50 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 55 



The roots of this plant provide an excellent lather; until the intro- 

 duction of commercial soap, it was the only washing medium used by 

 the Indians of New Mexico and Arizona and the New Mexican Span- 

 iards, and it is still used for washing woolens, heavy native cotton 

 fabrics, feathers, and human hair. After being bruised with a stone 

 (generally one of the grinding stones), the roots are put into cold 

 water to steep. After a few minutes they are briskly stirred and 

 rubbed with the hand until a good lather is produced; the fibrous parts 

 are then removed and the lather is ready for use. The lather is called 

 \)k'o (Hano Tewa, ''oFolo), and the name is extended to commercial 

 soap. In ceremonies lather represents clouds, \)¥uwa. 



The Tewa wash their hair about once a week, and also after per- 

 forming dirty work, after a journey, and before taking part in 

 ceremonies. Before a public dance all the inhabitants of a pueblo, as 

 well as the actual dancers, are expected to wash their hair. At Hano 

 the people wash their hair early on the morning after the conclusion 

 of a series of ceremonies, whether a public dance follows or not; in 

 this way the actual performers are said to "wash off their clouds." 



The Tewa of Hano, like the Hopi, accompany all ceremonies of 

 adoption and name-giving by washing with yucca suds. Thus, when 

 an infant is named before sunrise on the twentieth day after birth, its 

 head is washed by the paternal grandmother, and each member of the 

 father's clan who gives an additional name smears the child's head 

 with suds. The bride is bathed by the bridegroom's mother at the 

 beginning of her bridal visit to the bridegroom's house, and at the 

 end of the visit, when she is about to return to her own clan-house, 

 women of the bridegroom's clan wash her hair before sunrise and 

 give her a new name. When a Tewa from New Mexico visits a Tewa 

 clan at Hano, the women of the clan wash his hair before sunrise and 

 give him a new name; formerly they also bathed him with amole 

 suds. Navaho, Ute, and Apache scalps, when they were brought to 

 Hano, were intrusted to the potaH''^^ who washed them before sunrise 

 with amole suds and gave them the name ''agajosojo^ the Morning 

 Star. AIL these washing customs are apparently foreign to the New 

 Mexican Tewa. 



Cord and rope were formerl}^ made from the fibers of Yucca hac- 

 cctta. The fleshy leaves were boiled for a short time; when cool, the 

 leaves were chewed and the fibers extracted and twisted into cord. 



The fruit of Yucca haccata was formerly eaten. It was called 

 p'ape^ 'yucca fruit' (/?'«, Yucca baccata; pe^ fruit), this name being 

 applied to dates also on account of their resemblance to yucca fruit; 

 see page 115. 



An old man at Santa Clara said that the fruit of one kind of pa^ 

 though excellent, was apt to cause diarrhea, and that another kind 

 was eaten by women to promote easy and complete delivery. 



