STEVENSON] '^hle'wekwe 463 



ing a railroad through the Zufii countr\', but the people must never 

 consent to this, for the moving trains would cause the earth to trem- 

 ble, and this would rouse the et'towe from their perfect quiet, thus 

 causing their anger, so that they would prevent the rains and snows. 

 The *Hlem'mosona ascends the ladder leading from the ceremonial 

 chamber to the roof, and by aid of the faintest daylight runs a line of 

 meal over that portion of the house top which forms the roof of the 

 ceremonial chamber. The line is begun at the ladder which extends 

 from the roof to the street, runs across the south side, then along the 

 east, down the north side, and across the west, and around b}' the south 

 to the opposite side of the ladder to that whence the line started. The 

 ancient tehl'nane with the six others, each with its accompan^'ing 

 stick, which were brought b}' the warriors to the ceremonial chamber 

 the previous evening, are placed at a very early hour in the morning 

 against an upper wall on the northeast corner of the roof outside of 

 the meal line. The men bathe as usual, and later in the morning, 

 after they have danced in the chamber, they go in couples to the roof 

 and wash from a large gourd of water before decorating themselves 

 for the outdoor dance/' 



When the 'Hlem'raosona, after drawing the meal line on the roof, 

 returns to the chamber, he places the ancient medicine bowl and gourd 

 jug of water from the spring near the middle of the floor and takes 

 his seat facing the et'tone and other fetishes. The male members of 

 the fraternity are grouped on the south side and the women on the 

 north side. The ceremony opens with the 'HlCMu'mosona holding his 

 sword, which is handed him by his deputy, in his left hand, while he 

 deposits a'thlashi (concretion fetishes, sacred to vegetation) in the bowl. 

 Each stone is held while the male members sing to the accompani- 

 ment of the rattle a prayer for snows and winter rains, A song is 

 addressed to the Beast Gods of the six regions, imploring their inter- 

 cession with the rain-makers for snows, and rains of winter. The 

 Hlem'mosona has some fifteen small medicine bags containing plant 

 medicine before him, and he deposits a pinch of medicine from each 

 into the bowl. Water is poured six times from the gourd jug into the 

 bowl, and after placing eight eagle plumes across the bowl with their 

 tips to the east he sprinkles four lines of corn pollen over the feathers. 

 The bowl and jug are placed by the cloud svmbol, and all present take 

 a drink of the red-root medicine previous!}' referred to. In a short 

 time the vsignal comes from the *hle'ettone to the aged 'Hlem'mosona 



a Although the writer occupied the upper story of the ceremonial house and her door opened upon 

 the roof to which the members resort, on account of the superstitious dread of the powerful medi- 

 cine of the fraternity, entertained by inmates of the house, great efforts were required to secure 

 photographs oil the roof and to enter the ceremonial chamber, in which the writer spent most of the 

 time during the several days' ceremonies. We'wha, a conspicuoiis character of Zufii, was untiring in 

 her efforts to detain an old father below while the writer secured photographs on the nwf, and sev- 

 eral times released her when the father had barred the door of her room with heavy stones. The 

 wrath and distress of the old man knew no bounds, and lie declared that the writer would bring 

 calamity not only to herself but to all the household. 



