hair down . The skin of the antelopewas folded

lengthwise and la id by the side of the meat, and the skull'

and antlers

pl aced at one end . The wi fe of the hunter la id over the skull'

manystrings of coral , ko

’haq na , a nd turk is he ads , and afterwa rd s soread a

white embroidered Tusayan bla nket ove r the c arcass .

‘

A sma l l b owl ofas me !me a l was ufi p fls itafi in th an of Mae. h ead . The a ged M i tig fidw

11 39621 143 1 8 p l a n t ‘l im 30 N » m u.

l

i 8550. {4 t i, first , a , m ay

.3

omi ttingmis t ing the fo i l. a n n-o i‘

x“9 gang was cu ft:

four times ove r th e shun of in w zn‘

u s e 2“

new$ 2 sa te: t a b

the hunte r lightcd a (M M ? ! rm 3 n' he as f v w M M» i n m a! s kin

over the antelo pe and s u c cee d U s “ itw l p inward it ~ f ine ho‘

naaite

repea ted the prayer in th e house s o f» the four smwcss t’ul hunters. The

other two men were not overlooked , as be embrac ed them and repeated‘

a prayer of thanksgiving for their safe return.

‘ The war chief visi ted

all oi the houses, but did noth ing more than sprinkle the an telope wi th

corn pollen , drawing in a sac red breath from the game, puffing the first

whifi‘

of h is ciga rette over it_and extending the cigarette toward it.

When the game is shot, the hunter di ps h is fetich into the bloodtelling it to drink . The blood i s often scraped from fetiches and drunkin a little water to insure greater success in the hunt . There are. speci

.

mens of such fetiches in Mr. Stevenson’s coll e ction in the Na tionalMm e nus. Some students

,th rough theirimperfectknowledge, hare bee n

led ion s th e e rrsa' of supposing from their new appea ra nce that the.“

t'

eticli%.

n 1-t'

e o t rec ent ma nufac ture . The game. is kept in the na me »

of the hunters unt il the fol lowing morning, when it is ta ken to ”i t A’( re

monial trouser of the. ti ’iimoni, the war ch ief dec id ing wha t d r . sha ll

The nged‘

ho'naa ite has an on ems

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srsvm sos .) SOCIETY or WARRIORS . 1 21

be dist r ibuted among the ho ’na a ites of th

’

e several cult societies . It

may be one,two

,or three days after the return of the hunters . At the

appointed time the ho ’na a ites assemble in the ceremon ial house of the

ti’iimoni,who divides the game

,each ho’naa ite carrying h is portion to

h is ceremon ial chamber . About noon of the same day the members of

the cul t societies assemb le i n thei r respective ceremon ial chambers and

prepare ha’chamoni ; at the same time, i f the society has any female

members,they place the game in a pot and cook i t in the fireplace in

the ceremonial chamber,but if there be no female members certain male

members are designated for thi s purpose . Toward evening the slat

al tars are erected , and the n ight i s spent i n songs and suppl ications to

the cloud people to gather and water the earth . l l a’chamoni and the

game are depos i ted before sun ri se at four shrines— to the cougar of the

north , the west, the south , and the east , that th ey wil l i n tercede for

the cloud people to gather and water the earth . Ha’chamoni are

also deposi ted to the sun father that he wi l l i nvoke the cloud people

to water the earth,and also that he wi ll embrace the earth that the

creps may grow . O thers are deposi ted i n the fields as payment to the

cloud people for the services requested of them .

SOC IETY OF WARR IORS .

The Society of Warriors and the Knife Society have a ceremonial

chamber in common ; and in a certain sense these societies are closely

al l ied , the former having had originally as i ts presiding oflicers Ma’a

sewe and U ’

yuuyewé, the twin ch i ldren of the sun , th e latter society

having derived i ts n ame from the arrows wh ich were given by the sun

father to the invuhi erable twin s,and wi th which they destroyed the

enemies of the earth . Each of these societies , therefore , has a share

in the i n i tiation of a victor .The kil l ing of an enemy i s not suffi cient to admi t a man i nto the

Society of NVarriors ; he must return wi th such troph ies as the scalp

and buckski n apparel . The vic tor carries the scalp on an arrow un ti l

he draws near to the vi l lage,when he tran s fers i t to a pole some 5 feet

in length,the pole being held with both hands . The Victor’s approach

is heralded , and i f i t be after the sun has eaten h is midday meal hemust n ot. en ter the vi l lage

,but remain near i t unti l morning

,food being

ca rried to h im by the war ch ief. In the morning the Society of theKni fe

,fol lowed by theWarriors and the male populace of the town

,j oi n

the vi ctor . A n extended pra yer i s o il'

cred by the ho ’naa ite of the Kni fe

Soc iety,and then

,addressi ng the spi ri t of the enemy

,he says : You are

now no longer our enemy ; your scalp is here ; you wi ll no more destroy my

people .” The lio’naa ite o f theWarriors and his vic a r respond, “ So !So !

”

The air i s resonan t the remainder of the day with the wa r song, there

being occasional i n termiss ions for prayers ; and a t sundown the ho ’na

ai te of the Warriors and his vicar,wi th the vic tor, bearing the pole and

scalp between them ,lead the way to the vi l lag e , fol lowed by the mem

bers o f the socie ty,and then the Kni fe Society

,led by its ho ’na a ite and

1 22 THE SIA.

his vicar . After enci rcl ing the vil lage from right to left,the party en

ters the ceremon i al chamber,when the scalp is deposi ted before the

meal painting,the ho’naaite of the Kn ife Society having prepared the

painting and arranged the fetich es about i t in the morn ing before going

to meet the vi ctor . The two large stone images of Ma’asewe and

U ’

yuuyewe, which are brought out on ly upon the in i tiation of a victor

i nto the Soci ety of Warriors,are kept i n a room exclusively their own ;

these particular fetiches of the war heroes are n ever looked upon bywomen

,consequently they have remained undisturbed in their abi ding

place a number of years,the excepti on being when all the fetiches and

paraphernalia of the cul t of the Sia were displayed in 1887 for Mr.Stevenson’s and the wri ter’s i nspection . The members of the Knife

Society sit on the west side of the room and the Warriors on the east

s ide,the ho’naaites of the societies si tting at the north end of ei ther

l ine,each ho’naaite having his v icar by h is side

,and the victor by the

side of the v icar of the Warri ors ; he does not join in the song, but si tsperfectly still . At sunri se the scalp i s washed in yucca suds and cold

water by each member of the Kni fe Society,and the Victor’s hands are

then bathed for the first time sin ce the scalping,and he proceeds to

pai nt his body . The face and lower portion of the legs are colored red

and the remainder black,and galena is then spread over the greater

portion of the face . The Knife Society wears white cotton embroidered

Tusayan kilts and moccasins,and the Warriors wear k il ts of unorna

mented buckskin , excepting the fringes at the bottom and the pouch

made from the buckski n apparel captured from the enemy . The Victor

wears the bucksk in k i lt,moccasin s

,and pouch

,and he carries a bow

and arrows i n h is left hand,and the pole wi th the scalp attached to i t

i n the right . Each member of the society also carries a bow and arrowsin the left hand and a single arrow in the right . The members of the

Kn ife Society have gourd rattles i n th ei r right hands and bows andarrows in the left. The hair of al l i s left flowing .

An arrow point is placed in the mouth of the vi ctor by the ho’naaiteof the Kn ife Society, an d they al l th en proceed to the plaza, the mem

bers of each society forming i n a l i ne and the victor dancing to and

fro between the l ines, rai si ng the scalp as h igh as the pole wi l l reach ,but he does not sing or speak a word . The numbers in the l ines arein creased by the men of the vil lage carrying war clubs and firearms

,

keeping up a. con tinual vol ley with their pis tols and guns un ti l the

close of the dance at sundown . The women are not debarred fromexhibiting their enthusiasm

,and they. j oin in the dance .

Upon their return to the ceremon ial chamber the scalp i s again

deposi ted before the meal pain ting and the ho’naaite of the Knife Society

proceeds with the final epic ri tual which completes the ini tiation of the

Victor into the Society of Warriors,closing wi th these words : “ You

are now a member of the Society of Warriors,” and he then removes

the arrow point from the Vi ctor’s mouth . The members , i n conj unction

with the victor,respond “ Yes !Yes !

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srsvsssos j SONGS . 1 23

The cotton sh irt and trousers are then donned and the scalp is

carried to the scalp -house (a cavi ty in the earth covered wi th a mound

of stone)and deposited with food for the Spiri t of the departed enemy.

Again retiu-ning to the ceremon ial chamber, fast is broken for the first

time during the day,when a feast, which is served by the female rela

tives o i‘

the victo r, i s enj oyed . After the meal they go to the river andremove al l evidences of the pain t upon their bodies . Continency is

observed four days .The few songs of the cul t wh ich the writer was able to col lect are

direct i nvocation s for rain,or for the presence of zoomorph ic beings in

ceremon ial s for heal ing the sick,a few words sufficing for many unex

pressed ideas. The epic r itual of the S ia i s so elaborate that much time

and careful i nstruction are requi red to impress i t upon the mind,and the

younger men either have not the mind necessary for the retention of

the ritual or wi l l not tax thei r memories ; therefore the web of Sia myth

and rel igion i s woven into the minds of but few.

The aged theurgists were eager to in trust to the wr iter the keepingof thei r songs, which are an elaborate record of the l ives of their myth ic

heroes and of the Sia themselves .

The S ia sometimes adopt the poet’s l icen se i n their songs and alter

a word ; for example , the name for“ badger” i s tuo’pi, but i s changed

in the sko ’yo song for rai n to tupi’na , because , they say , the latter word

renders the stanza more rhythmical . And , again , differen t words are

synonymously used .

The his ’tiiin and quer’ranna have each a simi lar song of peti tion for

rain,th i s song having been given to the his’tian by the sun . It wi ll be

remembered that the name of th is society indicates the kn ives or

arrows of l ightn ing given to the heroes by thei r sun father .

SONGS .

A RAIN SONG OF THE SHU’-WI CHA I ’AN (SNAKE SOC IE TY).

