STEVENSON. 



OTHER SOCIETIES. 117 



aiits, the Ivo'sbairi and (^lUT'iiiniia, who wait upon tliem, attending to 

 any disarranged apparel and making the spectators merry with tlieir 

 witty sayings and butt'oonery. 



The Sia have a great variety of masks, which must be very okl, judg- 

 ing from their appearance, and the priest of the Quer'ninna, wlio has 

 them in charge, claims for them great antiquity. Pis. xxxi and XXXii 

 illustrate some masks of the Ka"suna. 



When a boy or girl reaches the time when, as their fathers say, they 

 have a good head, some ten or twelve years of ag'e, the father first sug- 

 gests to the ho'uaaite of the Quer'riinna (if the father is not living then 

 the mother speaks) that he would like his sou or daughter to become 

 acquainted with the Ka"suna; he then makes known his wish to the 

 ti'amoni, and after these two li.ive said, "It is well," he says to his 

 child, "My child, 1 think it is time for you to know the Ka"suna," and 

 the child replies, "It is well, father." The parent then informs the 

 ho'uaaite that his child wishes to know the Ka"suua, and the ho'Tiaaite 

 replies, "It is well." The next time the Ka"suna come he may know 

 them. 



The ho'uaaite prepares a meal i)ainting for the occasion, covering it 

 for tlie time being with a l)lanket. Upon the arrival of the Ka"suna 

 the father and child, and, if the child be a member of a cult society, 

 the theurgist of the society, proceed to the ceremonial house of the 

 Quer'rJinna. If the child possesses a fetich of the ya'ya he carries it 

 pressed to his breast. Upon entering the ceremonial cliamber the child 

 and attendants take their seats at the north end of the room near 

 the west side, the ho'uaaite of the Quer'riinna sitting just west of 

 the meal painting, the boy to his right, and the parent next to 

 the boy. The ti'amoni and ho'uaaite of warriors are present and sit 

 on the west side of the room and about midway. The Sa'iahlia (two of 

 the Ka"suna) stamp about in the middle of the room for a time, then 

 the ho'uaaite leads the child before the meal painting, which is, how- 

 ever, still covered with the blanket, and says to the Ka'*suna, " A 

 youth [or maiden, whichever it may be] has come to know you." The 

 Ka"suna each carry a bunch of S])anisli bayonet in either hand, and 

 the child receives two strokes across the back from each of the Ka"suna, 

 unless he be an oflieial member of a cult societj'; in this case he is ex- 

 empt from the chastisement. A boy is nude excepting the breech- 

 cloth; a girl wears her ordinary clothing. The ho'uaaite, addressing 

 the Ka^suna, says: "Now it is well for you to raise your masks that the 

 child may see." One of the Sa'iahlia places his i.nask over the child's head 

 and the other lays his by the meal painting, the ho'uaaite having re- 

 moved the blanket. The p'ersonators of the Ka"suna then say to the 

 child : " Now you know the Ka"suna you will henceforth have only good 

 thoughts and a good heart; sometime, perhaps, you will be one of us. 

 You must not speak of these things to anyone not initiated." The mask 

 is then taken from the child's head and laid by the side of the other, 



