152 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 184 
takes the charred wood out of his mouth and rubs the candidate’s 
body with it. Then he returns to his place behind the altar. 
Before performing this fire ritual the medicinemen chew a plant 
called hakanyi (fire) wawa (medicine). This protects their mouths 
so that the flaming sticks will not burn them. 
After nawai has taken his seat the medicineman next to him in the 
line will perform the fire ritual in thesame manner, All of the shamans 
in turn do likewise; each one has a song for his performance. Then 
the ceremonial father of the candidate must “eat” the fire, and “if 
the candidate is old enough to do so,” he must eat it, too. The 
candidate is not given the protection of the plant fire medicine; 
he ‘must take it raw. It will not burn him if he believes and has 
faith.’’ Whether the ceremonial father was protected by the plant 
medicine or by his faith was not ascertained.” 
In the evening of the fourth day, i.e., in the evening after the fire 
ritual of the fourth afternoon, there is a meeting in the Fire society’s 
ceremonial house. They sing and dance. 
On the morning of the fifth day, the Fire and Kapina societies take 
the candidate to one of the kivas (either one) where they perform the 
“sword swallowing” dance.”1 As they dance they swallow smooth, 
dull sticks, called wa:pi. They are about 16 inches long and have an 
ornamental head (fig. 14). In this dance Kapina faces first toward 
the north, then to the west, south and east, which is the usual ritual 
circuit. Fire shamans, however, face east first, then south, west, 
and north. 
In the evening of the fifth day the Fire society take their candidate 
over to the Kapina’s ceremonial house, where they have their atcin 
(slat altar) erected and their sand painting on the floor. The Kapi- 
nas perform the stick-swallowing dance. My notes do not say 
whether the candidate swallows the stick or not; he probably does 
‘Gf he is old enough.” 
The first ceremony of initiation is now over. The second one, at 
which the candidate will be made honawai’aiti, will be held 4 or 8 
20 Ceremonies in which one “eats fire,” juggles with live coals, or bathes in a bed of live coals, are found 
in Zuiil (Stevenson, 1904, p. 495), and at Acoma (White, 1932 a, pp. 114-115). There is no record of them 
at Santo Domingo, Santa Ana, or San Felipe. In “The Delight Makers,’’ Bandelier (1918, p. 41) describes a 
curing ritual performed by a Fire shaman: he chewed burning grass then spat the charred remains upon 
the patient; he remarks ithat “this fire-cure was . . . practised by the Queres.’”” Dumarest (1919, p. 188) 
mentions something similar at Cochiti. 
Mrs. Stevenson (1904, p. 495) describes the participation of “a guest from the pueblo of Sia, who belongs 
to the Fire fraternity of the pueblo,” in an initiation of the Great Fire society of Zufii which she witnessed 
in 1891. He‘‘goes to the fireplace and stamps in the fire and literally bathes himself in the live coals. He 
then takes a large coal in his right hand, and after rubbing his throat and breast with it he placesitin his 
nea swallowing was performed by the Fire societies of Acoma (White, 1932 a, pp. 115-116), Zufil (Stev- 
enson, 1904, p. 503), and Jemez (Parsons, 1925, p. 66), and by the Hlewekwe (Wood, or Sword Swallowers) 
society of Zufil (Stevenson, 1904 pp. 466-467). Kapina and Koshairi swallowed sticks at Laguna (Boas, 
1925, pp. 139, 291), and the Kaowatas at Santa Ana, who were said to be‘‘ the same as Kapina,’’ did likewise 
(White, 1942 a, p. 119). 
