42 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. VI., No. I. 



shells, are hung around their necks. On their feet they wear the 

 moccasins and ankle bands that were prepared the previous day. 

 Skeins of black and green yarn are tied around the wrists and a string 

 of red horsehair (tawahona) around the left upper arm under the green 

 leather arm band. Before they are entirely dressed their faces are 

 decorated with a yellow powder prepared from the petals of sunflowers. 

 First, water is spurted into their faces — usually by Homikini — and 

 then the powder applied to the wet skin. Their hands are also painted 

 yellow and a ring is made above the wrists with the same material. 

 All the' other women only place around their shoulders an at6o (small 

 ceremonial robe). 



When the Oaqol-manas have been dressed and painted up, Ng6si 

 and three other women each take one of the netted gourd vessels from 

 the altar, a buzzard feather, and a bone whistle, all the others taking 

 their trays, and all file out of the kfva, the chief priest sprinkling them 

 from the medicine bowl before they ascend the ladder. On those 

 occasions where trays have been made for the race, the chief priestess 

 takes them along and places them against the shrine on the plaza.' 

 Having emerged from the kfva she also takes the corn-ear, eagle 

 feathers, and sprig of ciivi from the natsi pedestal, and then heading 

 the line, leads the women to the plaza. (See No. i. Pis. XIX and XX.) 



In the kfva the two Oaqol-manas have in the mean while taken up 

 the wheels and feathered arrows from the altar. Standing south of 

 the altar they roll the wheel towards the south-west corner on the floor 

 and shoot the arrow at it, whereupon they take a stand in that portion 

 of the kiva, one behind the other and each one holding in one hand 

 one of the wheels in the other an arrow. 



During this time the chief priest has picked a bundle of trays, tied 

 up in a blanket, the medicine bowl, and aspergill, and after having 

 asperged the two mdnas, he proceeds to the plaza, where he arrives 

 when the women have formed the dance circle. Having placed the 

 bundle of trays on the ground in the center of the circle (see PI. XXI), 

 he goes along the line of the dancers and asperges them, where- 

 upon he returns to the kiva, leaving the bundle where he has 

 placed it. The women all bend slightly forward and begin to sing, 

 moving at the same time slowly from right to left and waving the trays, 

 which they hold with both hands, concave side forward, to the time of 

 the singing. (See PI. XXI.) As soon as the dancing has started the 

 two Oaqol-manas appear on the scene, rolling the wheels along the 

 ground, shooting the arrows at them, picking both up, shooting them 

 again, etc., while coming to the plaza. (See PI. XXI.) Here they con- 



* Others claim that this is not necessarily done at the first dance, but sometimes late in the 

 forenoon. 



