484 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



wekwe before joining the Kia'lii'jsilo. He is usuall}^ requested by the 

 'Hlem'mosona to join the order. If he consents, the *Hleni'mosona, on 

 the second da}' of the ceremonial, selects a director to conduct a party 

 to collect spruce trees. The *Hlem'mosona places meal in the palm of 

 the man's left hand and directs him to go the same day for the trees. 

 The man afterward wraps the meal in a corn husk. He is accom- 

 panied by six men of the fraternity, who assist in cutting and bringing 

 to the ceremonial chamber the trees, which are always collected south 

 of the village, since the distance in other directions to such trees as 

 they wish is much greater. The leader or director ascends a tall tree 

 and attaches a la'showanne of a single fluffy eagle plume to the tip 

 of the top branch, saying: "I wish the kia'la*silo for the *Hle'wekwe; 

 in a little while we will dance. I ask that ourselves may not be made 

 ill by swallowing the kia'la^silo. I pa}" 3"ou with this la'showanne.'"' 

 When he descends from the tree the men sprinkle its base with meal 

 from the corn husk and look about for the best tree near it, since it 

 is not necessary to choose the tree nearest the one with the plume. 

 The selected tree is supposed to be cut down with an ancient stone ax, 

 but it is not unlikely that a modern ax is also secretly used. The same 

 ancient ax is supposed to be used in cutting the other trees, one for 

 each member of the order and one for the novice. The trees, which 

 are about 3 inches in diameter and 12 to 15 feet high, are transported 

 crosswise on the backs of the men by ropes which pass around the 

 forehead. Though the distance is several miles, they must always 

 make this trip on foot. 



During the absence of the tree-collectors the *Hlem'mosona asks the 

 novice, and if there be more than one he asks each one separate!}', 

 whom he wishes for a fraternity father. He replies, " I do not 

 know." Then one is chosen by the *Hlem'mosona, who takes meal 

 from the basket, places it in a corn husk, folds the husk, and, stoop- 

 ing before the chosen fraternity father, who remains seated, lays the 

 package in his hands; clasping the man's folded hands he offers up a 

 prayer. The fraternity father afterward distributes d pinch of this 

 meal to each of the women of his clan, as mentioned in the descrip- 

 tion of the initiation into the Sword order. 



At sunrise the work of making the sword at the butt of the tree 

 begins. The first chip from each tree is cut with the stone ax by the 

 man who acted as director to the tree-collectors, and the tree is passed 

 on to the man who is to use it in the dance, and he fashions the sword. 

 When the swords are completed each maker attaches to the top 

 branch of the tree a la'showanne, composed of a turkey feather, an 

 eagle plume, and feathers from the birds of the six regions. The 

 tree director gives a bit of root medicine to each one, the same as that 

 ])laced in the novice's mouth at initiation into the Sword order, and 

 thev chew this and draw their swords through the mouth four times 



