STEVENSON.] THE GIANT SOCIETY. 93 



the ceremouial chamber, he stooped before the altar and to the south 

 side of the line of meal aud prayed to the Ko'pishtaia, closing with 

 these words: "I have offered you food, our food, that you may eat, and 

 I pray you to exhort the Ko'pishtaia of ti'nia [referring to the cloud 

 people] to come and water the earth.'' The male members of the society 

 each smoked a cigarette, and afterward tlu> bowl of stew and basket of 

 bread were deposited in the center of the room, and all gathered 

 around and ate. The men then sat on either side of the room and again 

 indulged iu a smoke, the woman and girl sitting on the north side near 

 the west end. After the cigarettes were finished the vicar drew a 

 fresh line of meal from the altar to the (k)or sitiiated on the south side 

 and near the west end, and the members formed in line back of the 

 altar. (An explanation of the drawing of the line of meal and the 

 relative positions of the line of men back of the altar has already been 

 given, and is applicable to the rain ceremonials of all the cult societies.) 

 Tlie woman took her seat on the north side of the room, near the altar, 

 the little girl sitting opposite to her on the south side. 



The ho'uaaite and the ti'iimoni (the latter's position as ti'amoui has 

 nothing whatever to do with his relations in the cult societies in which 

 he holds membership) wore white Tusayan cotton breechcloths elab- 

 orately embroidered in bright colors ; the vicar's was dark blue and the 

 others white cotton; each man held two eagle plumes and a goiud 

 rattle in the left hand. The woman and little girl wore their ordinary 

 dresses, the high-neck calico gowns being omitted, aud they held a 

 turkey wand tipped with fluffy eagle plumes dyed a lemon color, in 

 either hand. 



The vicar gave a pinch of meal to the ho'naaite from the pottery 

 meal bowl by the altar, who without rising from his seat sprinkled the 

 altar. The song then opened to the accompaniment of the rattle, which 

 had been transferred to the right hand, the eagle plumes still being 

 held in the left, and keeping time with the rattle. Each stanza closed 

 with a short and rapid shake of the rattle. (The writer noticed in the 

 ceremonials of the cult societies of the Sia the absence of the pottery 

 drum, which is such an important feature with the Zufu and Tusayan.) 

 With the commencement of the ritual the men from either end of the 

 line moved to the fireplace, and lifting ashes with their plumes, depos- 

 ited them before the altar and north and south of the meal line, and 

 after dancing and gesticulating for a moment or two they again lifted 

 ashes and sprinkled toward the altar, the under side of the plume held 

 in the left hand being struck with the one held in the right; again 

 lifting ashes one sprinkled to the north and the other to the south, and 

 passing down on either side of the meal line they sprinkled to the 

 west, and crossing the.y passed up the line and when midway one 

 sprinkled to the north, the other to the south; again dipping ashes 

 they sprinkled to the zenitli and with more ashes they sprinkled to the 

 niidir. Tliis sprinkling of the cardinal points was repeated four times. 



