160 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 196 



the time, however, and is free to return to Cibecue during the day 

 or to accompany her parents on trips to other parts of the reservation. 



Throughout the 4 days, the girl must observe certain taboos. 

 She may not wash herself, for it is thought that by doing so she would 

 sacrifice her power. She may drink only through her drinking tube. 

 If she were to drink from a container, whiskers would grow around 

 her mouth. A third restriction, and the one I am told is the most 

 difficult to maintain, dictates that the girl not touch her skin with 

 her fingernails. She may scratch herself only with a scratching 

 stick. Apaches say that if she did otherwise, ugly sores (and sub- 

 sequent scars) would appear where she touched herself. 



Wherever she goes, the girl wears her drinking tube and scratching 

 stick around her neck. The four colored ribbons and the eagle 

 feather and the abalone shell are still in her hair, but she has dis- 

 carded the buckskin serape and has left her cane in the wickiup at 

 the dance ground. 



During the 4 holy days, the girl's power is believed to be strong 

 enough to cure the sick.^^ To be healed, a sick person stands facing 

 the girl, who extends her arms in front of her (palms up) and then 

 raises them quickly to shoulder level. She repeats this gesture four 

 times. At no point does she touch the patient. If, after such a 

 blessing, the sick person feels relieved, then the girl's power is con- 

 sidered exceptional in its strength and she is henceforth called ba koh 

 di yi ('she-can-perform-miracles'). 



In addition to healing, the girl's power may be used to bring rain. 

 I have never witnessed the rainmaking ritual, but received the follow- 

 ing description of it from a trustworthy informant. 



Inside her wickiup, they stand her cane in the ground. Then she takes water 

 and sprinkles it over the cane. They say rain will come that way. There is a 

 medicine man in there and he sings songs when they do it. Four songs, I think. 



Around noon on the fourth day after na ih es, na ihl esn unties the 

 ribbons and the feather in the girl's hair and takes the drinking tube 

 and scratching stick from around her neck. Upon the removal of 

 this paraphernalia, the girl no longer has the ability to cure the sick 

 or bring rain, and her taboos are ended. 



NA IH ES AND "LIFE OBJECTIVES" 



For the pubescent gifl, the function of na ih es is largely an educa- 

 tive one. By means of symbols and symboUc actions, na ih es 

 isolates four all-important "fife objectives" toward which, now 



^ A pubescent girl cures a child with bowed legs. See Goodwin, 1942, p. 443. 



