STEVENSON.J RAIN CEREMONIAL. 85 



prayer. At the conclnsion the ho'iiaaite gave a bundle of hii'clianioni 

 to the ti'iimoui and a similar one to his companion; he then gave a 

 ehister of i)lunie ottciings to the ti'amoni and the remainder of the 

 feathers to the companion. The offerings were received in the blanket 

 thrown over the left arm; and each of the young men taking a ijiuch 

 of shell mixture left the chamber to deposit them at the shrines of the 

 Ko'pTshtaia with prayers to the Snake ho'aaaites: " I send you hii'cha- 

 moni and pay you her'rotume, Ta'waka, maic'kiiriwapai, I-"sa-ti-en 

 (tnrkis and shell offerings) tTper-we (the different foods) that you may 

 be pleased and have all things to eat and wear. I pay you these that 

 yon will beseech the cloud-rulers to send their people to water the 

 earth that she may be fruitful and give to all people abundance of all 

 food." 



As the bearers of the otterings left the chamber the ho'naaite played 

 upon a flute which was quite musical; and upon their return he re- 

 ceived them standing in front of the altar, and north of the meal line; 

 after a prayer by the ho'naaite the young men turned to the altar and 

 the ti'amoni oftered a prayer, which was resiionded toby the ho'naaite, 

 who now sat back of the altar. 



The boy then made two cigarettes and, after lighting one, he handed 

 it to the ti'iimoni; the second he gave to the companion. After a feast 

 of bread, stewed meat, and coffee, the ho'naaite stooped before the altar 

 and, taking the ya'ya from the tail of the sand-painted cougar in his 

 left hand, he pressed the palm of his right hand to the sand cougar, 

 and drew a breath from it, and, raising the ya'ya to his lips, drew a 

 breath from it, and clasped it close to his breast and passed behind the 

 altar aiid, reaching over it, he moved the center one of the three ya'ya 

 to the right, and substituted the one he carried, and resumed his seat. 

 In a moment or two the ho'naaite removed the two large fetiches of the 

 cougar to the back of the altar; and the vicar prayed and touched the 

 foiir cardinal points of the sand painting with pollen, and then placed 

 the palm of his right hand to the sand-painted cougar and, after draw- 

 ing the sacred breath, rubbed his hand over his body, when all the 

 members hastened to press their hands to the sand- painting, draw the 

 breath, and rub their bodies for mental and physical purification; dur- 

 ing which time the ti'amoni sat back of the altar holding his eagle 

 plumes with both hands before his face, and silently prayed. 



The remaining sand was brushed together from the four points by a 

 woman with an eagle plume, and lifted, with the plume, and emjitied 

 into the i)alm of her left hand and carried to her home and rubbed over 

 the bodies of her male children. 



The ya'ya were collected by their individual owners,who blew the meal 

 from the feathers and carefully inclosed them in their three wrappings. 

 The four wands of turkey plumes in the clay holders concealed hii'cha- 

 moni for Siis'sistinnako from the ho'naaite of the Spider Society; these 

 were not deposited until sunrise, and then by such members of the 



