June, 1902. The Mishongnovi Ceremonies — Dorsey. 181 



yeshwa went out and brought in a very old bag of buffalo hide, which 

 was deposited near the flour sack on which lay the snake whips. On 

 Lomanakshu's return he emptied the contents of the buffalo bag, 

 which consisted of the snake kilts, arm bands, bandoleers, a rattle 

 similar to the antelope rattles, and other objects of Snake Dance para- 

 phernalia. Nakwayeshwa took one of the small painted bags, several 

 of which had been removed by Lomanakshu from the bag, and with 

 red paint besmeared the face of Choshnimtiwa and then made a streak 

 with his finger down each side of his breast over the nipples. During 

 this time Lomanakshu had carefully examined the snake bags (some 

 of buckskin, others of canvas) and had selected three perfect ones. 

 They varied from eight to ten inches in length and from four to six in 

 breadth, and on account of the long service which they had seen, it 

 was necessary to examine them to see that they were in perfect con- 

 dition, as otherwise the snakes might make their escape, a thing 

 which is known to have happened several times. He next selected 

 three snake whips and placed them with the bags near the fireplace. 

 Then he selected a small canvas sack, which he partially filled with 

 sacred meal from the tray, and deposited it by the side of the snake 

 whips and bags. He sat down by the side of the fireplace and 

 released his hair from the usual knot worn by the men and began 

 shaking it out and combing it. Nakwayeshwa and Lomanakshu now 

 painted their faces and breasts in the manner that has already been 

 described. Choshnimtiwa took his calico shirt and rolled up in it 

 two cakes of bread and several corn-husk packets {coviitviki); having 

 formed the package into a convenient bundle, he passed the arms of 

 the shirt around his body and tied them in front. Lomanakshu then 

 gathered up three pipes and some native tobacco, and, placing them 

 in his shirt, made the same sort of a bundle, which he also fastened 

 behind him. These three then selected a snake whip and a bag, and 

 Lomanakshu in addition the bag of meal, whereupon they filed out 

 from the kiva, Lomanakshu leading the way. 



It should be noted that each one of these three Snake priests 

 had, on arriving at the kiva that morning, deposited on the out- 

 side of the kiva hatch a long wooden digging stick. Each one 

 now picked up his own stick and in single file and at rapid gait 

 they took the trail down on to the plateau between Mishongnovi 

 and Shipaulovi (see PI. LXXXV, a and /;). They followed on to 

 the north of Shipaulovi and there took the trail leading up toward 

 the summit of the mesa. About half way up this trail they encoun- 

 tered the MSchikapoypi shrine, where, it is said, formerly a spring 

 existed. This, as may be seen from the photograph (PI. LXXXV, 



