126 BURKAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [lUiu.. 190 



An informant commented on this problem in the following way: 



When I have na ih es for my daughter, I liad trouble at fh-st. A lot of people 

 were mad at my wife because she got (hunk one night and got into a fight with 

 my brother's wife. She hit her with a bottle and had to go to jail in Whiteriver 

 for CO days. They said to me: "We won't help you get ready for na ih es because 

 your wife drinks too much and acts crazy." I'.ven my clan relatives were mad. 

 They said: "Why does your wife fight with your brother's wife? He has been 

 friendly with her. It is because she drinks all the time. Maybe she would get 

 drunk and figlit with us." I was really scared for a while, because I didn't 

 know if anybody would help us at the dance. Then my wife apologized and cut 

 down on drinking, and we got help. But some people were still nuid, and did 

 nothing for us. 



Occasionally, nonrelatives offer to help, particularly when the 



dance ground is being prepared. It is rare, however, for persons who 



are not related in some way to one or more members of the girl's 



extended family to take a largo part in the preliminaries. 



One man said: 



U(!latives do most of the work, but sometimes friends help out. Tliey know 

 it's good to help, and they might get some food for helping. A friend of mine 

 let me use his pickup [truck] three times to haul groceries from Whiteriver. My 

 wife borrowed two te tza [baskets] from her friend. Neither of these people are 

 related to us, but they just wanted to help out. When they get the place [dance 

 ground] r(!ady and have social dancing until midnight, young men come and 

 work during the day. They go to the dance at night. I guess that's why they 

 do it. 



Another informant commented: 



People who aren't related to the girl don't work as hard as her relatives. If 

 _.^you help your relatives out, then when you want something they will help you. 



In most instances, no ceremony of any kind accompanies a girl's 

 first menstruation. However, sometimes an elderly person, often a 

 maternal grandmother, will sprinkle hadn tin ('ycHow powder') in 

 the four cardinal directions, sajnng to the pubescent girl as she does 

 so: "It is good this way. Now you will have na ih es." " 



If the girl is too shy to tell her parents of her first menstruation, 

 she may inform her grandmother wlio conveys the news. It some- 

 times luippcns that a girl is not told that she can have na ih es until 

 after her first period has occurred. 



When she has her first one, they may tell her about giving na ih es. They say 

 it will make her strong and keep her from getting sick and make her lead a good 

 life and stay out of trouble. Sonu:times they don't tell her that she has to dance 

 in front of all tlui people, because if she is bashful she might not want the dance. 

 But most girls that age have se(ni 7i,a ih cs and know about it. They say no at 

 first because they are bashful. But they change their minds. 



*Iladn tin is mmlo from corn nnd/or cattail poUon. It Is ubiquitous lU nil Apacho roltglous ceremonies, 

 oud Is often cullud "holy" powder. 



