CUSH1KG. 



DECORATIVE SYMBOLISM. 



517 



ficatious of the latter as the mythic " ancient sacred place of the spaces" 

 ~(Te' tMa shi na kwin), anil so on. 



By combining several of these elementary symbols in a single device, 

 sometimes a mythic idea was beautifully expressed. Take, as an ex- 

 ample, the rain totem adopted by the late Lewis H. Morgan as a title 

 illumination, from Maj. J. W. Powell, who received it from the Moki 

 Pueblos of A rizona as a token of his induction into the rain gens of 



Fig. 556. — Ancient Pueblo "medicine-jar. 1 



that people. (See Fig. 557, a.) An earlier and simpler form of this 

 occurs on a very ancient " sacred medicine jar" which I found in the 

 Southwest. (See Fig. 556.) By reference to an enlarged drawing of the 

 chief decoration of this jar (see Fig. 557), it may be seen that the sky, 

 «, the ancient place of the spaces (region of the sky gods), b, the cloud 

 lines, c, and the falling raiu, d, are combined and depicted to symbolize 



b-Ji 



a. Modern Moki rain symbol. b. Enlarged decoration of "medicine-jar. '' 



Fig. 557. — Decoration of ancient medicine-jar compared witb rain symbol of modern Moki totem. 



the storm, which was the objective of the exhortations, rituals, and cere- 

 monials to which the jar was an appurtenance. 



Thus, upon all sacred vessels, from the drums of the esoteric medi- 

 cine societies of the priesthood and all vases pertaining to them to the 

 keramic appurtenances of the sacred dance or K<V M, all decorations 

 were intentionally emblematic. Of this numerous class of vessels, I 

 will choose but one for illustration — the prayer-meal-bowl of the Ka' M. 



