434 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



ground color, one representinj? Bi"''si'^si and the other his younger 

 brother or fellow, and horizontal black lines crossed these figures from 

 the top of the head to the feet. 



After the completion of the prayer plumes each man lighted a reed 

 filled with native tobacco and drawing a mouthful of smoke puffed it 

 through the feathers. The smoking of the cigarette was repeated 

 three times, and the pra3"er plumes were then gathered by one of the 

 fraternity and deposited in a basket tra}^, which was placed by the altar. 

 At 10 o'clock the members of the choir grouped themselves in the 

 southwest end of the room, the women sitting on the north side. The 

 large animal fetish now stood behind the altar." The flutist had his 

 usual place behind the altar. The a'kwamosi, who sat on the north 

 side of the altar, proceeded to prepare the medicine water (see page 

 492). The consecration of the medicine water is virtually the same as 

 in all orders of M3'ster3^ medicine. After the water was consecrated the 

 a'kwamosi took each plume offering separateh^ from the basket and 

 sprinkled it with water. He then dipped the water with a shell and 

 taking it into his mouth threw it in a spray over the plumes. After 

 the offerings were all sprinkled, the director wrapped them in corn 

 husks in groups of twos and fours and returned them to the basket 

 tray. 



During the long ritual there were several interludes, when such 

 jokes as the following were introduced: "I know a girl; her name is 

 Manuelita; she is very good and pretty; she has manj^ horses and 

 fine clothes; her father and mother are rich and are very nice. Who 

 desires Manuelita T' Some one in the choir calls the name of a mem- 

 ber of the choir and the whole partj' joke him. Then again the}' call 

 the name of another girl and sa\': ''She is ugly and poor, with mean 

 and despised parents.'' One of the choir is named as her lover, which 

 causes great merriment. The Catholic priest is mimicked and the 

 paternoster repeated with all seriousness to its close, when the assem- 

 blage indulges in wit at the expense of church and priest.'' 



After such an intermission the choir would take up the thread of 

 their ritual. The following are terms employed in one of their songs: 

 Kiish'ita 'si'ponipon (fish with bearded mouth); Kfish'ita chu'tape 

 (spotted fish); Kilsh'ita 'hlan'na (great fish, or father of all fish). 



The healing ceremonies of the order of M3\stery medicine are sinn- 

 lar to those descri])ed in connection with the Great Fire fraternit}' 

 (page 4!>3). All night the weird performances continue, and at sunrise 

 the Kok'ko 4ilan'na appears in order to administer his medicine to the 

 novices— a man, a woman, and a girl 6 years of age. The latter is the 



"When the officers of the fraternity and the writer became better acquainted no effort was made 

 to seclude the sacred fetish from view. This fetish, however. Is usually partly covered with a 

 lynx skin or a .sacred white embroidered blanket, so that it is necessary to raise the covering to .see it 

 clearly. 



hNo other fraternity indulges in any .such hilarity during tlieir rites. 



