86 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. III. 



Fifth Day. (Fourth Day of the People.) Without the initiation ceremony. 



On this day the ceremonies begin in earnest. Other men besides 

 the two chief priests come in, usually those that participated in the 

 Powalawu ceremony and a few others. Early in the morning the 

 Powamu priest has brought in the altar and its accessories and laid 

 them on the floor in the north end of the kiva. The natsi is put up 

 as usual. The two leaders now begin to fast, eating only one meal 

 after sundown. All the others eat as usual, but no meat and no 

 salted food. 



One of the first things the Powamu priest does is to make four 

 bahos to be placed on the sand ridge of the altar,* the Katcina priest 

 at the same time making a number of nakwakwosis, one with a long 

 yellow string (road) attached to it. When these are finished the 

 two priests smoke over and then spit a little honey on them. Mean- 

 while the Powamu priest has sent one of the men, a member of the 

 Sand clan, with a few nakwakwosis and some corn-meal after some 

 sand for the altar ridge. Following this messenger, I found that he 

 partly descended the trail leading into the valley southeast from the 

 village. Coming to a large sand hill, he first laid down the nakwak- 

 wosis, then held the corn-meal to his lips, whispered a short prayer 

 over it, sprinkled it on the feathers and then filled his blanket with 

 sand and took it to the kiva, where he deposited it in the northeast 

 corner on the floor. The two chief priests soon commence getting 

 the altar paraphernalia in order, preparatory to the erection of the 

 altar (pongya). Feathers are attached to certain parts of the altar, 

 arms and legs are fastened to the fetishes, which bear very strongly 

 the marks of long usage, and they are then dressed. The costume is 

 very simple. A string of fringef made of horses' manes is tied 

 around their body. Besides this kilt several strands of beads, from 

 which is suspended an abelone shell, are hung around the neck of 

 POokong and Chowilawu. Strings of turquoise and red beads are 

 fastened to the ears and small eagle feathers are fastened to the 

 objects they wear on their heads. When the decorations of the 

 fetishes have been completed, the sand ridge is made and the altar 

 erected, first the reredos with the head-piece, then the fetishes, slabs, 

 etc. Several of the men present usually assist in putting up the 

 altar. Finally, the four bahos, which the Powamu priest has made 



♦These are the same as those made in the Powalawu ceremony, only a qbqopt feather (chat, 

 Ikteria virrus) is used instead of a tokotska feather. • 



tThese horsehair kilts are called ia-wahona (sun-rays) and are always colored red. They 

 are also used by various Katcinas and other personages. 



