Dec. 1901. The Oraibi Powamu Ceremony — Voth. 87 



in the morning, are put into the sand ridge, and corn-meal is sprinkled 

 on it. 



After the altar proper is finished, a short' recess is generally 

 taken, during which the two leaders smoke, being sometimes joined 

 by others. Then the Powamu priest sprinkles some dry, fine sand in 

 front of the altar, on which he arranges the medicine bowl, corn ear, 

 etc., as seen on PI. XXXVIII (Frontispiece). The Katcina priest, 

 taking the nakwakwosis that he made in the morning and a large gourd 

 vessel, goes to the spring after water. Upon his return, the Powamu 

 priest takes the gourd, fills from it the medicine bowl and places the 

 gourd in a corner in the north end of the kiva. In case new mem- 

 bers are to be initiated into the Powamu fraternity, such initiation 

 takes place on this day. But in order to avoid confusion in the 

 description, the usual ceremony, as it takes place on this day in those 

 years when no initiations are made, will be described first, and then 

 the day's program will be given as it is carried out in case this is an 

 initiation day. After the altar is finished there are usually a few 

 hours of rest, during which on initiation days the sand mosaic and 

 other preparations are made for the initiation. 



When no initiations take place the men present smoke or sleep 

 during this recess or are engaged in making dolls {tihus^, bows and 

 rattles, to be given to the children on the ninth day. At about half 

 past three or four o'clock the men, usually only about five or six in 

 number,* arrange themselves in a semicircle before the altar, the 

 Powamu chief on the extreme west side and next to him the Katcina 

 chief. The pipe-lighter at once hands the large cloud-blower 

 {pmawtopi) to the Powamu priest, who blows large clouds of smoke 

 from it over the altar and into the medicine bowl, and then asperges, 

 handing back the oma^uiopi to the pipe-lighter. All then take a little 

 corn-meal in their right hand, the Powamu priest the aspergill, the 

 Katcina priest a rattle, the next men also a rattle, and each one of 

 the others an eagle wing feather. These objects are waved up and 

 down in unison with the time of singing. 



First Four Songs. Nothing special is done except asperging by 

 the Powamu priest. 



Fifth Song. The Powamu priest at once takes from a corn husk 

 a pinch of tallassi (corn pollen), drops it from the north side into the 



♦The priests frequently complain about the fact that so few of the many members take active 

 part in the ceremonies. They say that formerly this was not the case. The people in Oraibi are 

 divided into a conservative and a liberal faction, and very few of the first take part in the Powamu 

 ceremony because it is controlled by the other faction. For an explanation of this schism see 

 "The Oraibi Soyal Ceremony," p. 9. 



