92 THE SIA 



child brought the hauk from the farther end of the room to the 

 woman, who, taking a needle of the yucca, wound it four times around 

 her thumb and index finger; then wrapping this mth an extra thread 

 of yucca formed the ring. When the four rings were completed 

 the child took them to the paint stone, which the woman had removed 

 to the far end of the room, and dipped them into the yellow paint and 

 laid them by the woman, who tied three of the piles of plumes to- 

 gether and afterwards handed the riugs to the ho'naaite, who added to 

 each ring a plume from the wing of a humming bird. These rings were 

 oflerings to the cloud children emblematic of the wheels upon wnich 

 they ride over ti'nia. 



In attaching the illume oflerings to the hii'chamoni, the latter are 

 held between the large and second toes of the right foot of the men 

 and woman. There were ten ha'chamoni to bear messages to the cloud 

 rulers of the cardinal points — Ho'chiinni, high ruler of the cloud people 

 of the world, Sus'sistinnako, t)^t's6t, and the sun, the extra bunches of 

 plumes being tied pendent to those already attached to the ha'chamoni 

 for Sus'sistinnako, Crt'set, and the sun. 



The ho'naaite placed the ha'chamoni and rings in a flat basket and 

 set it before the altar in fi-out of the cloud bowl, and posted a stiiffed 

 parrot upon the central slat of the altar. At this time the other official 

 members appeared, and, unwrapping their ya'ya, handed them to the 

 ho'naaite, who stood them before the altar (PI. xix). The woman then 

 brought a vase of water and gourd from the far end of the room, and 

 the ho'naaite emptied four gourdfiils into the medicine bowl and then 

 sprinkled corn pollen upon the water, and, dipping his two eagle plumes 

 into the bowl, he sprinkled the altar and offerings. He did not speak 

 a word, but took his seat by the fire and began smoking, awaiting the 

 hour for the evening ceremonial. The ho'naaite and vicar had their 

 meals served, in the ceremonial chamber, and after eating, the remainder 

 of the basket of bread and bowl of meat was placed before the altar. 



The night cerenumy opened with the ho'naaite (PI. xx) and his vicar 

 dipping their plumes into the medicinewater and sprinklingthe altar and 

 the food which had been placed before it; the ho'naaite then, sitting in 

 front and to the north side of the altar, repeated a long prayer, suppli- 

 cating Mo'kaitc, (Jougar of the North, to intercede with the cloud people 

 of the north to water the earth that the crops might grow; Ko'hai, the 

 Bear, to intercede with the cloud peo])le of the west to water the earth 

 that the crops might grow; a smilar invocation was made to the Tuo'pe, 

 Badger of the South, Ka'kanna, Wolf of the East, Tiii'mi, Eagle of the 

 Heaven, and Mai'tubo, Shrew of the Earth. The vicar then gathered 

 a bit of bread from the basket and of meat from the bowl and handed 

 it to the ho'naaite, who left the house with the food in his left hand, 

 holding his eagle plumes in his right; he cast the food to the animal 

 Ko'pishtaia of the cardinal points, begging that they would intercede 

 with the cloud people to come and water the earth; then, returning to 



