24 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. XI. 



assistant again fast on this day, eating only late in the evening. The 

 others eat but discard all food containing salt or salty substances. 



When no ceremonies are in progress the three principal leaders are 

 occupying their usual seats in the north-west corner of the kiva, usually 

 observing deep silence. The other women are scattered throughout 

 the kiva, spin cotton for the prayer offerings, gossip and sometimes 

 practice the songs and movements for the public performance on the 

 last day. 



Third Day (Losh tala, Second Day). 



The rites and ceremonies of this day are practically the same as 

 on the previous day. I find in my notes for the first time that the 

 woman (No. 8) who, on the first day, made the four corn-meal lines 

 on the four kiva walls, sprinkled a meal line from the figurine on the 

 east side of the altar towards the east side of the ladder, also throwing 

 a pinch of meal up the ladder towards the hatch-way. But as this 

 was repeatedly observed later oh and is usually done in connection 

 with women's ceremonies, it can be safely assumed that it was done 

 on the two previous days also. My notes of this day also mention the 

 fact that not all women were barefooted, and it might be stated in 

 general that women do not seem to be so scrupulous about this point 

 as the men. I do not remember having ever seen a man wearing 

 moccasins during a ceremony. 



Fourth Day (Bayish tala, Third Day). 



In the Marau Ceremony, as in all great Hopi ceremonies, the fourth 

 and the eighth day, besides the first, are considered more important 

 than the other days, although in the Marau Ceremony the difference 

 between these and the second and third day is not as great as in other 

 ceremonies while the contrast is very marked as far as the fifth, sixth 

 and seventh days are concerned. 



During the eight days, while the ceremony is in progress, the eight 

 women who participate in the altar ceremonies sleep in the kiva. 

 Wickwaya, the chief priest, who was then about sixty years old, also 

 slept in the kiva. In earlier years his mother (see Plate III) and later 

 his sister was the chief priestess. The age of all the women, participat- 

 ing in these regular altar ceremonies, ranges between about fifty and 

 seventy years. All sleep in their clothes when spending their nights 

 in the kivas. On one occasion I noticed the assistant priest, Navini, 

 coming in at about six o'clock to build a fire. About fifteen minutes 

 later all got up, though the women had been chatting and singing 

 for some time already. 



