Mar. 1901. The Oraibi Soyal Ceremony — Dorsey. 21 



short piihtavis. In the meantime, the making of the bahos having 

 been concluded, the latter swept up the baho refuse and carried it out 

 in a blanket and threw it over the edge of the mesa. 



While Y^shiwa was absent on this errand, Shokhunyoma got an old 

 hatchet, an old blanket and a pointed stick and placed them on the 

 floof. He put on the usual ceremonial kilt and placed the thick and 

 the thin long bahos, with their points toward the north, on a flat tray, 

 which he placed on the floor about five feet northwest of the fireplace. 

 By the side of the tray he placed a tray of cornmeal and a honey pot 

 and sat down on the north side of the tray, with Ydshiwa on the south 

 side. He then took a handful of meal, prayed over it and put it on 

 the bahos, then he took honey into his mouth and spat on the baho, 

 tray, and around and about himself into the air. Ydshiwa did the 

 same. Shokhunyoma next got up and lighted a pipe* at the fireplace 

 and returned to his former position. Both he and Ydshiwa engaged in 

 silent smoking, profound silence being observed throughout the kiva. 

 After smoking, Shokhunyoma bathed his hands in the cornmeal, held a 

 little to his lips, prayed over it and put it on the tray. He took up the 

 tray, sat in a kneeling position, waved the tray up and down and 

 whispered a prayer lasting about twelve minutes. (See PI. IX.) He 

 handed the tray to Y^shiwa, who (in the meantime having bathed his 

 hands in cornmeal) did the same and handed the tray back to Shokhun- 

 yoma, who put it down. Shokhunyoma again lit the pipe, Y^shiwa, 

 in the meanwhile, having rubbed the meal from his hands on the tray. 

 After both had smoked about eight minutes, they again spat honey 

 on the tray and about themselves as before. Shokhunyoma wrapped 

 the bahos and the meal in the old blanket, tied a carrying string 

 around it and handed it with the hatchet and the pointed stick to 

 Lomabuyaoma, who went to a place called Sakwaslta, where he buried 

 the bahos, and brought from there the white earth (kaolin) to be 

 used later for various purposes in the ceremony. He returned about 

 2:45 p. M. 



Shokhunyoma sent Talassyamtiwa with a monwikuru, or priest's 

 netted gourd, after water, and he himself took a few nakwak^vosis, 

 which he had consecrated by smoking and spitting honey over them, 

 and went out and deposited them somewhere south of the village, 

 very likely at a Katcin-kihu. Y^shiwa also gathered up his nakwak. 

 ivosis and left the kiva. On following him, in 1899, it was learned 

 that he went to the shrine of the Kohkanwuhti (spider woman) at the 

 south of the villa ge and about half way down the mesa, where he 



* This act in 1899 and 1900 was performed by Taliissyaintiva, who acted as Pipe Lighter 

 throughout the ceremony. 



