BOUBKE.] THE YIAUHTLI OF THE AZTECS. 521 



broad of it. Whilst the root is fresh it is harsh and acrid, but, being dried, it loses 

 the greater part of its acrimony. To judge by these qualities, the tuckahoe may 

 very likely be the Arum virgiuiaimm. 



The Shoshoni and Bannock of Idaho and Montana eat the tnle bulb. 1 



Something analogous to hoddentfn is mentioned by the chronicler of 

 Drake s voyage along the California coast about A. D. 1540. Speak 

 ing of the decorations of the chiefs of the Indians seen near where San 

 Francisco now stands, he says another mark of distinction was &quot; a cer 

 tain dowue, which growetli up in the countrey upon an lierbe much like 

 our lectuee, which exceeds any other downe in the world for fincnesse 

 and beeing layed upon their cawles, by no winds can be removed. Of 

 such estimation is this herbe amongst them that the dowue thereof is 

 not lawfull to be worne, but of such persons as are about the king, 



. . . and the seeds are not used but onely in sacrifice to their 

 gods.&quot; 2 



JVIr^ Gushing informs me that hoddentin is mentioned as a food in the j 

 invths of the Zufii under the name of oneya, from oellu, &quot;food.&quot; 



In Karntchatka the people dig and cook the bulbs of the Kamtehatka 

 lily, which seems to be some sort of a tuber very similar to that of the 

 tule. 



&quot; Bread is now made of rye, which the Kamtchadals raise and grind 

 for themselves; but previous to the settlement of the country by the 

 Russians the only native substitute for bread was a sort of baked paste, 

 consisting chiefly of the grated tubers of the purple Kamtchatkan lily.&quot; 3 



HODDENTIN THE YIAUHTLI OF THE AZTECS. 



There would seem to be the best of reason for an identification of 

 hoddeiitin with the u yiauhtli &quot; which Sahaguu and Torquemada tell 

 us was thrown by the Aztecs in the faces of victims preparatory to sac- 

 &quot;ffficmg them to the G-od of Fire, but the explanation given by those 

 authors is not at all satisfactory. The Aztecs did not care much whether 

 the victim suffered or not; he was sprinkled with this sacred powder 

 because he had assumed a sacred character. 



Padre Sahaguu 4 says that the Aztecs, when about to otter human 

 sacrifice, threw &quot; a powder named yiauhtli on the faces of those whom 

 they were about to sacrifice, that they might become deprived of sensa 

 tion and not suffer much pain in dying.&quot; 



In sacrificing slaves to the God of Fire, the Aztec priests &quot; tomabau 

 ciertos polvos de una semilla, llamada Yauhtli, y polvoreaban las cams 



1 Personal notes, April 5, 1881. 



Drake, World Encompassed, pp. 124-126, quoted by H. H. Bancroft, Native Races, vol. 1, pp. 387-388. 

 (This chaplain stated so many things ignorautty that nothing is more probable than that lie attempted 

 to describe, without seeing it, the plant from which the Indians told him that hoddi iitiu (or downe) 

 was obtained. The principal chief or &quot; king &quot; would, on such an awe-inspiring occasion as meeting 

 with strange Europeans, naturally want to cover himself and followers with all the noddentin the 

 country attbrded.} 



3 Kennau, Tent Life in Siberia, p. 66. 



4 Quoted by Kingsborough, vol. 6. p. 100. 



