94 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



He'kiapawa ki'wi'sine. When the fawn skin can no longer hold the 

 contributions its contents are emptied by a Ko'pi'4ashiwanni into a 

 sack which is carried for the purpose. After Cha'kwena has con- 

 cluded her visits through the village, she passes, with her associates, 

 over the western road, led by the Ko'mosona for a distance, and the food 

 collected in the fawn skin is deposited with te'likinawe and pra3^er 

 meal in an excavation in the river bank made b}^ wor'we (managers) 

 from the He'kiapawa ki'wi\'=!ine. Long prayers are offered by all 

 present. The opening is afterward covered, Cha'kwena removes 

 her mask, and the ceremony in which she figures is concluded. 



Coming of Ko'loowisi (Plumed Serpent) and Involuntary 

 Initiation into the Ko'tikili 



Those who are to personate the gods at the coming of Ko'loowisi 

 spend the greater portion of their time in the He'kiapawa ki'wi'sine 

 during the eight days preceding the appearance of the fetish. The 

 first seven mornings they go to collect wood, which they bring on 

 the backs of burros. On the sixth morning the Siirimobiya from the 

 other ki'wi*siwe, each with his younger brother, or fellow, meet in 

 He'kiapawa to decide upon the fraternities that are to be invited to 

 the ki'wi'siwe to participate in the coming ceremonies, each Sarimol)iya 

 except the one in He'kiapawa being privileged to have a fraternity of 

 his choice in his ki'wi'sine. The Great Fire f raternit}^ must always be 

 in He'kiapawa for this occasion. 



Each personator of a god who is to accompany Ko'loowisi to the 

 village selects a young man and provides him with a gourd jug with 

 which to visit To'seluna, a sacred spring at Ojo Caliente, and get water 

 and the tall grass which grows in the spring. The party of young 

 men returns in the evening in time to join the personators of the gods, 

 who have gathered at a certain point some distance west of the village, 

 ready to accompany the Ko'loowisi, which has been taken to this pointy 

 entirely secreted by its priest, or keeper. 



The ligure of Ko'loowisi, which is constructed of deerskin, is about 5 

 feet long and 8 inches through the thickest part of the bod3^ The 

 under portion is painted white and the back is black, covered with 

 duplicate curves in yellow and blue-green to designate the scales of the 

 serpent. A rod of cottonwood extends through the fetish, symboliz- 

 ing the spinal column. A miniature stick with plumes attached, rep- 

 resenting the heart, is secured at the middle of the rod. Hoops of 

 slender pieces of cottonwood, representing the ribs of the serpent, 

 extend from the neck to the lower end. A deerskin tongue, colored 

 red, hangs from the mouth, which is provided with teeth. Plumes 

 stand from the top of the head, which is made of a gourd. The throat 

 is wrapped with a fox skin'^ (see plate xiii). The procession as it 



a An exact model, made for the writer by a priest associated with the fetish, is in the United States 

 National Museum. 



