sTEVExsoN.l THE GIANT SOCIETY. 97 



ho'naaite. They then left the ceremonial chamber and walked a long 

 distance through the darkness to deposit the offerings at a shrine of 

 the Ko'pishtaia. The remaining members talked in undertones until 

 the return of the absert cbes, who, upon entering the chamber, stood 

 before the altar and offered a prayer which was responded to by the 

 ho'naaite. All the members then gathered before the altar and asked 

 that their prayers might be answered. The woman and girl arranged 

 bowls of food in line midway the room and south of the meal line and 

 the feast clo.sed the ceremonial at 2 o'clock, a. m. 



FOUR nights' CEREMONIAL OF THE GIANT SOCIETY FOK THE HEALING 



OF A SICK BOY. 



The night succeeding the ceremonial of the Sko'-yo Chai'-iin (Giant 

 Society) for rain the assembly began its ritualistic observances, which 

 continue four consecutive nights, for the curing of the sick by the 

 brushing process. During the afternoon a sand-painting was made in 

 the east end of the room (compare sand-painting Giant Society, (PI. 

 xviiii); ya'ya and stone fetiches were grouped upon the painting; a 

 medicine bowl was placed before the ya'ya; bearleg skins were depos- 

 ited on either side of the fetiches and a white embroidered sacred Tu- 

 sayan blanket was folded and laid by the bear-leg skins south of the 

 painting. The live male members of the medicine division of the society 

 had refreshments served early in the evening by the female members, 

 and after sujjper the ti'ilmoiii, who is a member of the medicine division, 

 placed a bowl of stewed meat and a basket of bread near the painting; 

 the remainder of the food was stored in the northwest corner of the room 

 for future consumption. 



The live men formed in line back of the fetiches, the ho'naaite being 

 the central figure; they had scarcely taken their seats, however, before 

 the ti'iimoni brought a vase of water and a gourd from the west end of 

 the room and set it before the sand-painting and returned to his seat; 

 the ho'naaite, advancing, dipped six gourdfuls of water, emptying each 

 one into the medicine bowl.' 



The ho'naaite then passing to the north side of the painting stooped 

 with bended knees, holding in his left hand two eagle plumes, and 

 repeated a low prayer; then, taking a small piece of the bread, he 

 dipped it into the stew and scattered it before the fetiches; and, taking 

 more bread and a bit of the meat, he left the ceremonial chamber and 

 threw the food as an offering to the animals of the cardinal points. 

 The ti'iimoni then returned the bowl of meat and basket of bread to the 

 far end of the room. Upon the return of the ho'naaite his vicar spread 

 the Tusayan blanket upon the floor, some 5 feet in front of the painting. 

 He next sprinkled a line of meal from the edge of the blanket nearest 



' Female members are never present at the ceremonial of brushing with straws and feathers, and 

 therefore the ya'ya belonging to the woman and child were not to be seen on this occasion, and neither 

 did the one captured from the Navajo appear. 

 11 ETH 7 