1 . l-Ien’-na-ti 2 . c ’

-na -ti sh ih wan -na

IIe’-£ish He’-£i sh sh i -wan -naP iu" -tu -wish -ta w ’t u-wish - ta sh i-wan -naRow-mots Kow-mots sh i ’—wan na

Kash ’-ti -a rts Ka sl i ’ -ti -arts shi’-wan-na

l( a ’-chard Ka ’-chard shi’-wan -na

( 1)Tra nsla tion. : —l Ienna ti,wh i te floating ma sks , beh ind wh ieh the

cloud people pass about over ti ’n i ’a for reerea tiou ; l l e’iish , masks l ike

the plains,beh ind which the c loud people pass over ti ’n i ’a to wa ter the

earth ; I’ iirtuwlshta , l ightn ing people ; Kowmo ts

,thunder peo plt

K a sh tia rts,rainbow people ; Ka

’c hard

,rain

,the Word bein used in

th i s i nstance,however

,as an emphat ic i nvoc a tion to the rulers of the

cloud people .

(2)Sh i’wanna

,people .

1 24 THE SIA.

Free transla tion :—An appeal to the priests of ti’nia . Let the whi tefloating clouds— the clouds l ike the plains—the l ightn ing

,thunder

,rain

bow , and cloud peoples, water the earth . Let the people of the white

floating clouds—the people of the clouds l ike the plains—the l ightn ing,

thunder, rainbow and cloud peoples—come and work for us, and waterthe earth .

3 . Sha ’-ka -ka 4. Sha ’-ka -ka sh i ’-wan -naShwi ’-ti ~ra-wa ona Shwi'-ti -ra -wa -na sh i ’-wan -naMai ’-ch i -na Mai ’-ehi-na sh i ’-wan -na

Shwi ’—si -ui-h a -na-we Shwi ’-si -ui-ha -na-we sh i -wan -naMarsh ’t i-ttt-mo Marsh ’ t i-ta-mo sh i ’-wan-na

Mor’-ri -ta-mo Mor’-ri-ta-mo shi ’-wan—na

Transla tion :—Sha ’kaka,spruce of the north ; Shwi

’tirawana , pine of

the west. Mai’china , oak of the south . Shwi’sinihanawe,aspen of th e

east. Marsh’tit

'

amo, cedar of the zen i th ; Mor’ritamo

,oak of the nadir.

(2)Shi’wanna, people.

Free transla tioa z—C loud priest who ascends to ti ’n ia through theheart of the Spruce of the north ; cloud priest who ascends to ti

’n ia

through the heart of the pine of the west ; cloud priest who ascends to

ti ’n ia through the heart of the oak of the south ; cloud priest who

ascends to ti ’n ia through the heart of the aspen of the east ; cloud

pri est who ascends to ti ’n ia through the - heart of the cedar of the

zen ith ; cloud priest who ascends to ti’n ia, through the heart of the oak

of the nadir ; send your people to work for'

us , that the waters of thesix great springs may impregnate our mother, the earth , that she may

give to us the fruits of her being .

Though the trees of the cardin al points are addressed the supplication i s understood to be made to priestly rulers of the cloud peoples of

the cardinal points .

5. Hénflna -ti ka ’-shi -wan -naHe

’a sh ka’sh i -wan - na

Pfir’t u -wish -ta ka’sh i -wan -na

Kow-mots ka’sh i-wan -na

Kash -ti -arts ka’shi -wan -naK a

'chard ka’shi -wan -n a

ka’sh i -wan -na (al l people).

Free transla tion :—A 11 the white floating clouds— al l the clouds like

the plains—al l the l igh tn ing,thunder

,ra inbow and cloud peoples, come

and work for us .

6 . Sha ’-ka -ka

Shwi ’ -ti -ra -wa -naMai ’c h i-naShwi ’ -s i -ni-ha -na-weMarsh ’-ti -ta-moMor’—ri -ta-mo

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1 26 THE SIA.

Translation—S nake Societyof the north , Snake Society of the west,Snake Society of the south , Snake Society of the east, Snake Seclety of the zeni th , Snake Society of the nadir, come here and workwith us .

2 . H o’-na-ai -te Ska ’-to-we chai ’-an

Ho’-na-ai - te K a

’-span -na chai -an

Ho’-na-ai -te K o

’-quai-ra char-an

Hot na ‘ ai-te Q uis-sér-ra char-an

Ho’-na-ai -te E u’

-wa ’-ka char-an

Ho’-na-ai-te Y a ’

-ai char-an

An appeal to the ho’-naaites of the snake societies of the cardinal

points to be present and work for the cur in g of the sick .

3 . Mo’-kai to chai ’-an K a’-kan char-an

Ko’-hai char-an Tia’-mi chai ’-an

Tu -o’-pi char-an Mai’tu-bo char-an .

An appeal to the animals of the cardin al points to be presen t

ceremon ial of heal ing.

4. Ho’-na-ai - te Mo -kaito char-an

Ho’-na-ai—te K o

’-hai char-ah

Ho’-n a-ai -te Tu-o’-pi char-an

H o’-n a-ai-te K a

’-kan char-an

Ho’-n a-ai - te Ti -a’-mi char-an

Ho’-na -ai -te Mai ’-tu-bo chai ’-an

An appeal to the ho’naaites of the an imal societies of card inal

points to be present at the ceremon ial .

A RAIN SONG OF THE sx o’Y o CHAI’AN (G IANT SOCIE TY).

1 . Cher -Es ti mu ko wai ’ ya tu ai ’ ya mi wa waM iddle of the world door of sh i ’pa -

po my med ic ine is prebelow c ions, it is as my

heart

titka tsi mai ah kosh ’ te an

come to us echo

2 . Kai ’ nu a we eh sha ka ka ka ’ sh i wan na ti ka ’ru ts in i ah

Who is it spruce of all your peop le your thoughtsnorth

"

ti’ ka tsi mai ah

come to us

3 . Kai ’ nu ah we be hen ’ na ti ka ’ rn tsi n i ah t i ’ ka tsi mai ah

Who is it ‘wh ite tl oa t your thoughts come to us

ing c louds "

ka ’ shi wan na ti ka ’ru tsin i ah ti ’ ka !s i mai ah

all your peop le your thoughts come to us

STE VENSON ] SONGS . 1 27

4. Kai ’ nu ah we ehW'

ho is it

5. Kai ’ nu ah we he\Vh o is it

6 . Kai ’ nu ah we ehWho is a

ru tsi n i ah ti ’ kit tsi mai ahthough t. come to us

Free transla tion.—We , the ancien t ones, ascended from the middle

of the world below,through the door of th e entrance to the lower

world,we hold our so ngs to the cloud

,l igh tn ing , and thunder peo

ples as we hold our own hearts ; our medicin e i s precious . (Addressing

the people of ti ’nia :) We en treat you to s end your thoughts to us thatwe may s ing your songs strai gh t

,so that they wil l pass over the

straight road to the cloud priests that they may cover the earth with

water,so that she may bear al l that i s good for us.

Lightning people,send your arrows ’

to the middle of the earth,

hear the echo (mean ing that the thunder people are flapping their

wings among the cl oud and l ightning peoples). Who is i t (the s ingers

poin tin g to the north)? The people p f the spruce of the north . A ll

your people and your thoughts come to us. Who is i t ? People of

the white floating clouds . Your thoughts come to us,al l your people

and your thoughts come to us . Who is i t (poin ting above)? People of

the clouds l ike the plain s . Your thought comes to us. Who is i t ?

The lightn ing peop le . Your thoughts come to us . \Vho i s i t ? C loud

people at the horizon . All your people and your though ts come t o

us .

A SONG OF THE sxo’vo CHAI ’AN (G IANT soc iETY)FOR HEAL ING

S ICK .

Ah ’ wa ’-mi

1 . K a i’-nu -a mo ’ka i -ra ho ’ma -wa -ai -teWho is it couga r theurg ist

nu -ro -wa -ah ka ’-‘si -ma-ah

a ll is you rs ta ke away a ll di sease

2 . Kai ’-nu -a . eh ko ’-hai ‘y a ho ’

-na.~wa-ai -te-'

ho is it bea r the urg is t

nu-ro~wa-ah ka ’Jsi-ma -ah

a ll is yours ta ke away a ll disease

3 . Kai -nu -a we eh tu ’-pi -na ho ’-na~wa-ai -te

W'ho is it badger theurg is t

nu-ro wa -ah k it ’~tsi-ti l zi .-a lia ll is yo urs ta ke away a ll d iseas e

he ’ a sh sh i tsi ka ’ru

‘s in i ah ti ’ ka tsi mai ah

c louds l ike the your thoughts come to us

p la ins"

ish to wa ka ’ru

tsin i ah ti ’ kit tsi ma i ah“arrow of your thoughts come to me

l ight-D ing

ha’ a ‘s i tsi’ at tsi Il l ka ’ shi wan na ti ka ’

earth horiz on all your peop le your

1 28 THE SIA.

4. Kai -nu-a we . eh ka ’-kan -na ho’-na-wa -ai-te

Who is it wol f theurg ist

nu-ro-wa -ah ka ’-tsi-ma-a liall is yours take away all d isease

5. Kai-nu -a we eh ta ’-mi -na ho’-na-wa -ai-teWho is it eag le theurg ist

nu-ro-wa -ah ka ’-tsi-ma-ahall is yours take away all disease

6 . K ai~nu~a we eh ma ’i - tu-bo ho’-na-wa -ai-teWho is it shrew theurg ist

nu—ro-wa -ah ka ’-tsi-ma -ahall is yours take away all disease

Free transla tion.— Lion of the north

,see the sand paintin g

‘

which you

have given us (a voice i s heard). Who i s i t ?“ The l i on .

” I am but your

theurgist ; you possess al l power ; lend me your m i n d and your heartthat I may penetrate the flesh and discover the disease . Through me,your theurgist

,take away al l d isease .

This appeal i s repeated to each of the animals named .

A RAIN SO NG OF THE HISTIAN CHAI’AN (KNIFE SOC IE TY).

1 . H a’-ta-we sen-ra i se yu

’-wa ti ’ta -mi ka ’-wash -ti-ma ko’-tl

‘

i

Corn pol len pas?l over the there north spring of the north mounta in

m a

2 . Ha ’-ta -we sew-ra i se yu’-wa po

’-na t

si’-pin ko’-tuCorn pol len pass over the there west spring of mounta in

road the west

3 . Ha ’-ta-we sen-ra i se yu’-wa ko’wa t6W’

-o-tu -ma ko’-tuCorn pol len pas

s1over the there south spring of the south mounta in

ma

4. Ha’-ta-we ser’-ra -‘se yu

’-wa ha ’

-na-mi ku’-chan ko ’

-tuCorn po llen pass over the there east spring of mounta in

road the east

5. Ha’-ta-we ser’-ra -tse yu

’-wa ti ’-na-mi ko’-wa -tu -ma ko’-ti

‘

1

Corn pol len pass1over the there z enith spring of the z en ith mounta in

ma

6 . Ha’-ta-we ser ’ o ra -‘se yu’-wa nur’-ka -mi sti ’-a -chan -na ko’-tii

Corn pol len passover the there nadir spring of the nadir mounta in

roa

Free transla tion—Corn pollen pass over the north road 1 to the springof the north mountain

,that the cloud people may ascend from the

spring in the heart of the mountain to ti ’nia and water the earth . The

same is repeated for the five remain ing card inal points .

