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



slowly around sideways in a circle in the kiva holding a white ear of 

 corn in their hands and waving their arms upwards, sideways and 

 downward, in fact going through the same pantomime as in the public 

 performance on the plaza on the ninth day, for which they are evidently 

 practicing. The evening meal was, of course, eaten in the kiva. 



Third Day (Losh tala, Second Day). 



Concerning the rites performed before dawn on this day the fol- 

 lowing is taken from my notes of 1895: 



I arrived at the kiva at five o'clock a. m. The ten leaders had been 

 sleeping in the kiva and just began to stir and some were singing even 

 before they were up. 



About fifteen minutes later Wickwaya made his morning offering 

 (kuiwato) a few hundred feet south of the kiva by sprinkling a little 

 sacred meal on the ground and towards the dawn, after he had held it 

 to his lips and whispered a prayer on it. A few minutes later his 

 sister put up the natsi 1 at the south end of the hatch-way (see Plate IV, a) 

 and then all the women took their white ears of corn and some meal 

 and went to a rock, south of the village, where they drew up in a line 

 facing the east. Each held the meal to the lips and then threw a pinch 

 of it on a stone in front of them and the rest towards the rising dawn. 2 



As soon as all have returned the ten leaders arrange themselves 

 around the altar in the usual manner and the same ceremony is gone 

 through as on the second day. In fact this day is spent in the kiva 

 in practically the same manner as the previous day, i. e., with carding 

 and spinning of cotton, the preparing of the usual prayer offerings, 

 smoking (by the men), sleeping and, in the afternoon, practicing for 

 the public performance on the last day. On one occasion Wickwaya, 

 Navini and their mother, the chief priestess, squatted down in front of 

 the altar and sang several songs, but it seemed to be done only for 

 practicing or rehearsing. I also noticed again that Navini, for a short 

 time, occupied the seat of the assistant priestess in the corner, as he 

 did once for a brief period on the previous day. 



The regulations with regard to fasting and eating are the same as 

 on the previous day. 



Fourth Day (Bayish tala, Third Day). 

 This is one of the most important of the nine ceremonial days. As 

 the early ceremonies of this day were observed in 1895 only, I -give 

 my notes from that year as nearly as possible verbatim: I was at the 



1 On some days Wickwaya attended to that. 



2 While these early rites were not noted every morning it is believed that they took place every 

 day except on the first and perhaps ninth day. 



