104 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



The sacredness of the et'tone is indicated, not onl}- b}- its promi- 

 nence in legend, but by the care with which it is guarded. The 

 writer was fortunate in being able to handle and examine the et'tone 

 of Nai'uchi, since deceased, Shi'wanni of the Nadir, who was also 

 elder brother Bow priest. On removing the toad from the reed 

 it was found to be in a livelj^ condition. The writer is indebted to 

 Nai'uchi for models of the sacred fetish, which are in the National 

 Museum. 



When the A'shiwi were divided into clans these sacred objects 

 became associated with the clans chosen b}^ their possessors, and while 

 an et'tone may pass from a shi'wanni of the parent clan to one of the 

 children of the clan,*^ it remains in the care of a woman of the parent 

 clan, when not in the hands of the shi'wanni, this office passing from 

 mother to daughter or from sister to sister. 



When not in use each et'tone rests in a sealed vase in a special 

 chamber in the dwelling house of its keeper. The chamber has no 

 windows, and the door is kept sealed except when the sacred fetish 

 is brought to a larger chamber in the same house for the winter and 

 summer retreats or is taken from the house for the ^Hle'wekwe cere- 

 monial.^' Should there be a small opening in the roof of the chamber 

 of the et'tone, it is covered with a slab set in plaster, and is opened 

 only for the purpose of sprinkling meal into the chamber during a 

 retreat of the shi'wanni and his associates. Two of the et'towe are 

 supposed to have come from the conquered Kia'nakwe, to have been 

 brought by the bo}" who, with his sister, was adopted b}' the A'shiwi. 

 The aged woman who has the care of these fetishes is said to be the 

 direct descendant of the foster mother of the brother and sister. 



Through the earnest persuasion of a nephew to the shi'wanni pos- 

 sessing these fetishes, the wife being also in sympathy with his wishes, 

 the aged woman in charge of them (his mother-in-law) was induced 

 to allow the door of the room to be opened. The entire family 

 incurred danger in giving their assistance. The front chamber was 

 carefully guarded, so that no one should enter an inner room into which 

 the sacred apartment opens. It was necessary- to be expeditious, there 

 being no surety against intrusion, for, according to the custom of the 

 A'shiwi, the people of the same clan are regarded as one family and 

 have access to all parts of a house. While the old woman was opening 

 the sealed door of the room containing the et'towe the writer, with the 

 assistance of the nephew, hurriedly prepared her flashlight and camera, 

 and in a few moments a picture was taken. The illustration (figure 5) 

 shows the room, which is about 7 by 5 feet, with two vases containing the 

 sacred objects and other fetishes associated with the et'tone. The door 

 was soon closed again and sealed with plaster. The family was in 



a See List of clans. b See 'Hle'wekwe fraternity. 



