330 



THE ZUNI INDIANS 



[ETH. ANN. 23 



drawing them forward over the top of 1113' head. This was repeated by all present 

 except the girl, who prepared the suds. After the others had rubbed suds over my 

 head with the plumes, she washed my hair thoroughly from the bowl, standing before 

 me, and my uncle's wife also washed my hair while I was still in my seat. My uncle 

 gave me four ears of corn, yellow, blue, red, and white, tied together, and enough 

 calico for a shirt. In giving me the corn and calico he said: "I give these to you 

 that you may receive such things from the man with whom you play. Carry the 

 plumes (reference being to the four prayer plumes given the previous night) a long 

 distance to an arroyo where you find debris has collected from running water and 

 plant them to the Gods of War." When I was within a few feet of the place I 

 had selected for depositing my plumes I whirled my rhombus until I reached the spot. 

 I afterward returned the rhombus to my uncle, but kept the sho'liwe« until the 

 anniversary of the loss of my possessions. ^ I won back my lost articles, after which 

 I returned the sho^liwe to my uncle. 



Fig. 12 — Split reeds used in slio'liwe. 



Each player takes the side of one of the Gods of War. There are 

 four pieces of split reeds, two representing the side of the elder and 

 two the side of the younger God of War. The reeds shown in figure 

 12 may be described as follows: a and c belong to the elder and J and 

 d to the younger God of War; «, kwin'na (black), has the concave side 

 of the reed colored black, indicating the whole day, and three sets of 

 markings on the convex side denoting the three periods of the day, 

 morning, noon, and sunset; J, a'thluwa (center), has a daub of black in 



<« It was the writer's good fortune to have two sets of ceremonial reeds presented to her by the elder 

 and the younger brother Bow priests. They are now in the National Museum. 



("One must begin to play on the same day of the month that the loss occurred. Playing may be 

 continued until the summer solstice, but no games must be played while the rain priests are in retreat 

 for rains. If success does not come to the player with the ceremonial reeds, he may ask for them 

 again and try his luck another year, in the meantime purifying his heart, for if the heart is good, 

 these reeds are believed to bring success. 



