sTETENsox.i RAIN CEREMONIAL. 91 



the vase, but urged the packing of it at once; he deposited a plume 

 offering in the vase, and sprinkled meal upon it and prayed while tears 

 moistened his cheeks. The vase was brought to Washington and de- 

 posited in the National Museum. 



BAIN CEREMONIAL OF THE GIANT SOCIETY. 



About noon the ho'naaite, who was nude except the breechcloth, left 

 his seat by the fireside in the ceremonial chamber, where his vicar had 

 been assisting him during the morning in cutting willows and i^repar- 

 ing hii'chamoni, and proceeded to make a sand painting in the east 

 end of the room, and when this was completed he erected the slat altar 

 (PI. XVIII a). During the preparation of the sand painting (&) the vicar 

 remained at his post at work upon the ha'chamoni. "When the two 

 female members, a woman and a little girl some 8 years of age, arrived, 

 the ho'naaite took from the wall nine shabby-looking sacks, handing- 

 one to each person present, reserving two for himself and laying the 

 remaining four to one side to be claimed by the other members of 

 the medicine order of the society. These sacks contained the ya'ya, 

 one of which, it is claimed, was captured from the Navajo by a former 

 ho'naaite of this society, and this fetich is as precious as the others for 

 the reason that it also represents tJt's6t, the mother of all Indians. 



The five ya'ya were placed in line in front of the altar and on the sand- 

 painting, and a miniature bow and arrow were laid before four of them, 

 the captive one having none. Bear-leg skins with the claws were piled 

 on either side of the altar, and upon these were laid necklaces of bears' 

 claws, each necklace having a reed whistle suspended midway, two flufFj^ 

 eagle plumes, tipped with black, being attached to the end of the whistle. 

 The medicine bowl was ])osted before the five ya'ya, the stone fetiches 

 arranged about the sand painting, and the cloud bowl in front of the 

 whole. The woman brought a trijjle cui>ped paint stone near the altar 

 and ground a black pigment, yellow ocher, and an impure malachite; 

 these powders were mixed with water, and the woman and girl painted 

 the ha'chamoni, the child being quite as dextrous as her elder, and 

 equally interested. 



While the ha'chamoni were being colored the ho'naaite was busy as- 

 sorting plumes. He first laid thirteen turkey plumes separately upon 

 the floor, forming two lines ; upon each plume he laid a fluffy eagle feather, 

 and then added successively to each group a plume from each of the 

 birds of the cardinal points, turkey plumes being iised instead of chap- 

 paral cocks'. A low weird chant was sung while the ho'naaite and 

 his vicar tied each pile of plumes together with native cotton cord, 

 the ho'naaite waving each group, as he completed it, in a circle from 

 left to right before his face. The woman at the same time made four 

 rings of yucca, 1^ inches in diameter, some two dozen yucca needles 

 having been wrapped in a hank and laid in a bowl of water. The 



