268 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



everyone Avaving- his plumes or whatever he has in his hands up and 

 down, the director, first handing his basket containing- the disl^s to 

 his pe'lvwin, takes meal from the basket of the host of the house. 

 He drops six pinches of meal on the floor north of the center of the 

 ellipse, indicating the six regions; over this he forms a disk about 6 

 inches in diameter and extends a line of meal, 9 feet in length, south 

 from the disk and taking the mi'li from the woman who leads the 

 part}" dances about with it, waving- it to the six regions. Then rais- 

 ing it up and down six times to the music of the rattle and drum, he 

 places it on the meal disk, and taking his basket from the pe'kwin, 

 removes one of the disks and returns the basket. Then, after man}' ges- 

 ticulations and incantations, throwing his body at times almost prostrate 

 upon the floor in his animal-like gestures, he lays the disk on the meal 

 south of the mi'li. The host of the house, removing his moccasins, 

 enters the circle and standing to the left of the director, leans his 

 head toward him while the director whispers to him. The dance is 

 suspended during this performance. The picture is striking. The 

 director says: "Take this ya'tokia *san'na (small sun) [handing him the 

 disk] and place it next to the heart of the warrior," referring to the 

 warrior of the Ant fraternity, who now leaves the circle and stands 

 at the end of the meal line. The latter waves his plumes, held in 

 each hand, up and down, moving his beautifully formed body most 

 gracefully. The director says to the host of the house; "When you 

 place the disk over the warrior's heart, and it remains there, then your 

 heart and your wife's are good and you will have much corn and other 

 things in the coming year. Should it fall, then the heart of the wife 

 desires another than her husband." After receiving the disk, the host 

 manipulates it before the mi'li for a time, and then, passing down the 

 meal line, puts the disk- to the warrior's heart, who does not cease 

 his dancing and gesticulation at this time. The disk is no sooner 

 placed than it drops to the floor. The director hastens to pick it up, 

 and the host leaves the circle with the belief that his wife is unfaithful 

 to him, at least in her heart. 



As a Ko'yemshi is led into the circle by the director, he hands his 

 rattle to the companion at his side. The Ko'yemshi makes the efi'ort 

 with the disk, manipulating it before the mi'li, and puts it to the 

 heart of the warrior, with the same result as that which befell the 

 host of the house. The Ko'yemshi exclaims: " My wife has been with 

 another, and I think I will run oti' to-night." This causes general 

 amusement, especially among his fellows, who are passing their jokes, 

 paying little or no attention to what is going on before them. 



The director now selects a member of his fraternity and hands him 

 a disk. He acts wildly, cowering and leaping about with bended 

 knees, and in this posture jumping up and down the meal line, all the 

 while keeping his eyes fixed on the mi'li. Finally he rises suddenly 



