536 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



men, stop frequently before the altar to inhale the sacred breath. The 

 woman and girls dance thirty minutes, the former vehement in her 

 motions and in her efforts to have the girls, who appear to be novices 

 in the dance, display more enthusiasm. When these female dancers 

 leave the floor one of the first male dancers, who has been on the 

 floor an hour, goes out into the bitter night wind, his body glistening 

 with streaming- perspiration. Three other women and two men then 

 take the floor and dance thirty minutes, when their places are filled Iw 

 others. As each dancer leaves the floor he prays before the altar and 

 sprinkles meal. All the members sleep in the ceremonial chamber. 



Third day. The members of the fraternity are occupied in deco- 

 rating masks and preparing other paraphernalia. The ceremony of 

 the third night is similar to that of the second night. 



Fourth day. The fourth day is a bus,y one in completing the para- 

 phernalia for the closing scenes and in preparing prayer plumes, which 

 they plant during- the afternoon. At sunset the town is in commotion 

 over the arrival of a Shumai'koli god from Chi'pia, attended by two 

 Sai'apa. They are accompanied 1)}' a number of the fraternity, most 

 of them grouped, forming- the choir, and the whole party is led b}" a 

 female member of the fraternity carrying a potter}^ basket of sacred 

 meal. 



The Shumai'koli is in gorgeous array. The mask, which covers the 

 face only, is flat and colored 3"ellow^, in personation of the Shumai'koli 

 of the North, and the eyes protrude. The mask is crowned with a 

 bunch of long, banded turkey-tail plumes, some of which are tipped 

 with fluffy white eagle plumes. At the base is a band of short, black 

 turkey feathers, somewhat fluffy. Two flufly Avhite eagle plumes are 

 each side of and at the base of the standing- feathers. A white wool 

 embroidered sash passes around the mask outside the feather band, 

 and is attached at the back so as to have the two streamers, which 

 are securely fastened together, fall straight down the back, thus 

 covering the entire back of the mask. Plate cxxiii shows mask of 

 Shumai'koli of the Zenith. 



The Shumai'koli wears a white cotton shirt with full sleeves, a mi'ha 

 fastened on each shoulder and falling below the calves of the legs, 

 and a white cotton fringed sash around the waist fastened at the back. 

 A mass of buckskin fringe tipped with conical bits of tin hang-s from 

 the waist in front. A gray skin having- a white streak down the back, 

 which is not over l!> inches long, is attached to the blanket dress about 

 midway on the front. Tight-fitting trousers fringed on the outer 

 sides extend to the feet. These trousers are removed for the indoor 

 ceremonies and the legs are painted white. Dance moccasins are 

 worn, with anklets blocked in black and white porcupine quills. 

 Hanks of native blue yarn with sleigh bells attached are tied around 

 the legs below the knees and fall in tassels on the sides. A strip of 

 reddish buckskin, somewhat longer than the arm and 5 inches wide. 



