330 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. III. 



(See A, PI. 177.) They return at about noon. Occasionally they 

 bring a snake with them..^ 



Other preparations for future events are being made in the Snake 

 kfva. The two warriors repaint their lightning frames, one-half with 

 ctita, a red mineral paint; the other half with sdkwa, a green mineral 

 paint; both said to be usually obtained from the Kohonlnos. They 

 also renew the small feathers on the edge of the lightning frames. 

 The chief priest hunts up an old plank to be placed in front of the klsi 

 (booth) on the plaza, as will be more fully described presently. 



Soon after the noon meal several of the younger Snake members 

 are sent to the plaza to erect the snake booth. Usually the ones who 

 got the branches do this work. They first make four holes in a 

 square, using hatchets, sticks, and shfpvikas. (See A, PI. 178.) Into 

 these holes they put the larger branches — about four inches thick — 

 and between them they thrust the smaller branches into the ground, 

 filling up the spaces between these with a tall grass. The east side is 

 closed up with an old white bridal blanket (owa). The booth, when 

 finished, measures from three to four feet in diameter, the size varying 

 somewhat in the different years, and is usually neither quite square 

 nor quite round. (See B, PI. 178.) At about this time a bunch of green 

 melon, bean, cotton, and other vines and a young corn-stalk is brought 

 into the Snake kfva and placed first behind the altar, later in front of 

 the fireplace, to be used in the public performance of this day. 



When the booth is completed the chief Snake priest requests the 

 men to assemble around the fireplace for a smoke; first, however, he 

 makes a nakwdkwosi, which, I think, he places on the floor near the 

 fireplace. All smoke, several pipes being used. After the smoke, 

 the chief priest takes a baho, some sacred meal, and I think the afore- 

 mentioned nakwdkwosi, and proceeds to the plaza. Here he cleans 

 out an opening in the ground (in front of the booth), which is about 

 eight or ten inches square. Into this opening he places the prayer 

 offerings (see A, PI. 179) and corn-meal, saying the following prayer: 

 "Tad it yet nu umdngam yiiku. Owi Uma it akw mongwacyani ! 

 Mongwacyakahkang pas pai itamui okwatotwani. Pas pai lima 

 okwatotwani, piiu okiw yokwani. " (Now this here I have made for you. 

 Therefore, you must depend on — subsist on — this. Depending on 

 this, you must pity us. You must pity us now and bring us rain.) 

 Hereupon he covers it up with an old plank about ten inches wide, 



' In 1896 Maci'ingontiwa took a bowl at about this time, rinsed it out, put several pieces of root 

 into it, which he selected from his bags, and took the bowl out. Unfortunately I could not follow 

 him at that time, but am inclined to believe that he prepared some medicine for some one supposed 

 to have been affected by the snake charm. Such patients, if members of the Snake Fraternity, are 

 sometimes brought into the Snake kiva and thus treated. (See B, PI. 177.) 



