Dec. 1901. The Oraibi Powamu Ceremony — Voth. 107 



fast the messenger usually returns that was- sent to Ki'shiwuu for pine 

 branches and water on a previous day.* He first leaves a few twigs 

 in the Pongovi kiva where the Aototo and Aholi Katcinas are pre- 

 paring their masks, etc., on this day for use on the next morning, 

 and then takes the remainder to the Honani kiva. He is met with 

 acclamations of joy and many a ^'■kwakiuai um pito^' (thanks, you have 

 come). The following little purification ceremony has, been observed 

 only once : While the messenger stood east of the ladder the Powamu 

 priest received from him the twigs, the tnong7c>ikuru, eagle feather and 

 bone whistle and placed them on the floor north of the fireplace. He 

 then took some ashes in his left hand and from this a small pinch 

 between his right thumb and forefinger. He stepped before the mes- 

 senger, who had sat down east of and close to the ladder, and hum- 

 ming a short song circled the right hand over the messenger's head 

 several times and threw the ashes towards the hatchway. He then 

 took another pinch of ashes from the left hand and repeated the per- 

 formance. This he did four times, whereupon he told the young man 

 to stand up and then stroked his body and limbs, held his own hands 

 palms upward before himself and blew across them towards the hatch- 

 way. This he also repeated several times. The pipe lighter had in 

 the meanwhile gotten some tokamsi ( Delphinium scaposum ), put it 

 into a bowl and poured some water over it. Of this emetic the mes- 

 senger drank a large quantity, placed the bowl on the floor, bent over 

 it and by irritating his pharynx with his finger produced a very 

 thorough emesis into the bowl. The Powamu priest put a little honey 

 into the mongwikuru and on the long feather which the young man had 

 brought back and then all waited in profound silence until the young 

 man was through vomiting. While the boy carried out the bowl, 

 pipes were lit and all smoked, the Powamu priest smoking first and 

 then handing the pipe to the messenger. All exchanged terms of 

 relationship. When they were through the Katcina priest sprinkled 

 some corn-meal on the objects over which they had smoked, spat some 

 honey on them, and out of the hatchway, and rubbed some honey on 

 the stubs of the twigs and the rim of the mongwikuru. The Powamu 

 priest then asked the messenger to relate the experiences of his trip, 

 which he did in the minutest manner, stating where they traveled, 

 whom they met on the way, how these were dressed, what they spoke 

 with them and where they went, what they carried, etc. He further 

 stated where they camped, where they found snow, where the trail 

 was muddy, where they deposited the prayer offerings, got the twigs. 



♦Usually some one accompanies the messenger. They leave on any of the previous cere- 

 monial days, but early enough to be back by the eighth day. 

 I 



