White] THE PUEBLO OF SIA, NEW MEXICO 279 
The horses may appear on various occasions: at Christmas time, 
Santiago’s day (July 25), on August 15 at the feast of the Assumption 
of the Blessed Virgin, or possibly at some other time; they usually 
come on August 15, however. The War chief or the governor can 
request them to come. My notes do not say whether or not an in- 
dividual could initiate their appearance as a consequence of a vow, 
but we may be sure that if this is possible he would have to obtain 
permission of the War chief. 
As I have already noted, the little horses may lead the procession 
in which the image of the Blessed Virgin is carried into the plaza on 
August 15. If they perform on Santiago’s day, however, they emerge 
from a house near one of the plazas from time to time and dance and 
then retire to their house. 
When the horses come out they prance about like real horses, such 
as in the procession for the Blessed Virgin. But when they come 
by themselves, they dance as well as prance. They are accompanied 
by a drummer who beats the non-Indian type drum such as the ka- 
hera uses when the image of the Blessed Virgin is carried out of the 
church on August 15. The horses dance to the drumbeat only; there 
is no singing. 
The horses are accompanied by a masked personage called Tcapiyo. 
I do not know the etymology of this word, but it probably is not 
Indian since the character is not Indian: he talks Spanish and is 
definitely associated with Spaniards and Mexico. In mythology he 
is identified with Naotsityi, the white mother of White people. But 
he is said to be a shiwana (an aboriginal, anthropomorphic rain- 
making spirit): ‘‘the Tcapiyo mask came from heaven,” an informant 
said, ‘“Tcapiyo is a shiwana from heaven belonging to Naotsityi.”’ 
The Tcapiyo mask belongs to the Koshairi and he is impersonated by 
a member of this society (see White, 1942 a, fig. 24, for a sketch of this 
character, and note 91, p. 259, for a description of, and other data on, 
this personage at Santa Ana; Sia custom is undoubtedly close to Santa 
Ana at this point). Tcapiyo is the only masked personage that 
White people are permitted to see in any of the eastern Keresan pueb- 
los as far as I know. 
The riders of horses were invariably called Bocaiyanyi in Sia, just 
as my Santa Ana informant tended always to call them Santiago. 
“Bocaiyanyi is the father of horses and cattle.””’ When they come 
on Santiago’s day they go to the community corral where they sprin- 
kle the stock that have been brought there for this purpose (see White, 
1942 a, pp. 260-61, for a description of this ritual which I witnessed 
in Santa Ana). The War chief takes a few hairs from the mane or 
tail of the horse and buries them in the corral. Then Bocaiyanyi dances 
