120 THE SIA. 



seemed perfectly absorbed iu bis infant daughter, his wife's greeting, 

 like those of the other wives, being simply to take first bis gun and 

 then bis other traps from bis horse. 



The bo'naaite of the cougar society visited the houses of all the Te- 

 turned hunters, first entering the house of bis vicar. Tbe young man 

 stood iu tbe center of tbe room and tbe bo'naaite embraced him and 

 repeated a prayer of thanksgiving for his success iu the bunt and his 

 safe return. The old man was tben assisted to a seat upon a wadded 

 blanket and tbe father of tbe hunter spread a sheepskin upon tbe floor, 

 wool side down, and emptied tbe contents of tbe sack which was taken 

 from the hunter's horse upon it, which was nothing more than the 

 desiccated meat and bones of an antelope. Tbe aged man then took 

 from his pouch a fetich of the cougar, about 3 inches long, and touching 

 it to the meat of tbe antelope many times prayed most earnestly for 

 several minutes. His prayers were addressed to tbe cougar, thanking 

 bim for his goodness in sending bis children over tbe land that tbe Sia 

 might secure them as payment to the cloud people for watering tbe 

 earth. 



In the next house visited the meat of tbe antelope was spread 

 upon a bear's skin, tbe hair down. The skin of the antelope was folded 

 lengthwise and laid by tbe side of the meat, and the skull and antlers 

 placed at one end. Tbe wife of tbe hunter laid over tbe skull many 

 strings of coral, ko'baqua, and turkis beads, and afterwards spread a 

 white embroidered Tusayan blanket over tbe carcass. A small bowl of 

 sacred meal was deposited in front of the bead. The aged no'naaite 

 repeated a prayer similar to the one be offered in tbe first bouse, not 

 omitting placing tbe fetich to the antelope; be then clasped his hands 

 four times over tbe skull of the antelope and drew a breath, after which 

 the hunter lighted a cigarette for the bo'naaite who blew the first whifi 

 over the antelope and extended the cigarette toward it. The bo'naaite 

 repeated the i)rayer in tbe houses of the four successful hunters. Tbe 

 other two men were not overlooked, as he embraced them and repeated 

 a prayer of thanksgiving for their safe return.' The war chief visited 

 all of the houses, but did nothing more than sprinkle tbe antelope with 

 corn pollen, drawing in a sacred breath from tbe game, puffing the first 

 whiff of bis cigarette over it and extending tbe cigarette toward it. 



When tbe game is shot, the hunter dips bis fetich into tbe blood, 

 telling it to drink. The blood is often scraped from fetiches and drunk 

 in a little water to insure greater success in tbe hunt. There are speci- 

 mens of such fetiches in Mr. Stevenson's collection in the National 

 Museum. Some students, through their imperfect knowledge, have been 

 led into tbe error of supposing from their new appearance that these 

 fetiches were of recent manufacture. Tbe game is kept in tbe houses 

 of tbe hunters until tbe following morning, when it is taken to the cere- 

 monial house of the ti'amoni, the war chief deciding what day it shall 



' The aged bo'naaite has since died. 