A RA IN SONG OF THE H is'ri aN CHAI’AN (KN IFE SOC IETY).

HO’

. hai . -ho ’

1 . Yu ’-wa ti ’ta-mi ka ’-wish - ti -ma sha’ ka -ka ka ’-shi

There north s p ring spruce of the north all c loudwan na ha ’-tipeop le where

2 . Yu’-wa -

po-n a-Ini shwi ’-ti-ra -wa ‘ na ka ’-sh i

There in the west p ine of the west all

I Here the s ingers sprink le po llen to the north with an under wave of the hand .

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1 30 THE SIA.

6 . Yu -wa ti ’-i-ta sh i ’-pa -

po ui’ma mai -tu bo ha ’-ro-tseThere north entrance to ascended shrew man

lowerworld

An appeal to the animals of the cardinal poin ts to intercede with the

cloud people to water the earth . Thi s song is long and elaborate. Itbegins by stating that their people, the cougar people and the othersmentioned

,ascended to ba’arts

,th e earth

,through the open ing

, Sh i’

papo,i n the north . It then recounts various inciden ts i n the l ives of

these beings,with appeal s at in tervals for thei r in tercession with the

cloud people.

A RA IN SONG OF THE QU ER’RANNA CHAI’AN .

Hén’n a -ti he’-ash O ’

-Shats Ta’-wac Mo”-kaitc ko’hai Tu -o’-pi

Wh ite float ing c louds like sun moon cougar bear badgerc louds . the p la ins

Ka’kan Ti -a ’-mi Mai -tu obo Ma

’a se we U yuuyewe Sa ’-mai -hai -a

wol f eag le shrew e lderwar hero younger war hero name;lof War

tfior of

t e nort

Shi’-no -hai -a Yu ’-ma ohai-a Ah ’-wa-hai-a Pe’-ah -hai-a Sa ’-ra -ha i-a

name of warrior name of warrior of name of warrior of name of warrior name of warriorof the west the south the east of z enith of nadir

Wai-ti - chan -ui ai-wan -na-tuon -fii Shi’-wan -na-wa -tu-un hi -

‘

aLn-

yemed ic ine water bow l c loud howl ceremon ia l water vase I make a

road ofmeal

H i’-ah -ar-ra hi ’-a -mo-fii Hi-sh i-ko-

ya‘sas-

pa sho’-pok -ti-a-mathe anc ient road the anc ient road white she ll bead woman wh irlw ind

who liveswhere the sundescends

Sus’s is-tin -na ko ya’-

ya ko’-ch i-na-ko Mer’-r i -na-ko kur’-kan -fii-na -kocreator mother ye l low woman of b l ue woman of red woman of the sou th

the north the west

K a’-sh i -na-ko qui s-sér-ri-na ko mu-nai -na -ko

wh ite woman of s l ightly ellow woman dark woman of the nad irthe east of t e z en ith

Free translation.—Whi te floating clouds . C louds l ike the pla i ns

come and water the earth . Sun embrace the earth that she may be

fru itful . Moon,l i on of the north

,hear of the west

,badger of the

south,wolf of the east

,eagle of the heavens

,shrew of the earth , elder

war hero,younger war hero

,warriors of the Six moun tains of the world,

i n tercede with the cloud people for us,that they may water the earth :

Medicine bowl, cloud bowl , and water vase give us your hearts, that the

earth may be watered . 1 make the ancient road of meal,that my song

may pass straight over it—the ancient road. White shell bead woman

who l ives where the sun goes down,mother wh irlwi nd

,father Sfi s’si

stinnako, mother Ya’ya

,creator of good thoughts

,yel low woman of the

north,blue woman of the west

,red woman of the south

,white woman

of the east, sl ightly yel low woman of the zen i th , and dark woman of the

nadir. I ask your intercession with the cloud people.

PRAYE R FOR S ICK INFANT .

Whi le the Sia have great faith in the power of their theurg i sts, i ndividually they make efforts to save the l ives of thei r dear ones even

after the fai lure of the theurgist . Such i s“

thei r bel ief i n the suppl ica

STEVENSO N .) PRAYER FOR SICK CHIL D . 1 31

tions of the good of heart,that the vice-theurgist of the Snake Society

,

who i s one of the writer’s s taunchest friends, rode many miles to solici t

her prayers for h is i l l in fant . He placed i n her hand a tiny package

of shel l mi xture done up in abi t of corn husk , and , clasping the hand

with both of his,he said Your heart being good, your prayers travel

fast to the sun and K o ’

pishtaia .

” He, then , in the most impress ive

manner,repeated the fol lowi ng prayer

(I)Ku-chor-pish tai—a (2)Ku-cherq ia -ta-ui (3)E u’ ti ot se a ta (4)Pai

’

i.-ta-1no ki -"chan ~n i (5)H a’-mi ha ’-notch (6)U -wa mash-ta-fii (7)Ka

’a

winek (8)Y a’-

ya (9)U -a-mu ts (10 K a’-a -winek (1 1)Sha

’-mi winek

(12)U -we-chai-ui (1 3)fl i na mats (1 4)h i to ii i (1 5)tsi tu ma h i to ii i (1 6)

Na ’ wai pi cha .

Explana tion of prayer by governor for his sick child.

(1)Your thoughts and heart are un ited with Ko’

pishtaia ; you dai ly

draw the sacred breath of l i fe .

(2)Your thoughts are great and pass first over the road to the sun

father an d K o’

pishtaia .

(3)Our thoughts and hearts are as one, but yours are first .

4 h w rld .

55; 351; Ge

eOgamily.

Referring to the ch i ld .

(6)You wil l be to the ch ild as a mother, and the ch ild will be as your

own for all t ime to come ; your thoughts wil l always be for one another .

(7)The hearts of ourselves and the ch ild be un i ted and as one

heart henceforth ; those of us who pray for the ch i ld wil l be known by

the ch ild and the ch il d by us,even though the child has not been seen

by us ; we wil l know one another by our hearts and the chi ld wi ll greet

you as

(8)Mother.

(9)Take the ch i ld into your arms as your own .

(10)That the hearts of ourselves and the ch i ld’s be un ited and as

one heart ; henceforth those of us who pray for this ch ild wil l be known

by the chi ld and the ch ild by us ; though the child has not been seen

by us,we wil l know one another by our hearts .

(1 1)May he have a good heart.

(12)May al l good word s come straight from his hea rt and pass over

the straight road .

(1 3)While he is growing from ch ildhood to youth .

(14)While he i s growing from youth to manhood .

( 15)And may he be valued as he grows from manhood to old age.

(1 15)May the child be beautiful and happy.

When one i s ill from the heat of the sun he sprinkles corn pol len ormeal to the sun

,saying

,“ Father

,I am i l l in my head , i t reaches my

heart ; I pay you with thi s mea l ; I give it to you as food , and wil l be

thankful to you to take away my malady .

”

1 32 THE SIA.

CH I L DB IRT H .

One of the most sacred and exclusive rites of the Sia i s associatedwith childbirth .

The accouchement here descr ibed was ob served in May,1890

,at thi s

pueblo. Upon discovering thewoman to be in a state of gestation,

the writer made every effort to obtain her consent,and that of the doc

tress and members of her family to be present at the b ir th of the ch ild .

She kept vigilant watch upon the woman and on the morn ing of the

twenty- second learned th at the event was imm inent .

Upon inquiring of the father of the women the same morn ing why

he did not go to the fields,he repl ied, I can on ly sit and wai t for the

li ttle one to come ; I must be with my daugh ter .” He was busy dur

in g the day making beads of bits of shel ls,reducing them to the proper

size byrubb ing them on a flat stone , afterwards p iercing each piece bymeans of a rotary dril l . The fol lowing day he sat weaving a band to tie

his grandson’s hair . The woman worked as usual with her sewing and

prepared the fami ly meals .

After the even ing meal (whi ch was some time before dark)on the22d

,the family

,consi sting of the parents of the woman to be confined,

her husband and two boys of 8and 9 years,gathered in the fami ly

l iv ing room (thi s room being 1 5 by 35 feet). It was evident that th e

woman was regarded with great consideration and interest, especiallyby her fond paren ts

,who by the way

,were foster parents

,the woman

being a Navaj o . At the time of the removal of the Navajo to the

Bosque Redondo,th is ch i ld was left by her mother i n the pueb lo of Sia

and has since l ived with her foster parents .On the even ing of the 23d they gathered as before into the livingroom

,wh ich had been Special ly prepared for the even t . A small quan tity

of raw cotton,a kn ife

,and a stri ng lay upon a sh elf, and the i nfant

’s

small . wardrobe,cons isting of a tiny sheet of wh i te cotton , pieces of

cal ico and a dim inutive Navajo blanket,which were gifts to the chi ld ,

were laid on a table in the farther end of the room . The fami ly sat in

anxious expectancy.

It is the woman’s privi lege to sel ect her offi ciating ho’naaite theur

gist,and i f her husband or father be a ho’

naaite, or vicar of a cul t

society,she usual ly selects on e or the other, otherwi se sh e requests her

husband to visit the ho’naaite of her choice and ask h is services ; i n

the absence of her husband her brother goes. The woman , holdingshell mixture 1 i n her righ t hand (when meal or shell mixture i s usedin connection with the dead i t is held i n the l eft hand), breathes four

times upon i t,that the expected ch i ld may have a good heart and walk

over one straight road,and then hands i t to the bearer of her message

to be presented to the ho’naaite,th is shell mi xture being the only

compensation received for h is services .In th is case the woman chose her father .

l sbe l l m ix ture and sacred mea l are synonymous .

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1 34 THE SIA.

The unexpressed idea is that the chi ld i s to be rec eived upon i ts sand

bed, which i s symbolic of the lap of i ts mother earth . That i t wi l l beas one without eyes

,and i t wi l l not know i ts father’s K o

’

pishtaia May

the K o’

pishtaia make i ts heart to know them .

