106 THE SIA. 



rettes were lighted from the long stick passed by one of the boys, and 

 after smoking, the ho'uaaite and his younger brother put on white cot- 

 ton embroidered Tusayan kilts as breechcloths, which they took from 

 a hook on the wall, those of the other members being plain white cotton. 

 The ho'naaite now took his seat back of the altar and lighted a second 

 cigarette from the long stick, blowing the smoke over the altar. This 

 smoke was offered to Pai'iitamo and Ko'pishtaia, the ho'uaaite saying: 

 " 1 give this to you; smoke and be contented." He then administered 

 medicine water to all present, dipping the water with a shell. The 

 viceho'naaite, who received the last draft, drank directly from the 

 bowl, and was careful not to leave a drop in it, after which the ho'na- 

 aite removed the six stone fetiches from the bowl. The process of pre- 

 paring medicine water is substantially the same with all the cult socie- 

 ties, there not being in Sia nearly so much ceremony connected with 

 this important feature of fetich worship as with the Zuui and Tusayan. 

 The six fetiches were returned to the buckskin bag and the ho'naaite 

 resumed his seat behind the altar, the members and novitiates having 

 already formed in line back of the altar, the official members each hold- 

 ing two eagle plumes in the left hand and a gourd rattle in the right. 

 After a short prayer by the ho'naaite, the boy lifted ashes from the 

 fireplace with his eagle plumes and i)laced them near the altar and east 

 of the meal line; again he dipped a quantity, placing them west of the 

 line of meal. As the chant opened, he stood west of the line and fac- 

 ing the altar, and an adult member stood on the east side, and each of 

 them held an eagle plume in either hand and a gourd rattle also in the 

 right. The boy dipped with the plumes the ashes which lay west of 

 the line of meal and the man those which lay east of the line, and 

 sprinkled toward the north by striking the plumes held in the left 

 hand on the underside with the plume held in the right; again dip- 

 ping the ashes, the boy sprinkled toward the west and the man toward 

 the east; again lifting ashes, they passed to the south and sprinkled 

 there; the boy then crossed to the east of the line of meal and the man 

 to the west of the line, and when midway of the line the boy sprinkled 

 to the east and the man to the west; then, dancing before the altar, 

 they again lifted ashes and sprinkled to the north. When dancing, 

 both eagle plumes were held in the left hand and the rattle in the 

 right. Ashes were again lifted and thrown twice toward the zenith 

 and then thrown to the nadir. The sprinkling to the cardinal points, 

 2enith and nadir, was repeated flfteen times in the manner described. 

 This was to carry off all impurities of the mind, that it might be pure ; 

 that the songs would come pure from the lips and pass straight over 

 the road of meal — the one road. The man and boy having resumed 

 their seats in the line, the viceho'naaite stood before the altar to the 

 west side of the line of meal, shook his rattle for a moment or two, 

 then waved it vertically in front of the altar, invoking the cloud people 

 to come; he then waved the rattle from the west to the east, repeating 



