STEVENSON] NIGHT CEREMONIES OF COUNCIL OF THE GODS 241 



enter the room while the masks are being prepared, he must receive 

 severe chastisement, extending lirst the right ankle, then the left, then 

 the right arm, and then the left, to be struck with bunches of giant 

 yucca. This is specialh^ necessary in connection with the masks of 

 the Sha'ljiko, for should the}^ be seen while in course of preparation, 

 and the otiender not be punished in the way described, the Sha'liiko 

 would surely fall when running. Another danger is when the Navahos 

 force their wa}^ too near to the Sha'lako on the ceremonial ground oppo- 

 site the village. When a Sha'lako falls while running, if one of the 

 preceding reasons can not be given to account for the accident, it is 

 certain that the representative of the god has spoken to .some woman, 

 and no personator of this god must speak to a woman from the time 

 he enters Zufii until he leaves. If such be the case, then the repre- 

 sentative of the god receives a severe whipping at the hands of four 

 Sa'ya'^hlia, each one giving him four severe strokes across his nude back 

 with bunches of giant 3'ucca.'' 



The time for this festival is in November, though occurring on dif- 

 ferent days. The ritual varies l)ut little from year to year, and such 

 few variations as do occur will be mentioned. Scenes from the cere- 

 monials of 1879, 1891, and 1896 will be described. 



Night Ceremonies of the Council of the Gods'' in 1879 



■ Shu'laawi'si, preceded by his ceremonial father, leaves A'kohanna 

 ti'nakwi on the afternoon of November 80 for He'patina, the shrine 

 symbolic of the Middle of the world, and deposits te'likinawe in the 

 lower chamber of the shrine.^' After planting the plumes he follows 

 his ceremonial father to the village, crossing a bridge of rock and 

 earth made for the occasion. The ceremonial father of Shu'laawi'si 

 wears white cotton trousers and shirt, held in at the waist by a white 

 embroidered sash tied at the right side, with a dressed deerskin hanging 

 back from his shoulders; a streak of micaceous hematite extends across 

 his nose and under the eyes. He carries a basket tray of te'liki- 

 nawe, composed of eagle plumes taken from the under side of the tail, 

 and other feathers, a mi'li, and a sacred meal basket, from which he 

 sprinkles meal. Shu'laawi'^si, who on the present occasion is a young 

 man,'' is nude, wearing only a small breechcloth. The entire body is 

 colored black and spotted over in yellow, l)lue, red, and white. The 

 mask (see plate li) is similarly decorated. A fawn skin tilled with seeds, 

 supported by a strap over his shoulder, hangs in front; two cotton- 

 tail rabbits, with a fringe of rats (neotoma), which are procured by 



aThe workers on those masks were intruded upon, but the four strokes of the yuci-n whicli were 

 allowed to be given alliiyed tlieir fears of accident. 



b See p. 33. I'au'tiwa and <Kliiklo do not appear on this ocoasion. 



cSeep. 201. 



rfOn two occasions it was observed that Shu'laa\vi<si was personated by a boy about 10 years of age; 

 at Mher times an adult filled tlie place. 

 23 ETii— 04 16 



