WAR 
Warfare was a part of the life and culture of Sia, and other Keresan 
pueblos, until about 1880 when the last engagements took place. 
- They had weapons—bow and arrow, club, shield—a Warriors’ society 
(the Opi), war priests or chiefs, war dances, ceremonies, fetishes, and 
magic. Few, if any, men were alive in Sia in 1928, when this study 
was begun, who had actually been engaged in armed conflict with an 
enemy. I was obliged, therefore, to rely largely upon memories and 
tradition for information. There are good reasons for believing that 
virtually all fighting done by the Sia was defensive rather than aggres- 
sive. They had occasionally to defend themselves against raids and 
attacks, principally from the Navaho; we have virtually no evidence 
of any attacks initiated by the Sia upon the mo-comi (enemy nomads, 
chiefly Navaho) and none at all for attacks upon a neighboring pueblo. 
As we have already seen (p. 124), it is difficult to identify, and to 
distinguish between, the war ‘‘priests” and the war ‘‘chiefs’” men- 
tioned by Stevenson. Apparently, the priests, who represented the 
twin war gods, Masewi and Oyoyewi, served for life. They had 
charge of war parties. With the end of warfare, these offices ceased 
to exist, it would appear, and only the appointed war chiefs have been 
perpetuated. 
If a Sia warrior killed an enemy on a war party he apparently 
enjoyed the option of touching or not touching the slain man. If, 
however, he did touch him or take any of his weapons, clothing, or 
fetishes, he was obliged to scalp him, in which case he would have to 
become a member of the Opi society. Scalping, incidentally, con- 
sisted of removing all the skin on the skull upon which hair normally 
grows, not merely a small round piece on the crown of the head as 
was the practice among many other tribes. 
A warrior who has taken a scalp is not allowed to enter the pueblo 
at once and without warning upon his return. He is required to 
stop at some distance from the village and indicate, by means of a 
smoke signal, that he has taken a scalp. All the men in the pueblo 
who know the scalp songs go out to meet him, singing. The scalp 
taker joins them and, together, they encircle the village, walking and 
singing. Then they enter the pueblo on the north side and go to the 
north plaza, pass through it and go to the site of the secret under- 
ground chamber. Each scalp taker, if there are more than one, has 
one pole, to the top of which he has attached all the scalps he has 
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