238 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



At 10 o'clock at night a party visits A'kohanna ti'nakwi in the 

 following order: Ceremonial father of Shu'laawi^si, Shu'laawi^si, 

 Sa'yatiisha, Ya'muhakto, Hu'tutu: second Yil'muhakto, Ko'mosona, 

 Ko'pekwin, and elder and younger brother Bow priests. The father 

 of Shu'laawi'si carries a vessel of live coals from the house of the per- 

 sonator of Sa'yatasha. Shu'laawi'si lights the wood at his shrine which 

 is near by with the coals brought by his chosen father and ignites his 

 cedar brand. 



After the ceremonies at A'kohanna ti'nakwi the party proceeds in 

 regular order across the plain to I'shiina an te'kiapoa, Shu'laawi'si 

 lighting with his tire brand each of the six heaps of wood and also 

 the two piles at this knoll. It is midnight before the party reaches 

 He'patina, where prayers are sung. From here they go to the village, 

 and, after announcing the coming of the Sha'lako in four days, those 

 who are to personate the Council of the Gods and the ceremonial 

 father of Shu'laawi*si retire to the house of the j^ersonator of 

 Sa'yatasha and remain there four days in retreat, except when the}' 

 go each morning for wood, leaving on burros provided for them and 

 returning on foot driving the laden burros. They, too, must observe 

 continence and not look upon the face of a woman during their 

 retreat. On the morning of the arrival of the party from A'kohanna 

 ti'nakwi a member of the governor's staff calls from the house top that 

 all must offer food to the dead. Each member of a family deposits a 

 quantity of food in the flames in the fireplace. 



Work is being hurried on the new houses. One of the character- 

 istics of these people is to delay their building until they find it 

 necessary to hurry in order to complete their houses in time. 



Each day wagonloads of corn of varieties beautiful in color are 

 brought from the farming districts. Those who are to entertain the 

 personators of the gods are already busy in their homes. While 

 nearly all ceremonies are attended with feasts, there is no other time 

 in Zuni when festal preparations are made on such a scale as for the 

 Sha'lako festival. In each house that the gods are to dedicate, the 

 women of the house, those of their clan, and those of the clan of 

 the male head of the house are as busy as bees. Sometimes women of 

 the clans of those who are to personate the gods lend helping hands. 

 As man}' maidens are invited to grind as will form two sets of grinders 

 for the mills. The mills vary from three to eight in number, accord- 

 ing to the wealth and pretensions of the family. 



The following is a description of a scene witnessed in 1891 in ^'ie 

 wealthiest house in Zufii, in which preparations were being made to 

 entertain the Sha'lako. All preparations for feasts, while more or less 

 elaborate, are virtually the same, being controlled by the sartie 

 customs. 



