STEVENSON.) CULT SOCIETIES. 69 



writer at Sia. Sucli is the effect of faith cure in Sia that, though the man 

 was actually sufferiug from a severe cold, his improvement dated from 

 the hour the snake was supposed to have been extracted. 



CULT SOCIETIES. 



Crt'set, being directed in all things by Sus'sistinnako, originated the 

 cult societies of the lower world, giving to certain of them the secrets 

 for the healing of the sick. 



The societies are mentioned in their line of succession, most of them 

 having been named for the animals of which they were composed. 



The first society organized was the Ka'pina, which included ouly 

 the si:)ider people, its ho'-na-ai-te, ' or theurgist, being Sus'sistinnako 

 himself; and as the members of this society were directly associated 

 with Sus'sistinnako, they knew his medicine secrets. 



Then followed the societies of the bear, cougar, badger, wolf, and 

 shrew {Sorer). 



The his'tiiin^ (knife) was composed of the cougar and the bear, these 

 two societies being consolidated. Sus'sistinnako finding that the bear 

 was always dissatisfied and inclined to growl and run from the people 

 when they approached, decided to make the cougar first and the bear 

 second, giving as his reason that when the people drew near the cougar 

 he sat still and looked at them ; he neither growled nor ran, and the 

 people were not afraid ; he commanded their respect, but not their fear, 

 and for this reason Sus'sistinnako united these societies that the bear 

 might be second, and under the direction of the cougar. 



The next six societies organized were the snakes, composed of the 

 snakes of the cardinal points, the snake of the north being Ska'towe 

 (Plumed Serpent), the west Ka'spauna, the south Ko'qiiaira, the east 

 Quis'sera, the heavens Ilu'waka, the earth Ya'ai. The Ska'towe (Ser- 

 pent of the IS^orth) and Ko'quaira (Serpent of the South) having special 

 influence over the cloud people, have their bodies marked with cloud 

 emblems; theKa'spanna (Serpent of the West) and the Quis'sera (Ser- 

 pent of the East) hold esoteric relations with the sun and moon; hence 

 their bodies are painted with the crescent. Hu'waka (Serpent of the 

 Heavens) has a body like crystal, and it is so brilliant that one's eyes 

 can not rest upon him; he is very closely allied to the sun. The Ya'ai 

 (Serpent of the Earth) has special relations with Ha'arts (the earth). 

 His body is spotted over like the earth, and he passes about over 

 Ha'arts until someone approaches, when he hastens into his house in 

 the earth. 



The seven ant societies followed the snakes. The five animal soci- 

 eties, the six ^nake societies, the first three ant societies, and the 



' Presiding officer of a cnlt society. 



2 This society difiered from the one of the same name afterwards organized in the upper world; 

 knife in the tormer referring to the implement used for domestic and other purposes, while the word 

 in the latter indicates the arrows presented to Ma'asewe and U'yuuyew6, the two war heroes, sons of 

 the sun, by their father. 



