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 i 



STEVENSON] NIGHT CEREMONIES OF THE Ko'yEMSHI 255 



A ladder is held b3" six men while the Great Father ascends and 

 attaches two te'likinawe to the symbol of the house of the clouds. 

 When he descends the pe'kwin goes up the ladder and sprinkles meal 

 over it and the plumes. The deposition of plumes and seeds, the 

 sprinkling of meal in an opening l)eneath the floor, and the standing 

 upon a package covered with corn husks are repeated, with pra3'ers 

 similar to those offered by those dedicating the other houses. 



The Ko'yemshi are seated by the master of the house, who places 

 his hands on the shoulders of each god, motioning him to tlie six 

 regions before seating him. The Ko'yemshi sit in line on the west side 

 of the room, and ten men of the Pi'chikwe (Dogwood) and Ta'Uiakwe 

 (Frog) clans, the master of the house being of the former clan, his 

 wife belonging to the latter, sit opposite the Ko'yemshi, as shown in 

 the following diagram: 



Vis-a-vis 



^lan of the house 

 Ta^kiakwe (Frog clan) 

 Pi^chikwe (Dogwood clan) 

 Pi'chikwe (Dogwood clan) 

 Pi'chikwe (Dogwood clan) 

 Tii'kiakwe (Frog clan) 

 Pi'chikwe (Dogwood clan) 

 Pi'chikwe (Dogwood clan) 

 Tii'kiakwe (Frog clan) 

 Tii'kiakwe (Frog clan) 



Ten sticks for holding live coals are made from the center stalks of 

 giant yucca by a man of Pi'chikwe clan, each stick being the length 

 of the })ended elbow on the inner side to the tip of the middle finger. 

 After the men and gods are seated vis-a-vis, a coal of lire is placed 

 between the split ends of each of the tire sticks by the man who made 

 them and passed to the ten men, each man lighting a reed cigarette 

 tilled with native tobacco. These cigarettes are prepared by the male 

 head of the house. Each one takes six whifts from his cigarette and 

 waves it to the six regions, and whirling it in a circle he passes it to 

 his vis-a-vis, who repeats the smoking and waving. The masks of the 

 Ko'yemshi are now put back so as to expose the face. 



The Great Father consumes two hours reciting a litany. The others, 

 including those opposite, respond: ''A'thlu " (amen). This prayer is 

 much the same as those repeated in the other houses, differing only 

 according to the different versions of the Sa'yatilsha. the Sha'lako. and 

 Ko'yemshi concerning the migrations of the A'shiwi from Ko'tiilu- 

 wala'wa. The Ko'yemshi also say: "1 leave my children with 3 ou 

 for five days: they will dance in your houses: they will then go to the 

 home of the gods in the east and leave te'likinawe which you shall 

 give them, and th(\v will return to Ko'thluwala'wa. Give us food 

 that we mav eat, and next vear we will bring vou all kinds of seeds." 



