STEVENSON] ""hleVekwe 455 



prayer plumes, which they carry to the spring on the same afternoon 

 in company with the bearer, a man of the Hvo'ioktakwe clan, who per- 

 sonates the original director. The bearer of the kia'etchine wears black 

 trousers, ordinary moccasins, a cotton shirt, and a mi'ha (white embroid- 

 ered blanket) wrapped about his body. He carries a Mda'pokatom'me 

 (long-necked gourd water jug) in his left hand and the kia'etchine in his 

 blanket over his left arm. He is followed in the proper order by the four 

 others, who represent the beast warriors of the four regions. The first 

 warrior, who personates the Cougar of the North and who must be of the 

 Corn clan, there being no Cougar clan, carries his sword and eight prayer 

 plumes in his left hand. These prayer plumes, which are as long as 

 from the inner side of the bend of the elbow to the tip of the middle 

 finger, are one-half inch in diameter, with the ends cut squarely off, and 

 are colored yellow for the North. The feathers attached to the upper 

 portion of the sticks are from the buzzard, the duck, the long-crested 

 jay, and ^si'liliko (Falco sparverius). Two la'showawe, each composed 

 of a feather from the duck, the long-crested jay, and the *si'liliko, hang 

 from the upper feathers of the prayer plumes. The second warrior, 

 who personates the Bear and must belong to the Bear clan, carries one 

 of the ancient bows and arrows previously referred to, and eight 

 prayer plumes like the former, except that the sticks of his ofterings 

 are colored blue for the West. The third warrior, who personates the 

 Badger, is of the Badger clan; he carries the other ancient bow and 

 arrows and the same plume offerings as the one who precedes him, the 

 sticks being colored red for the South. The fourth warrior, who rep- 

 resents the White Wolf, may be of any clan. The sticks of his prayer 

 plumes are colored white for the East. They proceed in single file, 

 and when at a distance from the village they may change their offer- 

 inos from one arm to the other. Though these five alone go to the 

 spring, they are led for a short distance beyond the village by the 

 ^Hlein'mosona, who wears a white cotton shirt and kilt of native 

 black cloth. A large white fluffy eagle plume and a tiny wing feather 

 ■ of the spurred towhee are tied to his hair. The face is covered with 

 white meal, which is constantly applied throughout the ceremonial, the 

 meal and white plume being symbolic of snows. His feet are bare, 

 and he carries a pottery meal basket and the mi'li of the fraternity 

 in his left hand, sprinkling meal with his right as he proceeds. On 

 reaching the spring, 3 miles distant, the leader of the party deposit^ 

 the kia'etchine on a rock netir the spring, and the party stand around 

 it and pravs, sprinkling meal upon the plumes. After the prayer 

 the leader lights a reed cigarette, colored black and filled with native 

 tobacco, with a small roll of cotton ignited by sparks from a flint; 

 puffing the smoke over the kia'etchine, he prays for cold rains and 

 snows. When more than half the reed has been consunied, the 

 remainder is stuck into the bunch of plumes. The four other men 



