62 ETHNOGEOGRAPHY OF THE TEWA INDIANS [eth. axx. 29 



Kunyirfcini 'turquoise people' (^w«ya? 'turquoise'; towa 'person' 'peo- 

 ple'), or K'aje (of obscure etymolog-}-). The Winter phratry is called 

 Te''nvJ'i''into'wa 'winter people' {tii'niui 'winter'; ^vjf locative and 

 adjective-forming postlix; to%m 'person' 'people'); Potowa 'squash 

 people' {po 'squash' 'pumpkin' 'gourd' 'calabash'; towa 'person' 

 'j^eople'), or Kwxdi (of obscure etj'mology). The Summer people are 

 presided over by the Summer cacique, piPsRi^njo 'ceremony-presiding 

 chief {po'se. 'to preside at a ceremony', said of either Summer or Win- 

 ter cacique); t%iiijo 'chief, who is in charge of the summer ceremo- 

 nies. The Winter people and ceremonies are in charge of the Winter 

 cacique, ''ojil-etimjo 'hard ice chief {^oji 'ice'; I'e 'hardness' 'hard'; 

 ty,njo 'chief). Bandelier' writes: "The [Tewa] altar (Cen-te) used in 

 the estufas is green for the summer months, yellow after the autum- 

 nal equinox." So far as the present writer has learned, the Tewa do 

 not recognize equinoxes, but only solstices. 



Distinct personal names were considered appropriate for children 

 according to the season in which they were born — summer or winter. 



Months 



The Tewa year contained twelve, not thirteen months. In this it 

 agreed with the Zufii j'ear according to Gushing (see the accompany- 

 ing table). The months are said to have begun at the time of the new 

 moon, but this subject fteeds further investigation. Thej' are divided 

 into summer and winter months (see under Seasons). Month is 

 called po 'moon'. The term Posejido is applied only to the divinity 

 resident in the moon (see under Sun and Moon) . 



The months were known by descriptive names, which are passing 

 out of use. These names diflered considerablj- according to the 

 speaker and the village. The accompanying table gives month-names 

 obtained from Indians of four Tewa villages; also Jemez and Zuiii 

 month-names, the latter from Gushing.^ It will be noticed that the 

 old designations of some months have been supplanted partially or 

 wholly by names of saints, whose festivals play an important role in 

 j)resent-day Tewa life. December is invariably named from niip'^a 

 'Ghristmas,' and the old name could not be discovered. 



' Final Report, pt. i, p. 311, 1S90. 



:Zuni Breadstufl, The Millstone, p. 5.s, April, 1884. 



