224 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



Tht> untiuved gunie and skins are sewed up with yuijca threads. It is a 

 busy time for the few who work. Others who crowd the room look on 

 and o-ive their opinions. Contributions continue to a late hour, and the 

 packages, when completed, are carried to the ceremonial house of the 

 keeper of the 'su'Hilan'na (great shell), so as to have them near the 

 scene of action and to make room for other donations. 



After dancing- four times in the plaza, the Kia'nakwe return to the 

 ki'wi^sine and remain about twenty minutes, and then go again to the 

 plaza and dance four times more. 



In the absence of the Kia'nakwe from the plaza, nine of the 

 Ko'yeiiishi, the tenth dancing with the Kia'nakwe, amuse the audience. 

 When playing the harlequin these men are sometimes obscene, but 

 thev rarely do anything more than amuse the populace with their jokes. 

 Hearing the roars of the men, Avomen, and children, one unacquainted 

 with the language might infer that something had been said with at 

 least a double meaning, but this is not often the case. They mimic the 

 dancers, make fun of one another's masks or faces, pretend to be fright- 

 ened at some child in the crowd, and call one another old and strang-ers 

 who are known to no one, etc. They appear to greatly enjoy the games 

 of wool bag, hopping on one foot, and ring-around-a-rosy, wdiich they 

 pla3^ during the intervals of the dancing. 



At 4 o'clock the Kia'nakwe return to the plaza, their backs laden 

 with gifts for the A'shiwanni, and form a broken ellipse, the apex being 

 to the east side of the plaza. The priest carries a basket of loose corn 

 of various colors, and his pe'kwin a basket tray of feathers artistic- 

 ally arranged on a bed of raw cotton. At this time the A'shiwanni, 

 including the Shi'wano"kia, who have been in the ceremonial chamber 

 of the Kia'kwemosi, form a line, facing east, at the west side of the 

 plaza. The Kia'kwemosi stands at the south end, with the pe'kwin 

 beside him, the Shi'wano"kia standing just back of them. The 

 Shiwanni of the Nadir (also elder brother Bow priest), with the 

 younger brother Bow priest by his side, stands next. The A'shi- 

 wanni of the West, South, and East complete the line. As soon as 

 the Ko'yemshi, who stand on the north side of the plaza when 

 the dancers come, relieve those on the north side of their burdens, 

 the members of the Chu'pawa ki'wi*sine remove the loads from the 

 backs of those on the south side of the ellipse. The basket trays 

 carried by the priest and deputy are taken and held by the A'wan- 

 ta"^chu Ko'yemshi and his pe'kwin, as these baskets mu.st not touch 

 the ground. Should the baskets be deposited on the ground the seeds 

 would be unfruitful. 



The A'shiwanni appear like so many statues during the dance, which 

 ])egins after the loads are removed from the dancers. When the dance 

 ends the burdens are returned to the backs of the priest of the Kia'nakwe 

 and his deputy by two warriors of the Kia'nakwe, and the baskets are 

 handed to thenj. The priest of the Kia'nakwe now stands before the 