Free translation : Here is the chi ld’s sand bed . May the ch i ld have

good thoughts and know i ts mother earth,the giver of food . May i t

have good thoughts and grow from ch ildhood to manhood . May thechild be beautiful and happy. Here is -the ch i ld’s bed ; may the ch i ld

be beautiful and happy. Ashes man,l et me make good medi cine for

the ch ild . We wil l receive the ch i ld i nto our arms,that i t may be

happy and con tented . May i t grow from chi ldh ood to manhood . May

it know i ts mother fi t’set

,theK o

’

pishtaia , and i ts mother earth . May

the child have good thoughts and grow from chi ldhood to manhood .

May it be beautiful and happy .

”

‘He then gave a pin ch of the powdered-plan t medicin e to the woman

for the good heal th of the woman and chi ld, and her mother, l i ftin g

ashes from the fireplace wi th her right hand,deposi ted them upon the

floor in front of the woman . The father, then , s tanding, dipped the

ashes with h is eagle plumes, holding one i n ei ther hand, and , strik ing

the under s ide of the plume held in the left hand with the one held inr igh t, threw the ashes to the cardinal points . Each t ime, after throw

ing the ashes, he passed the plumes down each s ide of the woman .

When the plumes are struck the ho’naaite says : Mish ’tch a hatch " se

kotawa ohwichaini u ’wak—“ Ashes man,permit me to ‘

make goodmedicin e for the chi ld .

”

The ho’naaite discovers the diseased parts of the body through theinstrumental i ty of ashes

, and with the scattering of ashes to the car

dinal points,physical and mental impuri ties are cast from those pres

en t an d the chamber is al so purified.

Again the sprinkl ing of the ashes was repeated, but instead of run

n ing the plumes down each s ide of the woman,the ho’naaite held them

in h is right hand wh ile he s tood to the right of the woman and, poin t

in g the feather ends down,began at the top of the head and passed

the plumes in a direct l i ne in front and down the center of the body,with a prayer for the safe del ivery of the ch ild . At the close of thi s

ceremony the doctress stood to the r igh t side of the woman , and, pla

cing the tip end of the corn to the top of her head , blew. upon i t andpassed that also in a straigh t l in e down the cen ter of the body, with a

prayer that the child might pass through the road of l ife promptly andsafely . This was repeated four times , when the doctress returned to

her seat. The ho’naaite then offered a short prayer and placed a pinchof medicin e in the woman’s month

,after which he left the house and

went to the end of the placi ta and sprinkled meal to the east, prayingthat the sun father might bestow blessings upon the ch ild . In a short

time the woman passed down the long room, apparen tly in considerable pain

,but bearing herself with dignified composure. Her mother

sm s ssox ) mrns WITH CHILDBIRTH . 1 35

brough t a cloth to th e poin t where the ceremony had been held and

emptied the con ten ts (sand)upon the floor,and with her hands flat

tened the mound into a circle of 20 i nches i n diameter and some 5inches deep . On th i s she laid a small b lack sheepskin

,the si ster -in

law placed a bowl of water upon coals i n the fireplace,and the mother

afterward brought a vase of water and gourd and set i t by the side of

the fireplace . A urin al was deposited beyond the cen ter of the room,

and stil l beyond was a vase of fresh water . The mother spread a wool

mattress at the south end of the room and upon i t a blanket,and in

the cen ter of the blanket a b lack sheepskin , and a wool pil low was l aid

at the head ; a rich Navajo blanket was folded and laid by the side of

th is bed . Now, al l was in readiness and an early delivery was evidently expected . The woman would si t for a time ei ther upon a lowstool or a chair

,and then pa ss about i n eviden t pain

,but n o word of

complaint escaped her l ips ; she was majestic in her d ign ity . But few

words were spoken by anyone ; a ll minds seemed centered on the im

portant event to come . I t was a sacred hour,too sacred for spoken

words,for Sfi s ’sistinnako wa s to bestow the gift of a new l ife .

”

The whole affair wa s conducted with the greatest solemn i ty . At 1 1

o’clock the woman,whose suffering was now extreme

,changed the smal l

blanket wh ich she were around her for a larger one, which fel l from her

shoulders to the floor,and stood before the fireplace whi le the doctress

standing beh ind her v iolently man ipulated her abdomenwith the palms

of her hands . (The Zuni observe a very d ifferen t mode of man ipulation .)The ho’

naaite, who no longer acted professionally, but simply as the

devoted father of th e woman,took h i s seat upon a stool on the far side

of the sand bed from the fireplace,the woman kneeling on the sand

bed w ith her back to the fireplace and the doctress si tting on a low

stool back of the woman . The woman clasped her hands about her

father’s neck and was supported at the back by the doctress,who

,

encircl ing the woman wi th her arms , pressed upon the abdomen .

’ The

father clasped h i s hands around hi s knees,holding a stone fetich of a .

cougar i n the palm of the righ t hand , and tho si ster-in law, s tanding to

the left of the woman,placed the car of corn to the top of the sufl

'

erer’s

head and blew upon i t during the periods of pain,to hasten the birth

of the ch i ld . The prayer that was blown in to the head was supposed

to pass di rectly through the pa ssageway of l i fe . After each paroxysm

thewoman rose and passed about the room in a calm,quietway . Some

times she would s i t on a low chai r ; agai n she would si t i n fron t of theti re toas ting her bare feet

,and then leaving the extremely warm room

‘A fte r the re l ig ious serv ices it is us ua l fo r the ho ’naa ite to a bsen t h imse l f, even though he be the

woman'

s hu s band or fa ther : his rcnni ining be ing an ev idenc e o f unusua l de vo tion .

'

l he mo ther-ih

luw may be present a t c h i ldb irth. but no t the th thcr-ln-Iaw unless he he the (‘ lwsun ho'naa ite for the

occas ionmnd his ntl’

ertlo n fo r the da ugh ter-indaw prompt ing h im to rema in . th is . howow r. be ing veryrare . S hou ld the ex pec ta nt mo ther fa i l to bond he r though ts u pon the. infa nt to c ome the c h i ld Wo u ldno t care to be bo rn a nd wo u ld lie sti l l and die .

"

It. is ra re for a S in woman to d ie in c h i ldb irth ; or fo ra c h i ld to be s ti l l born .

1 36 THE SIA.

would walk about outs ide of the house . The pain s were veryfrequentfor three hours

,the longest in terva l being thi rty minutes

,the shortest

thi rty seconds,the average being ten mmutes, the pa in s conti nuing

from three to twenty minutes . .Though her suffering was great,

noth in g more than a smothered groan escaped her l ips . The doctress

seemed perfectly ignoran t and unable to render any real assistance.The on ly attempt made by the doctress to hasten the birth was an

occasionalman ipulation of the abdomen , after which she placed the earof corn at the head of the woman , and after blowing upon i t passed i t

down the middle of the body four times , as before , and the heating of

the person by heaping a few coals upon the floor and putting upon

them cobwebs,th e woman stand ing over the coals whi le the mother

hel d the blanket close a round her feet . Th i s fail in g in i ts desi redeffect

,scrapings from one of the beams i n an old chamber were placed

on coals,the woman standi ng over the coals . I t i s claimed by the Sia

that these two remedies are very old and were used when the world

was new . A fter a time a th i rd remedy was tried—the fat of a castrated sheep was put on coals heaped in a smal l bowl

,the woman also

standing over th is— but al l these remedies failed . The woman occa

siona lly assisted herself wi th a ci rcular stick 4 i nches in l ength

wrapped with cot-ton . After 2 o’cl ock a . m. the father became so

fatigued that the si ster -in -law,i n stead of blowing upon the corn

,stood

back of h im and supported h is forehead with her clasped hands . The

ear of corn , when not in use, l ay beside the sand bed . As the n igh twaned the woman gradually became more and more exhausted

, and athalf pas t two the mother laid several sheepskins upon the floor and onthese a blanket

,placing two pi l lows at the head of th is pallet

,and

then taking a pin ch of meal from the bowl which was at the ri ght sideof the bed

,wh ich had been prepared for use after the birth

,put i t

in to th e right h and of the woman,who now knel t upon the san d bed ,

lean ing upon her fa ther’s shoulder wh ile he, i n the deepest emotion,.stroked her head . As the woman recei ved the meal she raised her

head and the s ister-in-l aw handed the ear of corn to th e father,who

held i t between h is hands and prayed , then runn ing the corn fi om thecrown of the woman ’s h ead down the body in a direct l in e and holding i t vertically wh i le the woman sprinkled the meal upon i t and

prayed to U t’set th a t she might pass safely through the trial s of parturition . She was now so exhausted tha t she was compel led to l ie on the

pa l let ; twice she raised from the pal let and took position for del ivery.

The two babies of the sister -in- law slept on blankets, and the two

son s of the woman who had been sen t from the room early in the even

ing had returned and were also sleeping on rugs . At 4 o’clock theparen ts , i n a larm at th e in terrupted labor, sen t for a prominent ho

’na

aite,and the husband of the woman , who had left the room at the ap

pro ach of extreme labor . The husband,in company wi th the ho'naa ite,

soon appeared,the former removing both h is moccasin s , the latter the

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1 38 THE SIA.

the si ster-in-law the placenta four times to her face,as she expressed

the Wi sh that the umbi l ical cord might be severed without danger to

the ch i ld . She then del iberately removed her bel t and woven dressand walked to the bed wh ich had been prepared for her and lay down .

The husband of the woman gave an extra sharpening to the kn ife

which had lain upon the shelf,and handed i t to the doctress

,who

,first

placing the ch ild upon the sand-bed,tied the umbil ical cord an inch

and a quarter from the umbi l icus,and after cutting i t removed the

ch ild , while the sister-in-law laid the placen ta upon the sheepskin and

swept the sands of the sand -bed upon a p iece of cloth,placing the latter

on the back of one of th e l ittle boys . Tak ing half of the raw cotton

from the shelf,she laid i t on the placenta

,with the wish that the um

bilicus might soon be healed ; and folding the sheepskin , she depos itedi t in a shal low bowl

,and taking a pinch of shel l mixture in her right

hand she carried the bowl from the house,fol lowed by the boy. The

sand and placenta were cast into the river ; the woman saying,“ Go !

and when other women bear chi ldren may they promptly follow,”re

ferring to the placen ta.

To the doctress was brought a bowl of warm water, with wh ich she

bathed the ch ild ; then a bowl contain ing yucca and a smal l quan ti ty

of cold water an d a vase of warm water were set by her,and after

making a suds with the yucca she added warm water and thoroughly

cleansed the ch i ld’s head , and then bathed the chi ld a second time, in

yucca suds . and tak ing water into her month from the bowl , she threw

a sol id stream over the chi ld for a remarkab le length of time . Thech ild was rubbed w ith the hand

,no cloth being used in the bathing.

