White] THE PUEBLO OF SIA, NEW MEXICO 265 
pen to be in the pueblo. Tobacco, small bars of soap, or any inexpen- 
sive articles are wagered. The idea of the game is that when one loses 
a wagered article the spirits of the dead take it back with them but 
give the loser ianyi (“‘blessing’’) in return: ‘“‘the dead are really always 
the losers because they give more than they get.” The players sing 
when their side is in possession of the tubes in which the pebble is hid- 
den. If anyone goes outside the church during the game he pulls the 
bell rope once, ringing the bell. The men gamble all night. 
Before the gambling game begins, the men eat the food that has 
been brought to the church by the sacristan and fiscales. 
The next morning, the fiscales call the people to church shortly 
after sunrise. Everyone must bring something, crops of some kind, 
with him as an offering to the spirits: ‘‘a stalk of corn, for example, 
with two ears on it for the dead to use as a cane because they are 
old.” 
In the forenoon of November 2 the Catholic priest comes to say 
Mass. This is the time when he is paid for his services for the year. 
The women of the households bring food, mostly grain, and other 
things to the church for the priest, the sacristan, the fiscales, and 
the governor. The priest blesses the graves in the churchyard after 
Mass. The souls have now left the pueblo and have gone back to 
the land of the dead. The people leave the church and return to 
their homes. 
Prior to the Mass, the members of societies go to their ceremonial 
houses and take the food that had been brought there the day before 
and carry it to their homes for their own use. 
OWe 
There is no English equivalent for owe; all songs in this ceremony 
begin and end with this word. 
The oweh (owe) dance is held in the spring while the irrigation 
ditches are being cleaned and made ready for use, or after this work 
has been completed. The governor or his capitani initiate and direct 
the dance, but they must ask Masewi for permission to do so. 
““Masewi could ask for the dance,” one informant said, “but it is the 
governor’s right to put it on.” Another informant said that fiscale 
mayor could ask for the dance. The officers who are going to put 
on the dance meet with Masewi in the hotcanitsa to obtain his per- 
mission. The date will be set and the people notified; the dance will 
be held 2 or 4 days after the public announcement to give the people 
time to get ready and the dancers time to make new songs; new 
songs are always made for each dance. 
Both kiva groups dance; the dances are held in the kivas. Dancing 
begins early in the evening and lasts until midnight, or sometimes 
