STEVENSON] GAMES 339 



stands with the stone beside the stakes which are piled in the plaza 

 and throws it up, and if the side exposed is that chosen by the opposite 

 party, the watcher carries the game over to that side; otherwise the 

 g-aine is carried to the first leader, who hands a cup to each of the three 

 players and keeps one himself, each player facing- a cardinal point. 

 The cup ma}' be held in either hand. In addition to the cup, the leader 

 holds the disk, the ball, and straws. While the four players sit by the 

 sand pile, which is 6 or 7 inclics hig-h, they are covered with a large 

 blanket held by a man. The sand is brushed to one side and the 

 leader orders one of his men to dig a hole about li feet in depth in the 

 center of the place where the sand was placed. Any implement may be 

 used for this purpose. The bunch of plants is deposited in the exca- 

 vation, the tops being just even with the earth, so that when the hand 

 is rubbed over the earth the cactus and other things are detected. 

 Each of the four players then makes a small excavation innnediately 

 before him and about li feet from the plants and deposits a small 

 corn-husk package of precious ofi'erings, including a la'showanne. 

 The openings are then covered with earth, and the sand is brought 

 back to its original place. Then the leader who sits on the east side 

 digs a hole Ih inches in depth to the right of him and deposits one 

 ancient ko'hakwa bead. He then digs a similar hole an inch or so 

 east of the other and deposits a bit of fine turquoise; then the exca- 

 vation is covered. The turquoise nuist be of the best quality obtain- 

 able and of sufficient size to be of real value. The ko'hakwa and 

 the turquoise must be upright, not laid flat in the excavation. Again 

 another hole is drilled with a stick or iron rod to about the depth 

 of the hand an inch or so east of where the tuniuoise is placed. 

 The leader runs the point of a slender pencil-shaped stick through 

 the black stone bead and then puts the point of the stick to the 

 hole which has been drilled and works the stick until it goes as far 

 as the depth of the hole, when he withdraws it, leaving the black bead 

 in place, and covers the hole with earth. Then each player holding 

 his cup to his mouth ofl'ers a silent prayer. The lips do not move. 

 The explanation is ''We sing with our hearts, not with our lips." 

 The song is to the crow and owl. The former can hide corn in 

 the mountains and tind it long months after, and the owl could 

 carry the ball in his claw and jump about and no one know that he 

 had it," Songs are also addressed to the Gods of War. After the 

 songs the leader takes from his shirt the ball wliich the rain priest 

 gave him, rubs it in his hands with the ball oi the game, draws 

 a breath from the two balls, returns the one given by the rain 

 priest to his breast, and places the other innnediately over the 



a It is claimed that there are balls in Zuiii marked with the owl's foot, the owl having stolen <v 

 ball and hidden it in his claws when the Zuiiis were at Hiiii'>liplnkla. (See p. 34.) 



