132 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 196 



Na ihl esn must be a good person. She must be strong and work hard and never 

 be lazy. Also she shouldn't drink too much or act crazy. She shouldn't say mean 

 things that will make other people mad at her and fight with her. 



. . . must be friendly with people and not make them fight with her. She 

 should be pretty old and wise about things. All the time she says nice things to 

 people. 



, . . It's good if she had a na ih es when she was a girl herself. That way she is 

 wise and knows about the things in na ih es and it makes her strong and healthy 

 and easy to get along with. If she had na ih es she won't act crazy or drink too 

 much or get in trouble or bother people. That's why it is best to get someone 

 who had na ih es to be na ihl esn.^^ 



. . . should not be sick very much but strong so she can work hard and make a 

 good clean camp. It's good if she has lots of children. Part of na ih es is so the 

 girl has children easily and won't die [in childbirth]. 



Ih' tsos ha hihl tza ('eagle feather, it is given') is the Apache phrase 

 used to describe the procedure of asking a woman to be na ihl esn. The 

 nan tan goes to the woman's camp before sunrise and asks her to fill 

 the role. If she and her husband (who usually makes the final decision) 

 accept, the nan tan gives them an eagle feather, turquoise, and holy 

 powder. Then he invites them to come to the camp of the girl's 

 parents — to drink tulipay and discuss details. 



SHI TI KE 



('my good friend') 



The meeting after ih' tsos ha hihl tza is an extremely important 

 event. It inaugurates a formal relationship between the girl, her 

 parents, and na ihl esn and her husband — a relationship which is 

 binding for life, and one which is marked by the adoption of hitherto 

 unused terms of address. Henceforth, the girl and her parents call 

 na ihl esn and her husband by the term shi ti ke, and vice versa. 

 By extension, shi ti ke means 'all that I have belongs to you,' and this 

 principle constitutes the basis of a new set of reciprocal obligations 

 incumbent on the persons involved. In fine, the shi ti ke relation- 

 ship means that they must help each other for whatever reason and 

 whenever the need may arise. The significance of this bond lies 

 in the fact that it is almost as demanding as an actual blood relation- 

 ship. Said one informant: 



When you call someone shi ti ke you always help him out. It's good to have 

 someone like that because he will help you. When my baby girl died last year, 

 the woman who was my wife's na ihl esn sure helped us out. She gave us food and 

 made her brother kill a beef for us. My wife gives her presents now and then too. 

 Last year I think my wife gave her some cloth for a dress. Whenever you get in 

 trouble it's good to have someone like that. There was a man who had a son 

 who got put in jail in Whiteriver on a fornication charge. The woman who was 



» My data show that It Is not Imperative for na ihl esn to have had na ih es herself. However, a definite 

 preference Is expressed for women who have. 



