272 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



ends, raises it some distance above the basket. This feat calls forth 

 the wildest encores from the spectators. Though the writer is near 

 and closeh' observing, she fails to discover the trick. 



The Little Fire fraternity give such delight during the evening that 

 they are requested to appear in the te'wita (plaza) the following day. 

 All are decorated as they were the previous night, excepting two 

 members, they being the director of the Shu'maakwe fraternity and 

 his pe'kwin, who are also njembers of the Little Fire fraternity. 

 Each has two eagle plumes passed through the septum of the 

 nose, the plumes being about 8 inches long, and the quill ends put 

 in from opposite sides. The Ko'yemshi follow the fraternity in tile, 

 each one having a rattle. As on the previous night, the members 

 of the fraternity are led by a woman carr3ang the mi'li and meal 

 basket. After passing once around the Si'aa' te'wita the party form 

 in a broken circle, and a Ko'yemshi procures a blanket from one of 

 the spectators and places it upon the ground. The wind is blowing so 

 hard that the blanket must be secured with heavv stones. Nai'uchi, 

 warrior of the fraternity, proceeds to make a small cross of meal upon 

 the blanket, and placing the mi'li upon it and securing the fetish to 

 its position with small stones, lays a large gourd rattle, painted white, 

 by its side. The Ko'yemshi who procured the blanket selects two 

 men from tlie crowd of spectators, who approach, first removing 

 their own blankets. Nai'uchi hands the mi'li to one of the men. 

 whispers something to him, hands his rattle to the second man, 

 whispers to him, and returns to his place with the dancers, who 

 proceed to shake their rattles and dance. The second man, holding 

 the white rattle clorse to the blanket, shakes it in time with the others. 

 The other man, holding the mi'li with the tip pointing to the ground 

 (see plate lxv), taps it with two eagle plumes. He contiiuies this for 

 some minutes and returns the mi'li to th(» warrior, who also takes the 

 rattle. The mi'li and rattle are placed on the blanket, a Ko'yemshi 

 brings two other men, and the performance is repeated. Nai'uchi 

 now calls a member of the fraternity and hands him the mi'li, and a 

 Ko'yemshi takes the rattle. All dance and sing to the accompaniment 

 of the rattles. As soon as the man with the mi'li begins tapping it 

 with his eagle plumes, grains of wheat pour out from the plumes until 

 fully a quart is deposited on the blanket, much to the delight of a large 

 number of spectators. This trick, which the writer has observed on 

 several occasions, is a clever one. After dancing a short time the 

 fraternity, followed by the Ko'yemshi, leave the plaza. 



Personators of the gods from different ki'wi'siwe appear in the Si'aa' 

 te'wita five consecutive days in full ceremonial attire, including masks. 

 Although at times the wind blows like a hurricane, carrying so much 

 dust that one not accustomed to these storms finds it almost impossible 

 to exist, the dances go on. The thermometer is never too low or the 



