White] THE PUEBLO OF SIA, NEW MEXICO 181 
chosen and asks for the ceremony. ‘The nawai assembles his society 
members in their ceremonial chamber on that evening, distributes 
the meal to them, and tells them of the request, which they grant 
as a matter of course. On the following morning the medicinemen 
begin to vomit and fast for a 4-day period. All Opi must do like- 
wise; also, they must meet with the medicinemen in their house 
each evening to sing. 
On the morning of the fourth day the owner takes the bear’s 
skin and bones to the house of the society that is to perform the 
ceremony. ‘The medicinemen have laid down a sand painting and 
have put up their slat altar. They ‘dress the bear’: they lay the 
skin on the floor; the bones, which have been painted with red ocher, 
are placed under the skin so that both bones and skin assume the 
attitude of life. The bear is not a full honawai’aiti so the teaiyanyi 
make him one at this time. They make a rattle for him and provide 
him with hicami, wicdyuma, and bags of medicine. 
The ceremony is held on the evening of the fourth day. The owner 
of the bear is allowed, for that occasion only, to wear the bear-claw 
necklace and whistle, and is permitted to talk and act like honawai’aiti. 
The owner and the honawai’aiti who removed the leg skins sit against 
the wall to the left of the altar, 1.e., to the left of the medicinemen 
who are seated behind the altar. The bear is made honawai’aiti: 
they give him the paraphernalia they have made for him, put a piece 
of turquoise on his head, and tie a kaotsaiyawat (badge of honawai’aiti) 
beside the turquoise. There is much singing. 
When the ceremony is over the bear’s bones are gathered up and, 
together with his honawai’aiti paraphernalia, prayersticks, and itsa- 
tyunyi (beads of various kinds), done up in a bundle. The bear’s 
owner and one medicineman take the bundle to the top of Dyami Kot 
(eagle mountain) on the west side of Sia pueblo. There is a tsapa- 
croma (sacred place) there: a circle of stones with an opening on the 
east side; pieces of petrified wood lie within the circle. The bundle 
is buried near, but not within, the sacred spot ‘‘so no one will find it.” 
The owner and the medicineman then return to the society’s cere- 
monial chamber. When they get back the ceremony comes to an 
end. The owner is now an Opi no longer. ‘When one kills a bear 
and touches him first one becomes an Opi. He ceases to be an Opi 
at the end of this ceremony. This ceremony sets him free.’’ This 
means, apparently, that the ceremony renders the killer immune to 
any evil influence that might be associated with killing a bear. 
LION OPI 
The ritual and procedure for a lion is much the same as that for a 
bear, but there are some exceptions. The killer, or rather the one 
600685—62——_13 
