174 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. III. 



four days which are supposed to intervene between Ting-apngvu and 

 the last day of the Niman be overlooked. The ceremonies may thus 

 be said to extend over a period of twenty-four days, or six groups of 

 four days each. 



Baholawu (Baho Making), August 4. 



This preliminary ceremony of Baho making took place on August 

 4th, the day following the ninth day of the Shipaulovi Niman cere- 

 mony and eight days before the beginning ox yungya of the Snake and 

 Antelope ceremonies proper. The irregularity in time has already 

 been noted with the reason. The observance of the ceremony was 

 not possible but from various priests including Lomanakshu and 

 Polihungwa the following information was obtained: Towards evening 

 of that day each of the two leading priests* made four nakwakwosis 

 which were stained red and one pu/iu (road).t These they took in 

 the evening to the house of Shakhungwa whose duty it is to announce 

 all religious ceremonies. Here they consecrated these prayer offer- 

 ings by smoking over them and sprinkling corn meal on them. This 

 consecration of the bahos, according to Homiwushyoma, was a prayer 

 to the yellow clouds of the north, the blue clouds of the west, the red 

 clouds of the south and the white clouds of the east to come quickly 

 and bring rain so that "we may have corn for our children; and when 

 they have had enough, that we may have corn for ourselves; and that 

 the men who are to hunt snakes for use in the ceremony may be brave 

 and strong." 



The crier also participates in this consecration ceremony, and he 

 was on this occasion instructed to announce on the next morning the 

 oncoming ceremony. The prayer offerings are lying on a tray with 

 some corn meal and remain in his house for use on the next morning. 

 After the short ceremony the two priests return to their respective 

 homes. 



PARTICIPANTS. 



In the following two lists are given the names and clan relation- 

 ship of those who participated in the Mishongnovi ceremonies of 

 1 90 1 : 



SNAKE FRATERNITY, OR TCUA-WIWIMKYAMU. 



1. Lo-man'-ak-shu, chief priest, Tcua (Snake) clan. 



2. Na-kwa'-yesh-wa, Tcua (Snake) clan. 



3. Ho-po'-onga, Tcua (Snake) clan. 



♦Shakhungwa insists that lie also made some prayer offerings, but Naicshu and Polihungwa 

 insist that he did not. 



tThis feather ottering is also called piilitavt (road leaver or road marker), but this name 

 seems to be more applied after it has been deposited, to mark out and to represent a road. 



