472 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



))ack of the neck and returns to the west end of the room, while the 

 other members continue to wave the handles of their swords. After 

 the mi'ha and kilt are presented, the catchers stand before the novices 

 and present them each with a bunch of prayer plumes and four ears 

 of corn tied together with yucca ribbon and then return to their 

 places behind the novices. The ^Hlem'mosona now" stands before the 

 male novice and pniys, while he passes the ^hle'et'tone four times 

 before the lips, the heart, the right shoulder, the head, and the left 

 shoulder; repeating the ceremony over the female novice, he replaces 

 the *hle'et'tone at the west end of the room and passes his sword in 

 the same way over the two novices. Each time he passes between the 

 lines of the fraternity he is fanned gracefully by the handles of the 

 swords. 



Each member of the fraternity takes his turn in repeating the cere- 

 mony of the sword over the novices, the sword being swallowed by 

 its owner before he leaves the line. When he is through with the 

 novices, he hands his sword to the 'hle'pekwin (deputy) to the 'Hlem'- 

 mosona, who stands at the w^est end of the room. When all the mem- 

 bers have disposed of their swords the guests and people of the house 

 crowd about the novices, each one havmg his or her mi'li. and, begin- 

 ning with the male novice, repeat a prayer and pass the mi'li over each 

 novice, just as the swords were passed. « 



At the close of the ceremony a feast is enjoyed b}" the fraternity 

 and guests, this being the tirst refreshment taken b\" the members of 

 the "Hle'wekwe since the previous night. After the feast the novices 

 carry their gifts to their homes, but soon return wnth the corn and 

 prayer plumes and take their seats on the north ledge of the room 

 toward the west end, the woman sitting to the right of the man. 



The Sword order of the Great Fire fraternity dances four times in 

 the plaza during the indoor ceremonies of the ^Hle'wekwe, leaving 

 the plaza after each dance, when the circle dancers dance until they 

 return. At the close of the last circle dance in the plaza the tehl'nawe 

 are carried from the plaza by the a'mosi of the dance, each carrying 

 three; the a'niosono"kia walk to the right of the a'mosi, and they 

 leave the plaza by the western street. The tehl'nawe are returned 

 to the roof of the ceremonial chamber of the 'Hle'wekwe, where 

 they remain over night. 



The dancing of the Great Fire fraternity in the plaza ceases at 

 sunset, and a member of the *Hle'wekwe immediately arrives on the 

 scene and forms two crosses of meal near the northwest corner of the 

 plaza, the arms of the crosses being each 2 feet, two of the horizon- 

 tal arms meeting, a disk of meal being made on each cross. The two 



a The writer and a woman of the Dogwood clan who was not associated with a Mystery medicine 

 order used the mi'li of the mother of the latter, the mother being a member of the U'huhukwe 

 fraternity. 