The greatest care was observed i n cleansing the infan t, who was after:

ward wrapped in a blanket and patted dry . During the bath ing the

grandparen ts,father

,and brothers of the l ittle one looked admiringly

upon it,with frequen t expression s of del ight. The remaining portion

of the umbi l i cal cord was drawn through a wad of raw cotton , which

was wrapped closely about it,and ashes were then rubbed over the

ch ild . The infan t, a boy, weighed some 8or 9 pounds, and its head

was covered with a profusion of black silky hair ; i t h ad quite a percep

tible red mark covering the center of i ts forehead . I t seemed brighter

from i ts bi rth -than chi ldren of civi l i zed paren tage, and when twenty

days old was as observing as many of our ch ildren at two mon ths .The cradle was brough t forward by the grandfather, and the diminu

tive Navaj o blanket spread over i t. The ti ny sheet was laid on the

doctress’s lap under the chi ld . The writer was then requested to ri seand receive the chi ld ; and as she held the l i ttle one wrapped i n the

sheet the grandfather offered a prayer of thanksgiving, and aftersprinkl ing meal upon the writer gave her a pinch of i t. She could not

dream what was expected of her,but she ven tured to make four l ines on

the chi ld’s breast,and sprinkled the remainder of the meal to the east.

The venture was a happy one,for i t was just right. The grandfather

srsvsxsox .) RITES WITH CHIL DBIRTH . 1 39

said : The chi ld i s yours ; I make i t a gift to you .

” The writer then

returned the chi ld to the doctress, and the grandfather proceeded to

arrange the cradle,which has a transverse r idge

,provided with a n iche

for the neck . Two bits of cal ico , folded several times , were laid on the

blanket,and on th i s a p iece of wh ite cotton . T he i nfan t was placed

nude upon its bed,and

’

a piece of whi te cotton was laid over i t from the

neck to the lower part of the abdomen , extending on e ither side of the

body and passing under the arms,the ends of the cloth being folded

over the arms and tucked in on the i nner sides . The l ittle sheet was

laid over the ch ild,and the blanket folded around it ; and then i t was

strapped to the cradle,which was deposited to the left. side of the

mother,on a white sheepsk in . The ear of corn wh ich had been such

an importan t element previous to the birth was laid by the right side

of the child . The grandfather, taking h is seat at the foot of the cradle,deposited before him the three medicine bags wh ich had been used in

the ritual previous to the ' bi rth,and

,holding h i s eagle plumes i n h is

right hand,repeated a prayer. Two loosely twi sted cords of native

cotton,which had been prepared by the father of th e infant immediately

after the birth of the chi ld,were placed under the mother’s p i llow, to her

ri ght side ; these were afte rwards tied around the ankles of the i nfan t, to

indicate that itwas a chi ld of Sfi s’sistinnako and that i t might know th is

father . After the prayer the grandfather touched the head , ei ther side

and foot of the cradle,and the ch i ld’s body

,with a spear poin t of oh

sid ian ; th i s was repeated four t imes for strength of body, l imbs, heart ,and mind of the ch ild ; and the spear was passed over the mother

’s

l imbs and body for the same purpose . The grandfather then gave the

ch ild i ts first food by placing in hi s own mouth a pinch of a specia l ly

sacred and valuable medicine composed of the pol len of medici nal and

edible plants and transferring i t i nto the i n fan t’s month from h is . He

then placed a bi t w ith h i s fingers in the mother’s mouth . The medici ne

was given to the ch i ld that h e. might know al l the medicines of the

earth,and to the mother tha t her milk wh i ch was to nouri sh the infan t

might be good,so that the child’s heart and mind would be good .

No atten tion was given to the woman by the doctress for two hours

after the bi rth , when a fresh gown was put on , the gown being changed

every morn ing and even ing for four days , the one worn in the even ing

having been washed and dried the same day . The sheepski n on the

bed was changed daily . About 9 o’cl ock a . III. the grandmother prepared

a bowl of tea made from fresh ly ga thered cedar twigs steeped in wate r,

and the woma n drank two gourd fuls . This tea is cons tantly drunk for

a designated period . which differs with d ifferen t clan s ; some drinking

i t regu larly for four month s, others taking i t but three , and some onlytwo months . No wa ter is drunk during the t ime th i s l iquid is used ,and con tinency i s observed for the two , three , or four mon th s ; the ha sband

,however

,sleeps during th i s time in the same room , and in thi s

part ic ular case the husband s lept by h is wi fe’s s ide . Should a woman

1 40 THE SIA.

break the con tinency,an an imal would enter her abdomen and she

would surely die, for so said the first mother of her clan .

After the first draft of the tea the woman ate a hearty breakfast

of tortil las, j erked meat, and corn -meal gruel . Her female relatives

and friends called to see her and the baby during the day,and she

chatted as merri ly as i f noth ing had happened .

‘

The Sia i nfant i s nouri shed regularly from the time i t i s born ; and inth i s particular case the i nfant was nursed by a woman whose ch i ld was

three months old , until the third morn ing, when the mother took i t in

ch arge . Though the door of the room could not be left open until the

ch i ld should have passed out the fourth morn ing to see its sun father

and the two small wi ndows being stationary,the most fast idious could

have found no faul t wi th the puri ty of the atmosphere. The father of

the woman scarcely l eft her during the four days . He sat by her bed

side, weaving garters , and showing her the tenderest care, and her

mother did l ittle el se than look after the wants of the inval id and in fant

and adm ire and caress the latter . The woman’s husband was absen t

al l day work ing in th e fields,but upon h is return in the evening he

could be found by h is wife’s side admiring the baby and sayin g pleas

ing words to the woman of hi s choice. The family al l slept in the same

room as usual with the additi on the first two n ights of the womanengaged to furni sh nourishment to the ch ild

,who also had her infan t

wi th her .By hal f-past 4 on the fourth morn ing the woman had donned her

woolen dress and bel t and sat upon the bed awaiting the arriva l of the

doctress,who soon came , and

‘

after a greeting handed ashes from thefi replace to the woman

,who receiving the ashes in her righ t hand

rubbed her legs and breast for purification,and then put on her moc

casins . The grandmother took the infant from the cradle and wrapping

it i n its blanket handed i t to the doctress,whi le the father of the woman

gave her the two stone feti ches from under her pil low,which she placed

in her bosom . The doctress then took from the fireplace a bit of charcoal and put i t in to the woman

’s month that the cold winds might n ot

en ter through her mouth and congeal her blood and prevent i ts flow ,

for should th is occur the woman would surely die . The father then

handed sacred meal to h i s daugh ter and the doctress, an d again helpingh imself h e gave some to the writer . The doctress led the way, carrying

the in fan t i n her arms and pressing to i ts breast the ear of corn which

had played such an importan t part during parturition , and had since

lain by the side of the chi ld ; the woman followed , also carrying an ear

of corn , a compan ion of the fi rst ear (everyth ing associated with l ife

must have i ts dua l,and corn i s l i fe itsel f

,for i t comes from the heart

ofHt’sét ; were i t not for the moth er corn none could l ive .” These two

ears of corn are afterwards wrapped together and laid under the ch ild’s

cradle.where they must remain unti l the next corn -plant ing time,wh en

i t i s sewn in two or four rows,apart from the main field

,and when ripe it

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Tm: sis .

break the con tinency,an an imal would enter her. abd omen “

s od she

would surely di e , for so said the first mother of her clan .

After the first draft of the tea the woman ate a hearty b reakfastof torti l las , jerke d meat, and cor n-mea l gruel . Her female. relati vesand friends ca l led to see her a nd the baby during the day, and sh e:hatted as merri ly as i f noth ing had happened .

"

1 he Hia i nfant is nouri shed regularly from the time i t is born,and In

this pa rti cular case the infant was nursed by a woman whose ch ild wasthree months old

,unti l the thi rd morn ing , when the mothe 1 took i t in

charge . Though the door of the room cou ld n ot be left open un ti l the

ch i ld should have passed out the fourth morning to see i ts sun fatherand the two small wi ndows beingr s ta tionary . the most fastid i ous couldhave found no faul t wi th the purity of the. atmosphere. The fatherof

the woman scarcely l eft her dur ing the four days . He sat by her bedside, weaving garters, and showing her the. tenderest care, and hermother did l ittle el se than look after the wants of the inval id and infan t

and a dmire and caress the latte1 . The woman ’s husband was absen t

all day work ing in the fields but upon h is retui n in the even ing he

could be found bv h is wi fe’s side admiri n g the baby and saying pleas

ing words to thewoman of h i s choice. The fami ly all slept in the sameroom as usual wi th the add iti on the first two nights of the womanengaged to fur ni sh nom-i shmant to the ch ild , who al so had her infan t

“

e, ith her :By hailf-pas t

'

4 on the fourth morning the woman had donned her

Woo lmt nil'w s a nd halt and sat'

upen the bed awai ti ng the arrival of the

doctre s s , who M um c one . and a fter a greeting handed ashes from the

timplzwe to the wo ma n . who receiving the ashes in her righ t hand

ru in-13d her legs a nd brea s t for purifica tiOn, and then put on h ermoce as ins . The grandmother tookthe infant from the cradle andwrappingit in its bla nket handed it to the. doctre ss , whi le the fa ther of the woman

gave. her the two stone fetiches from under her pi l low, which she placed

in her bosom, The‘

doctress then took from the fireplace a hit of char

coa l and put i t in to the woman’s month. that the cold winds might not

en ter through her mouth and congeal her blood and prevent i ts flow,for should th is occur the woman would surely die. The father then

handed sacred meal to hi s daughter and the doctress, and again helping

hims e l f he gave some. to the wri ter . The doctress led the way, carrying

the i n fan t in h er arms and pressing to its breast the ear of corn which

had p layed such a n importa nt part du ring parturi tion , and had s i nce

la in by the s ide 4 f the child ; the woman followed , also carrying: a n ear

of corn , a compa n ion of the first car (everyth ing associated with' life

must have its dea l .’

and “ corn is l i fe itself, for it comes from tin heart

of Ut’set ; We re it ou t fo r the mother corn none could ii ”5“

hrs-1 tim

ears of corn' are a-t’

tcrwun ‘

ls m apped together and’

laid 1 11 Je t t‘

he ehii l‘

s

cradle. whe re they must re ma in unti l the next com pl. 1 ri ng t ime , wheni t issown in two or four rows

,apart from the main field and when 1 ipe it

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1 42 THE S IA .

being her only compensation for her services . The mother of the infant

ate heartily and at half-past seven in the morn ing she walked ful ly 200

yards from the house down a decl ivity,and on her return to the house

was bathed for the first time since her confinement. she herself doing

the bathing .

