504 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



FIRE ORDER OF THE MA^KE *HLAN'nAKWE SWORD DIVISION 



First night. The tablet altar is erected as usual the tirst day in the 

 ceremonial chamber, and members are busy preparing prayer plumes, 

 the floor being- quite covered with medicine boxes and plumes. When 

 the fraternity convenes for the night ceremonial, the novice's father 

 calls for him (there being but one novice on the occasion described) 

 and conducts him to a seat on the north side of the ceremonial cham- 

 ber. Eight oificers of the different orders of the Fire division, 

 each supplied with a bundle of juniper (species not yet determined) 

 splinters as long as from the heel to the bent knee-, measured on 

 the outer side of the leg, sit behind the altar. After the choir « 

 sings one song to the accompaniment of rattle and drum, each 

 officer takes bits of the root and blossom of yarrow (Achillea lanu- 

 losa) into his mouth and expectorates upon the splinters six times 

 alternatel3% and deposits the bundle behind the altar. The novice now 

 hands a husk of meal to some member of the order and returns to his 

 seat; while the man receiving the husk hands it to the chosen frater- 

 nity' father, saying: "The child wishes to join the order," The chosen 

 one receives the meal, saying, " I wish for the good heart and health 

 of my son," and he distributes the meal to each person present, depos- 

 iting it in the palm of the left hand while the receiver remains seated. 



The 'Hlem'inosona of the Sword order now spreads a blanket some 

 distance from the altar and removes the sword blades,* which are 

 wrapped in an old })uckskin, from a box and deposits them in the 

 center of the blanket. Each member has his sword so marked that he 

 readil}^ selects it from the large number; he then attaches the feath- 

 ered handle to it, these handles, when not in use, being kept suspended 

 on the wall of an inner room of the ceremonial house. After all the 

 swords are arranged with their handles, each member of the order 

 sprinkles the altar with the meal which was given him by the novice, 

 the novice alone taking meal from the meal basket to sprinkle the 

 altar. They pass in file by the south side and around the altar and 

 down the north side of the room to the east end, led by a female 

 member of the fraternity carrying her mi'li and meal basket. The 

 ^Hlem'mosona follows the woman, and after him the other officers, 

 and then the order at large. The novice follovv's his fraternity father 

 around the altar, but afterward takes his seat on the ledge. When 

 the 'Hlem'mosona while returning to the altar reaches the ladder 

 leading through the hatchway into the chamber, the director of the 

 dance, who is midway in the file, begins the song. The sword is 



a While all the members of the Great Fire fraternity may be present, only those of the Fire division 

 are privileged to form the choir. 



''These blaclus, which are of juniper, are as long as from the tip of the middle finger to the tip of 

 the thumb, the fingers extended, and the thumb and lour fingers crosswise, three-fourths of an inch 

 wide slightly curved and rounded at the end. They are rubbed with Congar grease and red hematite. 



