STEVENSON] WINTER DANCES OF KOR'kOKSHI 143 



the Ko'yemshi masks, however, ma}^ be borrowed; those of the three 

 officers — Great Father, deputy, and warrior — must not be borrowed on 

 this occasion. The ^uest carries his two eagle-wing feathers, which 

 are associated with the esoteric fraternities, and four te'likinawe to be 

 offered to the deceased wor'we of the ki'wi*siwe with the prayer: "Take 

 all disease from our people." The head wor'li receives the te'likinawe. 



The dances occur in the ki'wi'siwe the fourth night and the gods 

 appear in the plaza on the fifth morning after Pau'tiwa announces 

 the coming of the gods. The A'toshle do not dance in the plazas, 

 but go about the village, and are joined later in the day by some of 

 the Ko'3^emshi. As they approach a house blank cartridges are 

 sometimes fired by a man of the house at the A'toshle, symbolizing 

 that the Navaho will be frightened away or killed and not enter the 

 Zuni homes. When an A'toshle falls as if dead the door of the house 

 is closed upon him, and he soon rises and walks away. At other times 

 the A'toshle and Ko'yemshi are shot, s3aiibolizing the killing of game. 

 The one who fires the shot is sure to be successful in the hunt. The 

 one supposed to be shot falls to the ground, the hunter places a hand 

 each side of the mask and draws in the breath, and the game is carried 

 into the house, laid upon a blanket on the floor with the head to the 

 east, facing south, and an embroidered sacred blanket is spread over 

 him. All present sprinkle meal upon him, and the children are told 

 that the A'toshle who was shot is now a deer. All the personators 

 of the gods return at dusk to the ki'wi^sine, remove their masks, put 

 on their ordinary dress, and return to their homes. Each chosen 

 Sha'lako, with his younger brother, goes over the western road and 

 plants the four te'likinawe in an excavation the depth of the lower 

 arm. Prayer meal is sprinkled in and the excavation is covered; 

 this is repeated for all the ki'wi'siwe. A week or more is consumed 

 with these particular dances and exhibitions. On the da}' following 

 the last of these performances the Ko'pekwin makes four te'likinawe, 

 and plants them in his cornfield to the Council of the Gods and the 

 rain-makers. 



The following is a description of the first of the Kor'kokshi cere- 

 monies in the winter of 1891. The fourth afternoon following the 

 planting of pra3'er plumes b}' the Ko'pekwin two jMu'luktakia gods 

 (see plate lxxiii) from the He'iwa ki'wi'sine, this being the one 

 which begins the Kor'kokshi dances,** visit the other ki'wi'siwe, going 

 first to the He'kiapawa, where the two men who are to act as Sha'lako 

 and his younger brother the following autumn and the chief officers 

 of the ki'wi'sine are gathered to receive them. The}' announce: " On 

 the fourth night the gods will come [referring to the Kor'kokshi]." 



"The ki'wi'siiiO that is to furnish tlie Kor'liokshi dancers for the summer solstice ceremonies 

 begins the Kor'kokshi dances of the preceding winter. 



