262 Kansas Academy of Science. 



estufas the "principals" beat small drums, sprinkled sacred corn 

 pollen before the images and symbolic paintings, and chanted 

 prayers to those above. In the houses, before the altars, paintings, 

 and household gods, the inmates prayed, tortured themselves, and 

 danced without ceasing. 



As the fourth day began to draw to a close, the caciques entered 

 the plaza and kindled small fires at various places. Around each 

 of these they set seven sticks in a line in each of the semicardinal 

 directions. Over these they sprinkled sacred meal and prayed for 

 a considerable time. Then they took up the sticks and, as they 

 blew a hissing breath on them, they put them in the fire one by 

 one. 



When the stick burning was completed, four men issued from 

 the south estufa and went one toward each of the four points of 

 the compass. Each of these men carried a young pine in his left 

 hand and a bowl of sacred meal in his right hand. Each pine tree 

 thus carried has seven feathers suspended from it to the breeze, 

 each tree and its feathers symbolizing the Jemez tribe. These 

 trees their bearers planted quite a distance from the village. Then 

 over them and their fluttering feathers they scattered the sacred 

 dust, dedicating them to the moon mother, whom the Jemez be- 

 lieves protects his home and village. They then returned to the 

 village. 



Throughout the following night men dressed in deerskin embroid- 

 ered in symbolic designs raced the streets and plaza at a coyote 

 gallop, shaking their shell bells and gourd rattles, and sprinkling 

 the dust of the gods toward the goddess of night. 



At daylight the next morning every one in the place bathed, 

 rinsed out his stomach with warm water, and combed and did up 

 his long hair, according to the Indian custom. Nothing more of 

 note occurred throughout the day. 



At dusk a drum on the south estufa sounded and a new set of 

 scenes was ushered in. "Wow, wow, wow," shrieked an old woman, 

 as she batted her mouth with her hand to make the noise as hide- 

 ous as possible. "Wow, wow," she continued, as she entered the 

 plaza, carrying a club under one arm and a cub bear in the other. 

 " Wow, wow," she shouted, till the people filled the plaza about 

 her. Then, as she took the innocent little animal by the neck and 

 shook it, she ceased her " wowing," and said : 



"Long, long ago our mother, the moon, went down to the river 

 in the early morning to get water to use in cooking breakfast for 

 our father, the sun. She dipped the water-jar into the flowing 



