138 THE SIA. 



the sister-in-law tbe i)lacenta four times to her face, as she expressed 

 the wish that the umbilical cord might be severed without dauger to 

 the child. She then deliberately removed her belt and woven dress 

 and walked to the bed which had been prepared for her and lay down. 



The husband of the woman gave an extra sharpening to the knife 

 which had lain upon the shelf, and handed it to the doctress, who, tirst 

 placing the child upon the sand-bed, tied the umbilical cord an inch 

 and a quarter from the umbilicus, and after cutting it removed the 

 child, while the sister-in-law laid the placenta upon the sheepskin and 

 swept the sands of the sand bed upon a piece of cloth, placing the latter 

 on the back of one of the little boys. Taking half of the raw cotton 

 from the shelf, she laid it on the placenta, with the wish that the um- 

 bilicus might soon be healed; and folding the sheepskin, she deposited 

 it in a shallow bowl, and taking a pinch of shell mixture in her right 

 hand she carried the bowl from the house, followed by the boy. The 

 sand and placenta were cast into the river; the woman saying, "Go! 

 and when other women bear children may they i^romptly follow," re- 

 ferring to the placenta. 



To the doctress was brought a bowl of warm water, with which she 

 bathed the child; then a bowl containing yucca and a small quantity 

 of cold water and a vase of warm water were set by her, and after 

 making a suds with the yucca she added wai-m water and thoroughly 

 cleansed the child's head, and then bathed the child a second time, in 

 yucca suds, and taking water into her mouth from the bowl, she threw 

 a solid stream over the child for a remarkable length of time. The 

 child was rubbed with the hand, no cloth being used in the bathing. 

 The greatest care was observed in cleansing the infant, who was after- 

 ward wrapped in a blanket and patted dry. During the bathing the 

 grandparents, father, and brothers of the little one looked admiringly 

 upon it, with frequent expressions of delight. The remaining portion 

 of the umbilical cord was drawn through a wad of raw cotton, which 

 was wrapped closely about it, and ashes were then rubbed over the 

 child. The infant, a boy, weighed some 8 or 9 pounds, and its head 

 was covered with a profusion of black silky hair; it had quite a percep- 

 tible red mark covering the center of its forehead. It seemed brighter 

 from its birth than children of civilized parentage, and when twenty 

 days old was as observing as many of our children at two months. 



The cradle was brought forward by the grandfather, and the diminu- 

 tive Navajo blanket spread over it. The tiny sheet was laid on the 

 doctress's lap under the child. The writer was then requested to rise 

 and receive the child; and as she held the little one wrapped in the 

 sheet the grandfather oft'ered a prayer of thanksgiving, and after 

 sprinkling meal upon the writer gave her a pinch of it. She could not 

 dream what was expected of her, but she ventured to make four lines on 

 the child's breast, and sprinkled the remainder of the meal to the east. 

 The ^■euture was a happy one, for it was just right. The grandfather 