Fig . 20 i s the copy of a photograph of the infant the fourth morning

after birth .

The lochial discharge ceased after the fourth day,and from this time

un til the expiration of the nine days but one fresh gown was worn each

day. The infant was bathed each of the first four mornings by the doc

tress,and afterwards by the grandmother unti l the tenth morning

,

when the mother bathed the ch ild. The infant’s bed was changed several

times daily , the bedding being put upon the cradle a couple of hours

washing. The night of the fourth day the doctress came about

FIG. 20.—M0ther w ith her i n fan t four days old .

9 o’clock and bathed the chi ld ; the ashes which had been appl ied to

the child from its birth after each bath not being omitted . The fifth

day the skin of the infant showed evidence of exfol iation,and the

grandfather remarked,

“ When the new skin comes then all wi l l be

well .” The sixth day the remnant of the umbilical cord was removed

by l ifting the raw cotton,and a finely powdered pigment of bluish -gray

color was rubbed upon the umbil icus and a cotton cloth laid over it .

When there is any appearance of suppuration the mother mi lks a few

drops from her breast upon the umbil icus and appl ies fresh pigment.

Prof. F . W . C lark furn ishes the foll owing analysis of this p igment“ A s l ight amount is soluble in water

,thi s consisting of sul phates of

srgvnxsos ] MORTUARY CU STOM S . 143

lime and magnesia. The main portion consists of a m ixture of a

hydrous carbonate of copper (presumably malachite)wi th a ferrugin

ous sand . The copper mineral dissolves readily in dilute ac ids and,in

addi tion to the copper,contains traces of iron and of phosphor ic

‘

acid .

Probably an impure malachite pul veriz e i

Though the woman is considered an i nval id and exempt from all

household dut ies until the tenth morning after chi l dbirth , she passes

in and out of the house after the fourth morning and occupies herself

sewing, not more than half of her time being spent in a reclining posi

t ion .

The greatest attention was shown this woman and her ch ild by her

father,mother

,and husband

,the two men performing the most menial

services for her and frequently waiting upon the infant .

M ORTUARY BE L IE F S AN D CU S TOM S .

It was stated in a previous chapter that the Sia do not believe i n a

return of the Spirits of their dead when they have once entered Shipapo.

There was once,however

,an exception to th is . The story is here given

in the theurgist’s own words“ When the years were new and this village had been buil t perhapsthree years

, al l the Sp irits of our dead came here for a grea t feast .

They had bodies such as they had before death ; wi ves recogniz ed hus

bands,husbands w ives

,chil dren parents

,and parents chi ldren . Just

after sundown the spir its began arriving, on ly a few passing over theroad by dayl ight, but after dark they came in great crowds and re

mained until near dawn . They tarried but one n ight ; husbands and

wives d id not sleep together ; had they done so the l iving would have

surely died . When the hour of separation came there was much weep

ing, not on ly among the l iv ing but the dead . The l iving insi sted upon

going with the dead,but the dead decla red they must wait ; that they

could not pass through the entrance to the other world ; they must. first

die or grow old and again become l ittle children to be able to pass

through the door of the world for the departed . It was then that theS ia first learned al l about their future home . They learned tha t thefields were vast

,the pastures beautiful

,the mountain s high

,the lakes

and rivers clear l ike crystal s , and the wheat and cornfields flourishing.

During the day the spirits sleep , and a t night they work industriously

in the fields . The moon is father to the dead as the sun i s fa ther to

the l iv ing ; the dead resting when the sun travels. for at this t ime they

see nothing ; i t is when the sun returns to his home at night that the

departed spirits work and pa ss about in their world below . The home

of the departed spirits is in the world first inhabited by the S ia .

”

It i s the a im of the S ia to firs t reach the intermediate s ta te a t the

time the body ceas es to develop and then return gradual ly ba ck to the

first condition of infancy ; a t such period one does not die,but sleeps

1 44 THE S IA .

to awake in the Spirit world as a l ittle chi ld . Many stories have come

to the S ia by those who have died only for a time ; the heart becomes

stil l and the l ips cold and the spirit passes to the entrance of the other

world and looks in,but it does not enter

,and yet it sees al l

,and in a

short time returns to inhabit its earthly body . Great alarm i s felt

when one returns in this way to l ife, but much faith is put in the stories

afterwards told by the one who has passed over the road of death .

A ho’naaite holds a corresponding pos ition in the spirit world .

When a death occurs any time before sundown,the body i s buried

as soon as it can be prepared for the grave ; but i f one dies after dark

the body must not be touched unti l after sunrise,when it is bathed

and buried as soon as possible. It i s usual for an elderly woman of

the clan to bathe the body, cold water being used ; the head is washed

first in yucca suds . Sometimes, however, this method is deviatedfrom

,i f the remaining wife or husband has a special fr iend i n some

other clan . In the case of a man the breechcloth he has worn during

his last i ll ness is not removed . The immediate relatives in consan

guinity and clan are present during the bathing and make the air hideous

with their lamentations . The body is bathed on the bed upon which

the party dies and here it remains until burial . The mourners are

seated around the room,no one being near the bed but the woman who

prepares the body for burial . If the corpse be a female,after the body

is bathed a blanket is laid across the abdomen and limbs and tucked

in on either Side , the upper portion of the body being exposed .

The official members of the cult societies are painted after death,

just as they were at their initiation into the society,the body having

been previously bathed . The one exception to this rul e—being theho’naaite of warriors (Pl . xxmv)— wil l Show the change. The painting

is done by the ho’naaite or vi car of the society to which the deceased

belonged . Corn pollen is Sprinkled on the head . Female officials

have only their faces painted . When a man i s not an official,neither

his face nor body is painted,but as each man or woman of his clan

looks upon the body a bit of corn pol len is sprinkled in a l ine under

each eye and on the top of the head . While the body is being pre

pared for burial,the relatives who are present

,amid l amentations

,cut

the apparel of the corpse,including his blankets

,i nto strips and al l is

laid upon the body. After the body h as been placed upon the blanket

which is to wrap it for burial,if it be a man the wife places a quantity

of food under the left arm,the arms hanging straight by the sides .

If the wife does not perform this office then some member of his clan

acts in her place. In the case of the death of a woman a member of

her clan places the food. Again a smal l quan ti ty of food is p lacedunder the left arm by the man who principal ly officiates in the wrap

ping of the body . This is sometimes done by the son of the deceased .

The blanket is first folded over one side of the body and then the

other ; then the end next to the head is caught together j ust above the

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1 46 THE SIA.

the dead relatives of the newly arrived Spirit,she adds

,“ There

,my

chi ld,are your relatives ; go join them and be happy .

” When one has

been very wicked in this world he is not permitted to enter the lower

world even though he has a ha’chamoni. The guards at the entrancecan read al l hearts and minds

,and they put such Spirits into a great

fire wh ich burns in the earth below somewhere not far distant from

Shipapo. The Sp irit is burned to death in this fire and can never knowanything

,as it is entirely destroyed . When ti’amonis and ho’naaites

have performed their duties in this world with unwil l ing hearts,i t is

known to the mother in the lower world, and when such men enter after

death they are made to l ive apart,and alone

,and without nourishment

for a certain period.of time

,depending upon the amount of purification

required . Some sit alone for two years ; oth ers for five, and some for

ten before the mother con siders them worthy to enter into peace.The spirits of al l animals go to the lower world ; domestic animals

serving the masters there as they did heref The masters would not

always recogniz e them,but S iis’sistinnako knows the property of all .

The sp i rits of the prey animals return,and know their friends

,i n the

lower world . A ha’chamoni i s made for the prey animal when he i s

kil led,and a dance and ceremonial are held . The animal carries the

ha’chamoni as hi s credential j ust as the sp ir it of the man does .The cloud people never d ie ; that i s, no one, not even the oldest men

’s

grandfathers ever knew of or saw a cloud person die .

M YTH S .

The writer gave but l imited study while at S ia to myths not directly

connected with their cosmogony and cult . The minds of several of the

elder men are fil led with the stories of the long-ago myt h -makers, and

they believe in the truth of these fables as they bel ieve in their own

existence,which is the cause

,no doubt

,for the absence of myth -mak

ing at the present time. It must be borne in mind, however, that

these people have their winter tales and romances which they recog

niz e as fiction . The an imal myths here recorded were recited to the

writer in a most dramatic manner by the vicar of the. Snake Society,these portions of the stories where the coyote suffers disappointment,and i s cheated of h is prey

,giving special del ight to the narrator .

The coyote seems to be a despised though necessary object in themyth ic

world of the Indian of the Southwest . He is certainly not reverenced,nor is he a being for whom they feel terror . While he is the object of

ridicule he is also often of great service . Through his cunning be

suppl ied the S ia of the upper world with fire by steal ing it from Sfis’

sistinnako in the lower world . When the world was new , people were

depi lous except upon their heads . The coyote said (animals could

commun icate with men then):“ It i s not wel l for you to be depilous,

and from the pilous growth about his mouth and bel ly he clothed the

pubes and axi lla of the S ia.

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1 48 THE S IA .

cried the hare,“ your mouth i s so close you are blowing the fire on to

me, and I will soon die ;” and the coyote put his mouth stil l c loser to

the fire and thought the hare must die ; he blew with al l h is strength,drawing nearer in his eagerness to destroy the hare

,until h is face was

very close to h im,when the bare threw the boiling gum i nto the face

of the coyote and escaped . The coyote’s thoughts were now directed to

the removal of the hot gum from his eyes and face . It was a long time

before he coul d see anyth ing, and his eyes were painful . When he real

iz ed the hare had again escaped him he cried , “ I am very, very stup id ;”

and he started off disgusted with h imself, and was very sad. After

travel ing a l ong distance and crossing a mountain he came to a man

(lynx)sleeping . The coyote was pleased to see the man,and thought,

“ Here is a compan ion . I guess the fel low has either worked hard al lnight or traveled much

,for he sleeps soundly .

” And after thinking

qu ite a while,the coyote procured a slender round stick and thrust it

into hi s stomach and twisted it very carefully to gather fat. The lynxstil l slept soundly.

