340 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



buried plants. He then stands one of the cups over the ball, and the 

 other cups are placed where he chooses. He brings the sand up well 

 around them, and lighting- a husk cigarette putfs the smoke over the 

 cups, waving the cigarette to the North, West, South, East, Zenith, and 

 Nadir, that the rain-makers of the six regions and all the world will 

 send rain upon Zuni. All this is done under cover of the blanket. 

 The blanket is now withdrawn, and the head watcher of the opposite 

 side goes over to choose the cups. The cups are touched with the 

 hand. If the second cup touched contains the ball, six straws are lost, 

 and the pla3'ers are again cov^ered with the blanket. The cups are 

 taken from their place, the small package of corn-husk offerings is 

 moved a little nearer to the center, the cups and ball are again placed, 

 and the blanket is removed. Then one of the watchers from the 

 opposite side comes over and asks for the bunch of straws (there must 

 always be 106 straws) and carries it to his side and hands it to the 

 rat man. Then the head watcher returns and pays six straws for 

 his tirst guess, which was not successful, and again he touches the 

 cups. If he touches the one with the ball at the first guess, he has to pay 

 ten straws, and accordingly returns to the rat man and gets the straws. 

 The four players are covered again to change the cup and ball, and the 

 corn-husk offerings are again moved a little closer to the plant bunch, 

 which is always in the center, and the ball is always immediateh" over 

 this spot, but the three cups are so moved and the sand so changed 

 that it is impossible for one to know the center. The head watcher 

 from the opposite side then lirings his ten straws and again chooses. 

 If the fourth cup he touches contains the ball, he must pav four 

 straws. Again the blanket covers the players, the cups and corn-husk 

 package are changed, the man returns with the four straws which 

 he received from the rat man, and once more he chooses the cups. If 

 the third cup he touches contains the ball, he carries the game over to 

 his side, and the playing is reversed. The game is not won until 

 one side or the other is in possession of all the straws. When the 

 game goes back to the tirst part}', and the leader places the ball, he 

 says to it: "If you wish to move about, go outside to your mother, 

 Ko'hakwa [referring to the bead planted near by], but do not go to 

 your father, *Hli'akwa [Turquoise]; go to your mother and soon 

 return." The game sometimes continues four days and nights. It has 

 been known to last five days. One must never sleep, eat, or drink 

 daring the game, which goes on no matter how cold the weather or how 

 heav}^ the storm. The tirst leader of the game, whether he is success- 

 ful or otherwise, removes all the deposits but the black archaic bead, 

 which remains permanently in the ground, and carries them with the 

 game to his home. He still has the ball given him b}' the rain priest 

 in his shirt. The wagers are also carried to his house, placed on the 

 floor, and afterward given to the winners. He places the game and 



