STEVENSON] THE TIAMONI. 17 



wise old, having died about tlie same time. VV'lieu tlie selection of a 

 younger brother or viear has been made, the vicar to the war priest 

 calls upon the incoming ruler, who accompanies him to tlie house of 

 the appointee to till the office of vicar to the ti'iimoni. The younger 

 war priest, followed by the ti'iimoni elect, who precedes the vicar, goes 

 to the ancestral official chambei- of the ti'iimoni, where the elder war 

 priest, the theurgists of the several cult societies, with their vicars, 

 have assembled to be present at the installation of the ti'iimoni. The 

 war priest arises to meet the party, and, witli the ti'iimoni immediately 

 before him he says: " This man is now our priest; he is now our father 

 and our mother for all time; " and then addressing the ti'iimoni he con- 

 tinues: "You are no more to work in the helds or to bring wood, the 

 theurgists of the cult and all your other children will labor for you, our 

 ti'iimoni, for all years to come; you are not to work, but to be to us as 

 our father and our mother." " Good ! good ! " is repeated by the theur- 

 gists. The war priest then i^resents the ti'iimoni with the ensign of his 

 office — a slender statt', crooked at the end and su^jposed to be the same 

 which was presented to the first ruler by the mother IJt'sct — the crook 

 being symbolic of longevity. Upon receiving the crook the ti'iimoni 

 draws the sacred breath from it and the war priest embraces him and 

 sprinkles the cane with meal with a prayer that the thoughts and lieart 

 of Cr'tset may be cojiveyed from the staff to the newly-chosen ruler 

 ( Ct'set upon presenting this cane to the first ti'.imoni of this world, gave 

 with it all her thoughts and her heart), and now he, too, draws from the 

 cane the sacred breath. The theurgists rise in a body, each one embrac- 

 ing the ti'iimoni and sprinkling meal upon the staff, at the same time 

 drawing from it the sacred breath. The civil authorities next, and 

 then the populace, including the women and children, repeat the em- 

 bracing, the sprinkling of meal, and the drawing of the sacred breath. 



The following day all the members of the pueblo, including tlie 

 children, collect wood for the ti'amoni, depositing it by the side of his 

 dwelling. 



The Sia are much chagrined that their present ti'iimoni (wlio is a 

 young man) participates in the hunts, works in the fields, and is ever 

 ready to join in a pleasure ride over the hills. This is not the tribal 

 custom; the ti'iimoni may have a supervision over his herds and fields, 

 but his mind is supposed to be absorbed with religion and the interests 

 of his people, and lie never leaves his village for a distance, excepting 

 to make pilgrimages to the shrines or other of their Meccas. This young 

 ruler is a vain fellow, having but little concern for the welfare of his 

 people, but he is most punctilious in his claim to the honors due him. 



The theurgists hold office for life, each vicar succeeding to the func- 

 tion of his theurgist, who in turn appoints, with the approbation of the 

 ti'iimoni, the member whom he thinks best fitted to fill the position of 

 \icar. 



For the selection of the civil and subordinate military officers the 

 11 ETH li 