“ I will tel l my companion when he awakes,

” said

the coyote,“ that I have the fat of the deer on my stick ,

” and he laid

i t to one side and began think ing .

“ Ah,I have a thought . . In the old

days my companion’s mouth was not so large ; i twas smal l ; I will make

it as i t was . His ears were not so large ; I wil l make them as they were .

His tail was not so long ; I wi l l shorten it . His legs and arms and bodywere longer ; I wil l l engthen them and he worked and pressed aboutthe mouth until it was reduced in siz e

,and so he labored over the ears

until they were smal l,and pressed the tail unti l i t grew shorter

,and

then pulled the legs and arms and body unti l they were the proper

length . After h is work was completed the coyote thought,“ This is

well . ” Stil l the lynx slept,and the coyote cal led

,“ Companion !” but

no answer ; the second time,“ Companion !”and no answer ; none coming

to the third call,the coyote thought

,Why is it my companion sleep s

so soundly ? he must have traveled hard or worked hard all night,”

and again he cal led,

“ Companion !” and the lynx opened his eyes and

looked about as one does when he has j ust awakened , but did not

speak .

When he discovered that he was unl ike h is former self he said

noth ing, but thought,“ That coyote man has done this work .

” The

coyote then bringing the stick,with the fat upon it, said ,

“ Companion ,I wi sh much to talk with you ; you have slept very soundly ; I have

brought you some fat from the deer ; eat it ; You wil l l ike it . I kil led

a deer the other day, and this i s the reason I can bring you some fatand the lyn x , thinking the coyote Spoke the truth , ate the fat with

much reli sh . When the fat had been consumed the coyote said ,“ Well ,

companion , what do you think of the deer fat 3” but before the lynx

made any reply the coyote added ,“ I l ied to you ; it is your own fat

which I took from your stomach wh ile you slept .” The lynx at oncebecame very s ick and began vomiting.

“ I did not eat it ,” cried the

srs NSON-l COYOTE MYTH . I49

l y nx .

“ Yes , you did ,” said the coyote .

“ See, you can not keep i t ;and the lynx continued vomiting unti l al l the fat had been thrown from

his stomach . He was very angry with the coyote,and thought , “ Some

time I will p l ay the same tr ick upon you,man coyote .

”

The two now separated , taking opposite'

roads ; but in a short time

the lynx returned and fol lowed the coyote, aiming to keep close to him ;but the coyote soon distanced the lynx

,leaving h im far behind ; the

coyote,however

,did not know that the lynx was fol lowing him . After

he had traveled a long distance he became tired and lay down to rest

and sleep . After a time the lynx arr ived,and finding the coyote

sleep ing,said : “ Ah ! ah ! now I wil l play my trick ;

” and he called to

the coyote,Companion l”and no answer ; again he cal led.

“ Companion l”

and no answer ; and the th ird and fourth call s brought no reply . The

coyote was sleep ing soundly .

“ He is surely asleep,

” said the lynx,

and with a stick similar to the one employed by the coyote , he drew

the fat from the coyote’s stomach and placed it to one side ; he then

proceeded to change the appearance of the coyote ; he pulled upon the

month until he made it project , and it was much larger than before ;then he pulled upon the ears unti l they became long

,and he lengthened

the tail to twice its siz e,and he also stretched the body and the arms .

\Vhen he had completed h is work he cried four times to the coyote,

“ Companion l” The fourth t ime the coyote awoke,and the lynx said

,

“ I have brought you some deer fat and the coyote was stup id enough

to bel ieve the story, and ate the fat, for he was very hungry . Then,

said the lynx,

“ Man,what do you think ? Do you think I have l ied to

you ? Wel l,I have l ied to you ; for the fat is from your own stomach ;

”

and the coyote was very angry and vomited al l that he had eaten .

And he cr ied,“ Man lynx

,we are even ;

” and in a l ittle while theyseparated

,tak ing oppos ite roads.

The coyote traveled a great d istance,and in the middle of the day it

was very hot,and he sat down and rested , and he thought as he looked

up to t i ’nia, “ How I wish the cloud people would freshen my path andmake it cool and in a l ittl e while the c loud people gathered above the

road the coyote was to travel over , and he rejoiced that his path was

to be shady and cool ; but after he had traveled a short d istance , he

aga in sat down , and , look ing upward , said ,“ I wish much the cloud

people would send rain , th at my road would be fresher and cooler .” In a

l ittle while a shower came, a nd the coyote was c ontented and went on

his way rejoic ing ; but in a. sho rt time he again sat down and wished

that the road could be very mois t , that it would be fresh to his

feet,and a lmost immediately the road wa s we t as though a river had

passed over it,and the coyote was very c ontented .

But after go ing a sho rt di stanc e he aga in took h is seat a nd said to

h imsel f,

“ I guess I will ta l k aga in to the c loud people ;" and he sa id to

them,

“ I wish for wa ter over my road ; water to my elbows , tha t I maytravel on my hands and feet in the c o ol waters : then 1 shall be refreshed

1 50 THE SIA .

and happy ; and in a l ittle whi le h is road was covered with the water

and the coyote moved on ; but after a t ime he -wished for something

more,and he sat down and said to the cloud people

,“ I wish much for

water to my shoulders ; I wi l l then be very happy and contented and

in a moment the waters arose as he had wished ; but he did not go far

before he again sat down and talked to the cloud peop le,saying

,“ If

you wil l only give me water so high that my eyes, nose, mouth , and

ears are alone above it I wil l be happy and contented ; then my road

wil l indeed be cool ;” an d his prayer was answered .

But even this did not satisfy h im ,and after traveling a short dis

tance he sat down and implored the cloud people to give him a river

that he might float over the road , and immediately a river appearedand the coyote floated with the stream . He was high in the mountains

and wished to go below to the hare land . After floating a long distance

he came to the hare land and saw many hares a l ittle distance off,both

large and small,and they were on both sides of the river . The coyote

lay down as though he were dead (he was covered in mud), and l is

tened,and presently he saw a woman ka’wate (mephitis)approaching,

carrying her vase and gourd ; she was coming for water . Before the

coyote saw the ka’wate he heard the gourd strik ing against the vase.As she drew near the coyote peeped at her and she looked at him and

said : “ Here is a dead coyote. Where did he come from ? I gu ess

from the mountains above. I guess he fel l i nto the water and died.

”

When she came closer he looked at her and said : “ Come here,woman .

”

“ What do you want“

2” said the ka’wate .

“ I want you to be my com

panion,

” said the coyote .

“ I know all tha hares and other'

smal l an i

mals well,and I guess in a l ittle while they wi l l al l come here

,and

when they think I am dead they wil l be very happy .

” And the two

talked much together and the coyote said : “ Let us be compan ions.what do you think about it ?” “ I have no thoughts at al l ,

” said the

ka’wate. “ I,

” said the coyote,

“ think we had better work together .”

And the ka’wate repl ied : “ It i s wel l .” Then said the coyote : Go and

bring me four clubs ; I want themfor the hares .” When the ka'watereturned with the clubs the coyote said : “ Put them on the ground and

cover them with earth .

” When this was done he lay upon them .

Then said the coyote : “ Go and bring me the seeds from the patia‘

n .

”

(A very tal l grass : the seeds when ripe are black .) He put the seeds on

his mouth , nostrils , eyes , and ears and scattered them over h is body .

This he did that the hares might th ink h im dead and being eaten by

worms . Then he said to the ka’wate Look around everywhere

for the hares ; when you see them , say a coyote is dead ; they wil l soon

come to look at. me and they wil l dance around me for j oy because I am

dead . You return with them,and when they dance tel l them to look

to the cloud people while they dance,and then throw your poison (me

ph itic fluid)up and let it fall upon their faces l ike rain , and when i t

goes in their eyes they can not see,for the poison of the ka ’wate burns

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1 52 THE S IA .

about something, and he said to the ka’wate

,“ What shal l we do now if”

and she answered ;“ I do not know

,”then the coyote said

,“ We will

work together for something pretty ; we wil l run a race and the onewho wins w ill have all the hares .” “ Oh

,”said the ka’wate

,“ how could

I beat you ? your feet are so much larger than mine .” Well,

”said the

coyote,“ I w il l al lowyou the start of me.

” The coyote made a torch of

the inner shreds of the cedar bark and wrapped it with yucca thread

and l ighting it tied this torch to the end of h is tail . The fire was

attached to h is tail to l ight the grass that he might see everywhere

about h im to watch the ka’wate that she might not escape him . He

then said ,“ Woman

,I know you can not run fast, you must go first

and I wil l wait unti l you have gone a certain distance.” The ka’watestarted off, but when out of sight of the coyote she sl ipped into

the house of the badger . At the proper time the coyote started w iththe fire attached to his tail . Wherever he touched the grass he set

fire to it . The ka’wate waited for him to pass and then came out ofthe house of the badger and hasten ing back to the rock she carried al l

the hares to a h igh ledge, leaving but four tiny l ittl e ones below . The

coyote was surprised in his run not to overtake the ka’wate. “ She

must be very quick,”though t he. “ How could she run so fast

,” and

after passing around the mountain,all the time expecting to see the

ka’wate ahead of h im,he returned to the rock surely expecting to find

her there. Not seeing her,he

'

cried,“ Where can the ka’wate be ?”

He was tired and sat down in the shade of the rock .

