STEVENSON 



NE WEKWE 429 



some 10 inches high, which is reverenced as the A'wan 'Si'ta (Groat 

 Mother). This image is said to have been in their possession since 

 the organization of the fraternity. In fact, they declare they had 

 two, but one was long since stolen and, they think, carried ott" to 

 another pueblo. Since this catastrophe the remaining image has l)e('n 

 guarded by an old woman of the Eagle clan, who never allows it to see 

 daylight except when placed by the altar or when offerings are to be 

 made. A theurgist standing near the altar moves his two eagle-wing 

 plumes for a time with weird incantations until the image appears to 

 catch the tip ends of the plumes with each hand, when the theurgist 

 apparently raises the image with the assistance of tlie plumes. The 

 illusion is perfect. The offerings to the image are strings of precious 

 beads large enough to encircle the thumb of the donor. 



The old creature who guards this image, and who seemed very much in love with 

 her husband, was induced to bring it out for the inspection of the writer, only, 

 however, after threats by the husband that he would leave her for all time if she 

 refused. 



The director of the Shi'wannakwe holds in sacred trust a dressed 

 deerskin containing pictorial writings in color describing the coming 

 of the A'shiwi to this world, how they appeared with their tails and 

 webbed hands and feet, and their migrations from the far northwest 

 to the Middle place, which is the site of present Zufii. The old 

 theurgist claims that his fraternity was the happy possessor of two 

 such documents, but that a student from the East to whom he showed 

 them carried off one, and since that time the other has not been allowed 

 to be brought from the sealed vase in which it is kept, except at the 

 time of an annual ceremony, when it is exhibited to the members of 

 the fraternitv. The Shi'wannakwe is especialh^ revered as having on 

 one occasion brought rains upon Zufii when all other efforts had failed. 

 A great calamit3' caused by a drought brought at)out at that time by 

 the elder brother Bow priest, who proved to be a witch, was avei-ted 

 by the songs of the Shi'wannakwe. 



Ne'wekwe (Galaxy Fraternity) 



The Ne'wekwe fraternity eml)races the orders of O'naya'nakia and 

 It'sepcho and has a Kok'ko 'hlan'na (Great god) (see plate cm a), 

 as a patron god. Two other gods (plate cm b shows mask of one 

 of these gods) also ap])ear at times with the Xc'wekw(\ ])ut the writer 

 is not sure what their relation is to the fraternity. It has been stateil 

 that the Ne'wekwe was one of the four original fraternities organized 

 soon after the A'shiwi came to this world, and that Hi"'si'si. having 

 special qualitications, was appointed musician and jester to the fra- 

 ternity. Bi"'si^si remained with the Ne'wekwe during the migrations 

 of the A'shiwi luitil they reached ^Kiap'kwcna (Ojo Galiente), a farm- 

 ing district of the ZiuTis 15 miles southwest of the village. Here the 



