White] THE PUEBLO OF SIA, NEW MEXICO 145 
stated that it was indeed rare, but indicated that it was a legitimate 
and proper way of effecting admission. A young man, F. L., wished 
to become a member of the Flint society. But to join in the usual 
way would require a considerable period of time. And it would also 
involve great expense, since he would be obliged to give much food 
and other things to the society at the time of initiation. So, one day 
when the Flint society was having a curing ceremony, he went to their 
ceremonial chamber and knocked on the door. It was opened by a 
- Flint shaman. ‘May I come in?” the young man inquired. ‘‘Yes,”’ 
said the shaman. The young man entered, went over to where the 
Flint nawai was and sat down. Then he handed nawai a cornhusk 
and asked to be admitted to the society. His request was granted.'® 
He was inducted into the society right then and there, and he was not 
obliged to make any payments of admission. 
All Sia societies are alike in a number of respects, as we have just 
seen. But there are differences among them, too. Only the Snake 
society performs the ceremony in which live snakes are handled. The 
Fire society is the only one that has the ritual of fire eating. Members 
of the Koshairi and Kapina societies are the only péwahi tcaiyanyl 
(D6 means “Look!”’). That is, they are the only ones who can make 
things appear magically in kiva ceremonies. The ceremony is held 
in January or February at the request of Tiamunyi or Masewi. Its 
purpose is ‘‘to help nature bring forth—crops and game—just as the 
shamans do.” They can make ripe melons appear, with green leaves, 
they can make corn to grow and ripen in a single night. They can 
cause rain to fall or a bowl to dance. The medicinemen set up their 
altar for the ceremony, which begins witb a few songs while the medi- 
cinemen are seated behind their altar. Then two men, one from each 
side of nawai, go out in front of the altar. In the songs which follow, 
the medicinemen ask for fruit, melons, corn, or other plant foods. 
When anything is mentioned the two men in front of the altar reach 
out or down and produce the food mentioned. Koshairi can produce 
Gawai’aiti only, i.e., wheat, corn, beans, pifion nuts, berries, acorns, 
etc. Kapina can produce either cawai’aiti or goyaiti (game animals). 
Some societies have masks, others do not (see ‘‘Katsina: Masked 
Impersonations’). There are a few other minor differences, too, but 
I shall note them as we go along. Let us turn now to the societies 
in particular. 
Flint, Giant, and Fire societies are the principal medicine socie- 
ties at Sia; this is made apparent by the tabulation in table 28. Only 
18 Whether the society had any choice or whether this ritual request obliged them to accept him, my notes 
do not specify. At Acoma, ifa medicineman asks a young man for a cigarette and the youth gives him one 
after having lighted it, the doctor will take a puff, touch the youth and say, ‘‘ You are my son.’”’ The 
youth may then be obliged to join the society (White, 1932 a, p. 112). 
