STEVENSON] RETREAT OF SHi'WANNI OF NADIR 173 



Winter Retreat of the SHI'^¥AN^I of the Nadir '^ 



One of the most pleasing ceremonies observ^ed during- the writer's 

 studies among- the Zunis was the occasion of the winter retreat, in 1896, 

 of Nai'uchi, Shi'wanni of the Nadir. Every opportunity was given to 

 observe closely all the features of the ritual and to photograph, b}' 

 flash light, the elaborate meal painting with its interesting embel- 

 lishments. 



The day is spent in silent prayers for rains and at night Nai'uchi 

 and his associates, who have gathered in the large chamber of the 

 house in which the et'tone is kept, are joined by their families, includ- 

 ing the youngest infants. The vases containing the et'tone and other 

 sacred objects are brought from the et'tone chamber, which adjoins 

 this room. The shi'wanni begins a pollen and meal painting in the 

 eastern end of the room, the painting extending from the north toward 

 the south, by running a line of meal south; he afterward forms lines 

 at right angles b}^ sprinkling meal from the east, and again from the 

 west, to the main line. He now outlines the cloud svmbol, using his two 

 eagle-wing plumes to efface any imperfections. Afterward he adds 

 slightly to the length of the main line of meal, and an associate on the 

 opposite side continues the line. The shi'wanni and his third associate 

 sit on wadded blankets west of the meal line, and his flrst and second 

 associates sit on the east side. After the meal line is completed, the 

 shi'wanni tills in the outlines of the cloud svmbol with white meal, 

 while an associate on the other side outlines six scallops in meal, corn 

 pollen, and charred corncob, which vary in size, the largest being- 

 next to the cloud design, east of the line of meal and connected with 

 it. The associate west of the line forms circles by adding similar scal- 

 lops on his side, and the circles are filled in with meal. The shi'wanni 

 now proceeds to empty one of two vases. 



A number of concretion fetishes are removed and deposited in a 

 basket containing eight mi'wachi.* These are most sacred fetishes 

 and emblems of mystery medicine. They are afterward handed one 

 by one to an associate opposite, who places them along the meal line. 

 Other stone objects from a medicine box and buckskin sacks are added 

 until the line seems a solid mass of irregular stones, some of them 

 very attractiv^e. A reed flute is laid on one side.'' 



As soon as the shi'wanni has handed over many objects to the asso- 

 ciate he proceeds to arrange the fetishes about the cloud symbol. A 

 most beautiful obsidian knife, 8 inches in length, is deposited on the 

 east side of the painting; then one, half the size, on the opposite side. 

 The shi'wanni afterward distributes a number of arrow points of 



a While each shi'wanni, with liis associates, makes a retreat of one day and night in winter, when 

 the Ot'tone and other fetishes are placed about a meal painting, the summer retreat is for a longer 

 period. 



ft See p. 416. 



cThis flute was secured after Nai'uchi"s death for the riiited Statfs XntiDiial Museum. 