“ Why does

she not come,” thought the coyote ;

“ perhaps she wil l not return beforen ight, her feet are so smal l ; perhaps sheWil l not come at al l . Strange

I have not seen her ; she must be far off.” The K a’wate

,who was just

above him,heard all that he said . She watched him and saw him take

a stick and look into the mound for the hares . (They had covered the

hares before leaving the place .) He pulled out a very small one whichhe threw away. He then drew a second one, sti ll smaller than the first,and th is he also threw off, and again a third, and a fourth , each one‘

smal ler than the other. “ I do not care for the l ittl e ones,”he said

,-“ I

have many here,I wil l not eat the smaller ones

,

” and he hunted and

hunted in the mound for the hares,but found no more ; all were gone,

and he looked about h im and said,“ That woman has robbed me

,

”and

he was glad to col lect the four he had cast away and eat them,for he

was very hungry . After his meal he looked about h im and found the

ka ’wate’s footprints on the rocks. He hunted everywh ere for her, but

he did not think to look above, and after searching a long time he be

came weary and laid down to rest. As he looked upward,he saw the

woman sitting on the ledge of the rock with the hares piled beside her .The coyote was hungry for the hares

,and he begged the ka’wate to

bring him some,and she threw him down a very smal l one, and the

coyote was angry with her and stil l more angry with himself, because

he could not cl imb the rock ; she had gone where he coul d not. go. The

STEVENSON -l COYOTE MYTH . 1 53

coyote was very angry when he parted from the ka’wate. After traveling a l ittl e way he saw a smal l bird . The bird was hopping about

contentedly and the coyote thought, “ What a beautiful bird,i t

moves about so gracefu l ly . I guess I wil l work awhile with that

bird,

”and drawing nearer to the bird

,he asked

,“ What beautiful th ings

are you work ing at“

2”but the bird could not understand the coyote,and

he could only stand and admire the b ird . He saw the bird takeout h is

two eyes and throw them straight up, l ike two stones, to ti’nia, and then

l ook upward,but he had no eyes in his head ; presently the bird said ,

“ Come my eyes,come quickly, down into my head,

” and immediately

the eyes fel l into the sockets of the bird,and the bird was apparently

pleased,and the eyes appeared much brighter than before . The coyote

d iscovering how improved the bird’s eyes were, he asked the b ird to take

out his eyes and throw them up that they might become brighter,and

the bird took out the coyote’s eyes and held an eye in either hand for a

l ittle whi le,then threw them to ti ’nia

,and the coyote looked upward

,

but he had no eyes,and he cried ,

“ Come back,my eyes

,come quickly

,”

and the eyes fel l into the coyote’s head . He was del ighted with the

improvement in h i s eyes, and, th inking that they might be made stil lmore bri ll iant and penetrating by throwing them up a second t ime

,he

asked the bird to repeat the performa nce . The bird did not care to

work any more for the coyote and told him so,but the coyote pers ist

ently urged the bi rd to throw his eyes up once more . The bird,grow .

ing a l ittle angry , said ,“ Why shoul d I work for you ,

coyote ? No,I

work no more for you,

”but the coyote was persistent,and the b ird a

second time took out his eyes,this time causing the coyote such pain that

he cried . As the bird threw up the eyes the coyote looked up to ti’nia

and cried,

“ Come my eyes come to me !”but the eyes continued to

ascend and did not return . The coyote was much grieved and moved

about slowly and awkwardly , for he could not see, and he wept bitterly

over the loss of his eyes .

The bird was very much annoyed to be thus bothered with the

coyote,and said to h im ,

“ Go away now ; I am tired of you , go off and

hunt for other eyes,do not remain to weep and botherme,

”but the

coyote refused to leave and begged and entreated the bird to find eyes

for him . Finally the bird gathered gum from a pifion tree and rol led

two smal l bits between the palms o f his hands,and, when they were

round,he placed the two bal ls in to the eye sockets of the coyote , who

was then able to see,but not clea rly as before

, and these eyes, instead

of being black l ike h is other eyes , were sl ightly yel low .

“ Now,

” sa id

the birt “you can remain no l onger .

”

After travel ing some l i tt le d istance the coyo te met a deer wi th two

fawns ; the fawns were beauti ful ly spotted , and he said to the deer,

“ How did you paint your ch ild ren , they are so beautiful ?” The deer

repl ied,

“ I pa inted them with ti re from the ceda r ." And how did

you do the wo rk ? inquired the coyote .

“ I put my chi ldren into a

1 54 THE S IA.

cave,answered the deer

,“ and bui lt a fire of cedar in front of the cave

,

and every time a spark flew from the fire it struck my ch ildren,making

a beautiful spot.” “ Oh,” said the coyote

,“ 1 wil l do the same and

make my chil dren beautiful,”and he hurried to his house and put h is

ch ildren into a cave and bui l t a fire of cedar, and then stood off to

watch the fire. The chi ldren cried much , because the fire was very

hot. The coyote tried to st0p their cries by tell ing them they would

soon be beautiful l ike the children of the deer . After a time their

weeping ceased and the coyote thought his words had comforted them,

but,in fact

,the ch ildren were burned to death . When the cedar was

consumed the coyote hastened to the cave,expecting to find his

chi ldren very beautiful,but instead he found them dead ; he was en

raged with the deer and ran fast to hunt her,but he could find her

nowhere,and he returned to h is house much distressed and much dis

gusted with himsel f for havi ng been so easily fooled by the deer .

THE COYOTE AND THE COUGAR .

'

When the world was new the coy'ote was very industrious . He wasalways at work passing around the world everywhere . He was never

laz y,but h is thoughts were not good . He visited one camp of peop le

and told them he belon ged to the Corn peop le ; at another camp hesaid he belonged to the K nife people. Both times he l ied . After a

while the coyote told the cougar,who was the father of al l game, that

he would l ike to be a ho’naaite. The cougar repl ied,“ When your

thoughts are good,then you may become one .

” “ I guess the coyote is

not lying, he has good thoughts now,” and the cougar said to him ,

“ Come in four days to me and we wil l make ha’chamoni.” The coyote

returned on the fourth day and worked eight days with the cougar

preparing ha’ch amoni. He was supposed to abstain during thi s time

from food,drink

,and smoking

,and to practice continency . The cougar

al so fasted and practiced continency for the same per iod of time . Each

n ight when it was dark the cougar said,“ You, man coyote, now i t is

n ight,take this food which I give you and offer it to

The first night the coyote returned with a contented heart, and upon

entering the cougar’s house he sat down . The second night after the

coyote left the house with the food for K o’

pishtaia , he felt a l ittle hun

gry,and he said to h imself

,“ Last night I was not hungry

,now I am hun

gry,a las ! l am afraid or I would eat th is food . Why have I wi shed to be

a ho’naaite “

? I have food here and I wish to eat it,for I am hungry and

yet I am afraid .

” And so he argued with himsel f until he overcameall scruples and ate the food .

“ Now,

” said he,“ I am contented ; I am

no longer hungry ;” and he returned to the cougar, pretending he had

offered the food to K o’

pishtaia, and so the remaining eight n ights the

coyote ate the food which was given him by the cougar to offer . to

li o’

pishtaia , but he said nothing of this to anyone . The cougar grew

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1 56 THE SIA .

thoughts and heart are not good ; you are no longer a ho’naaite ; go !

Y ou w i l l henceforth travel quickly over and about the world‘

; you wil l

work much,passing about, but you w il l never understand how to k il l

the deer, antelope, or any game ; I do not travel fast, but my thoughtsare good

,and when I cal l the deer they come quickly.

” S ince that

time the coyote i s always hunting the deer,rabbit

,and other game, but

is not successful .

THE COYOTE AND RATTL ESNAKE .

The coyote’s house was near the house of the rattlesnake. The

coyote said to the snake,“ Let us walk together

,” and while walk ing

he said to the snake, To-morrow come to my house.

” In the morn

ing the snake went to the house of the coyote and moved along slowly

on the floor,shaking hi s rattle . The coyote sat to one side

,much

afra id ; he became frightened after watching the movements of the

snake and hearing the noise of the rattle . The coyote had a pot of

rabbit meat cook ing on the fire,which he p laced in front of. the snake,

i nviting h im to eat,saying

,“ Companion

,eat.” “ No

,companion

,

I w i l l not eat your meat ; I do not understand your food,” said the

snake . “ What food do you eat ?”asked the coyote . “ I eat the yel

low fiowers of the corn ,”was the reply , and the coyote immediately

began to look around for some,and when he found the pol len

,the

snake said,“ Put some on the top of my head that I may eat it

,” and

the coyote,standing as far ofi as possible, dropped a l ittle on the

snake’s head . The snake said,“ C ome nearer and put enough on my

head that I may find it .” He was very much afraid,but after a while

he came close to the snake and put the pol len on his head, and after

eating the pollen the snake thanked the coyote saying,“ I wi l l go now

and pass about,”but before leaving he inv ited the coyote to his house :

“ Companion,to morrow you come to my house.” “ Very wel l ,

” said the

coyote,“ to morrow I w i l l go to your house.” The coyote thought

much what the snake would do on the morrow . He made a smal l

rattle (by p l acing tiny pebbles in a gourd)and attached it to the end

of his tail,and

,testing it

,he was well satisfied and said : “ This i s

wel l ;”he then proceeded to the house of the snake . When he was

near the house he shook his tai l and said to himself,“ This is good ; I

guess when I go into the house the snake wil l be very much afra id of

me .

” He did not walk into the house, but moved like a snake . The

coyote cou ld not shake the rattl e as the snake did his ; he had to hold

his tail i n h is hand . When he shook his rattle the snake appearedafraid and said ,

“ Compan ion,I am much afraid of you .

” The snake

had a stew of rats on the fire,which he placed before the coyote and

invited him to eat, saying,“ Companion , eat some of my food ,

” and

the coyote repl ied,“ I do not understand your food ; I can not eat it,

because I do not understand it.” The snake insisted upon his eating,but the coyote continued to refuse

,saying

,“ If you wil l put some of

srsvaxsox . ] THE SKATONA. 1 57

the flower of the corn on my head I wil l eat ; I understand that food .

The snake quickly procured some corn pol len , but he pretended to be

afraid to go too near the coyote,and stood off a d istance . The coyote

told h im to come nearer and put it wel l on the top of his head ; but the

snake repl ied,“ I am afraid of you.

” The coyote said,“ Come nearer to

me ; I am not bad,” and the snake came closer and put the pollen on

the coyote’s head and the coyote tried to eat the pol len ; but he had

not the tongue of the snake, so could not take it from h is head . He

made many attempts to reach the top of his head , putting his tongue

first on one side of his nose and then on the other, but he coul d only

reach either side of his nose . His repeated failures made the snake

laugh heart ily. The snake put his hand over h is month , so that the

coyote should not see him laugh ; he real ly hid his head in h is body .

The coyote was not aware that the snake discovered that he could not

obtain the food . A s he left the snake’s house he held his tail in his

hand and shook the rattle ; and the snake cried ,“ Oh companion !I am

so afraid of you,”but in real ity the snake shook w ith laughter . The

coyote,return ing to his house

,said to himself

,“ I was such a fool ; the

snake had much food to eat and I would not take it. Now I am very

hungry ,” and he went ou t in search of food .

THE SKATONA .

The myth of the ska ’tona (a monster pl umed serpent)who, in the

old time , ate the people, i s familliar to every man , woman , and ch i ld of

S ia . This serpent, who l ived in the mountains, did not move to catch

the peop le, but drew them to h im with his breath ; he never cal led but

one person at a time,compel l ing each one to approach sidewi se so that

he could not be seen . The hand was usual ly grabbed first,then the

serpent would take the hand into his mouth and gradually devour hisvictim.