Ri-ssKi.i.l FAMILY ORGANIZATION 183 



in !i (iance tliat occupied four nii;hts. The father and motlier did not 

 dance, but they took care to select the best girls to dance with theii' 

 daughter "for their good influence." The men and Avonien formed 

 two lines facing each other on the hardened and well-swept plaza 

 outside the house; their arms were extended to embrace those 

 adjoining, and the blankets were stretched along the line to cover as 

 many I'.s they would reach over instead of being wrapped around 

 each individual. The lines advanced and retreated rhythmically 

 while the puberty songs were sung. These songs were in sets that 

 were retained in the memories of certain persons and the set for the 

 niglit was generally determined by the chance that brought the first 

 leader to the spot when all was ready to begin. It was an exhausting 

 dance, as there was no stopping for rest or food during the niglit. In 

 the morning all returned to then- homes to spend the day in sleep. 



During the menstrual period all women were secluded for four days, 

 during which they lived in the liushes near the village, making little 

 slielters to shade them from the sun and occupying their time in 

 making baskets. They lived on pinole, which was brought each 

 morning and left at a short distance from their camp. Sometimes 

 there were several together. They always bathed in the river before 

 returning to their homes. 



MAURIACiE 



The youth of Pinien'a marry "early and often." In the majority 

 of cases the choice is made by the girl who seeks to avoid an alliance 

 with a lazy man. A handsome fellow is of course desiretl, but when 

 she "knows in her heart" that he is the right man even tlie homely 

 youth is chosen. As to what is the ideal of physical ])eauty, f[ues- 

 tioning naturally elicited only general information. For example, 

 he must be tall and strong; dark, because he will not wTinkle as soon 

 as the lighter colored: he must not be too fat. The woman must not 

 be fat nor yet thin; "she must have good liair and a good face." 

 The writer's informant %()lunteered information that a stranger 

 might distinguish between the married and the unmarried women 

 by the fact that the latter kept their hair in much l)etter condition 

 than the former. No peculiar style of hair dressing such as that fn 

 vogue among the Hopis serves to distinguisli the unmarried girls 

 (see pi. xi.vii) ; with the change of state they simply "let themselves 

 go " in a very human way, though even at the worst their hair receives 

 probably more attention than that of the A'ast majority of their white 

 sisters. 



When a youth selects a bride he visits her home in company with 

 a young married friend who pleads his cause while he sits in the 

 background. After several niglits of wooing by proxy, if his cause 

 is favored he remains and is accepted as a husl)and without furtlier 

 ceremonv. For four davs thev remain at her home anil on the evenintj 



