:^S() THE ZUNI INDIANS [inn. ann. 23 



the rain i)ri('s(s o() out ill nio-ht to coininuiic with the tViithcred 

 kingdom tlicy put a bit of this powdered root into tiieir eyes, 

 ears, and mouth that the birds may not ))e afraid and will listen to 

 them when they pray to the birds to sin^- for the rains to come. A 

 small pieee of the root is chewed when one wishes to commune with the 

 spirits of the dead that rains may come. The foUowino- i,s the leo-cnd 

 associated with this plant: "In the olden time when the A'shiwi were 

 near Ko'thluwala'wa (abidino- place of the Council of the Gods) a 

 brother and sister — the boy's name was A'neglakya, and the oirPs 

 name was A'neo-lakya'si'ya — were always walking- about the country 

 and looking everywhere and seeing evei-ything, and were always tell- 

 ing theii- mother what they saw. This was not pleasing to Kow'wi- 

 tuma and Wats'usi, the Divine Ones, and the two were banished into 

 the (>arth and they became the plant which b(>ars their name. Tliey 

 li:i\ (' many ])lant childrtMi. Some of the blossoms are all white, others 

 ai-e tinted with blue, while others are edged with yellow, blue, or red."' 

 A'lieglakva Ixdongs to all of the rain i)riests and to the directors of 

 the Little Fir(> and ('inuw fraternities. Only thos(> to whom the i)laiit 

 belongs are privileged to collect it. Four prayer ])lumes arc made by 

 one who is to gather the plants. One otlering is to A'neglakya, one 

 to A'neg•lakya^si'sa, and two to ancestois. The four ])rayer plumes are 

 planted the depth of the arm in an excavation made with an ancient 

 bean planter at daylight on the morning the plant is to l)e collected. 



The writer ol)served Nai'u(^hi, the ceh'brated theurgist of the Little 

 Fire fraternity, administer th(^ narcotic previous to opei-aling upon a 

 woman's breast. The absc(>ss was cut with a Hint lancet, the wound 

 was prot)ed with the indi>x linger and the pus forced out. The ])atient 

 slept placidly through the operation, which would otherwise ha\-e bcMm 

 most painful, and when sIh^ awoke th(M'e was no evidence that she had 

 t)een under the inllucnce of a drug. 



A'n(>glakva is sometimes administered by a rain i)riest when one 

 wishes to recover stolen property. The rain priest is received at night 

 in an inner room in the house of the man who lost his property. lie 

 sits alone without lire or light, and the room is dark. The man wears 

 a new whit(> cotton shirt and trouseis and new blue kmtted leggings. 

 No head-kerchief or moccasms are worn. His hair is done in the 

 usual style. A pallet is spread on the floor. The rain pi'iest sits 

 l)efore the man, and taking a bit of the root of a'neglakya from the 

 palm of his left hand places it in the man's mouth with the words: "I 

 give this medicine to my child that he may become hali'shoti (intoxi- 

 cated)'' and see the one who has robbed him." The man then lies on the 

 pallet, and tiie rain [)riest retires to a front room and sits by the com- 

 municating door, which he closes, and continues to listen attentively 

 during the night. He does not smoke, as A'neglakya does not like 



<iTlio Ziifiis use tlic snnip word for iIl^a^ity. 



