STEVENSON] CEREMONIES FOLLOWING SHA'lAKO FESTIVAL 269 



and places the disk to the heart of the warrior, and the warrior dances 

 more violently than ever, the disk reniainino- in place. The man who 

 places the disk returns to the circle, and in a moment or two the 

 director removes the disk from the breast of the warrior, but after an 

 instant i-eplaces it. In a short time, however, he returns it to the 

 basket and raisino- the mi'li, repeats a long pra3'er over it; then, facing 

 south, he waves it to the six regions, and returning it to its owner, 

 takes his position with tiie dancers. The warrior also joins the circle 

 and they all danee around twice and leave the house in rile. 



One of the cleverest tricks was observed in 1879 in the lioiise dedicated by the 

 Ko^yenishi that year. At the time the writer was not sulliciently I'auiiUar with 

 this Zuni ceremonial to know that it was the fraternity furnishing the altar and 

 songs for the Ko^yemshi that performed the trick. She was invited l)y a member 

 of the Galaxy fraternity to visit the house dedicated by the Ko'yemshi. The 

 Ko^yemshi and the members of the fraternity were in the midst of their prepara- 

 tions for the coming ceremonial. The members were painting each other from a 

 large bowl of kaolin, while the Ko''yenishi rubbed their bodies over with a paint of 

 pinkish clay. Two hours were consumed in perfecting the toilets, consisting only of 

 the paint which covered their bodies and the breechcloth. The hair was jiarted in 

 the middle and done up in the usual knot in the back, with a single ril)bou of yucca, 

 scarcely an inch wide, tied around the forehead at the edge of the hair and fastened 

 on the side in a l)owknot. Feathers were attached to the forelock of the members 

 of the fraternity. Tlie altar, as usual, stood at the west end of the room, and the 

 masks of the Ko^yemshi lay on dressed deerskins liehind the altar. The inner 

 rooms were covered with sheepskins and blankets, which were occupied l^y those 

 privileged to be present. Many of the women had their infants with them. All 

 chatted merrily while they awaited the opening of the ceremony. The bowl of medi- 

 cine water was in its usual place in front of the altar; also a basket tray containing 

 grains of corn, and another containing white fluffy eagle plumes. The Ko'yemshi, 

 having completed their toilets, except tlie masks, sat in line along the south ledge of 

 the room. 



The writer tied a silk head-kerchief around the head of a youth sitting ))y her, and 

 the next moment one of the Ko''yemshi approached her and gracefully bent on 

 one knee and bowed his head to receive a similar gift. Having a second head-ker- 

 chief she tied it around his head. He arose and bowed in acknowledgment of the 

 gift. When the hour arrived for him to don his mask, he looked toward the giver 

 and expressed with his eyes that which cuuld not be said by the lips — his regrets 

 that the head-kerchief must be removed. 



The evening festivities opened with fourtei'U dancers from one of the ki'witsinc, led 

 as usual by a man carrying his mi^li and basket of meal. They danced to the accom- 

 paniment of the rattle and drum for thirty minutes, the variations in the dance con- 

 sisting in the motions of the body and not in the step. As all the dances which 

 occurred in this house have been previously described, the writer will not repeat tlie 

 descriptions, but will depict the .scene after the last group of visiting dancers 

 departed. 



When the Kt/yemshi donned tlu'ir masks ])ehind the altar tiiey were immediately 

 metamorphosed from attractive-looking men into hideous, unnatural objects. The 

 members of the (ialaxy fraternity formed into an ellipse before the altar, and the 

 Ko'yemshi stood in line south of them. A curious old jjottery lamp was produced by 

 a woman of the house and jilaced on the mantel. The fire, which Imrneil brightly 

 during the early evening, had been allowed to die out, leaving a lieap of bright coals. 



Of the Ko^yemshi four were very old, and there were sixteen aged men ot the 



