STEVENSON] shu'maakwe 543 



officer.ship. The girls wear the conventional dress, with a white 

 blanket wrap bordered in red and blue, and white nioccasins with 

 hig-hl}^ polished black soles. Both sexes wear turquoise earrings and 

 profusions of ko'hakwa, turquoise, and coral beads, and the g-ii-ls wear 

 their silver necklaces in addition to these. Each 3'outh carries a ball 

 of yarn and a large needle to be used in securing the blanket wraps 

 of those who dance. The dancers usually form two concentric circles. 

 The drumniei- sits east of the tree and uses a wood drum covered with 

 hide. As the dancers become fatigued, or when for other reasons they 

 do not wish to remain on the ground, the}^ drop out at the close of a 

 dance; but their places are soon filled. 



The six Shumai'koli appear both separately and in couples in the 

 plaza and dance. Two Sai'apa are in attendance (see plate cxxiv). 

 Each Shumai'koli is accompanied b}' a charm-bearer;" whenever he 

 waves the charm the Shumai'koli backs off a distance and then starts 

 forward while the charm-bearer vigorously manipulates the charm to 

 draw the god to him. The two Sai'apa perform a variety of antics; 

 thev climb the tree and run up the ladders to the houses above, 

 begging for melons and ])read, which they deposit beside the tree. 

 The Sai'apa return at intervals to the ceremonial chamber. At times 

 none of the gods are to be seen in the plaza, but the dance is contin- 

 uous. At sunset two of the Shumai'koli gods and the Sai'apa, one 

 of the latter whirling the rhomV)us, depart over the eastern road with 

 those who accompanied them to the village. 



Prep(iratio)) of inedidnc The da}' preceding the ceremony is con- 

 sumed in collecting medicinal plants. A plant closely resembling- 

 water cress (not yet classified), but having a much more pungent odor, 

 is gathered at the base of the mesa north of Kwil'li yiil'lanne (Twin 

 mountain), several miles north of Zuni. 



When the writer enters the ceremonial chamber about 10 o'clock 

 the room appears in general confusion, though the tablet altar has 

 been erected. Six mi'wachi are placed in line on the cloud symbol of 

 white meal. The mi'li of one of the officers of the fraternit}^ stands 

 on the meal line, which extends outward from the cloud symbol. A 

 sacred meal basket is on the line before the mi'li, another meal basket 

 is to the north, and two medicine bowls with serrated rims stand on 

 the north and south sides of the altar. The other bowls and a basket 

 tray are for the use of the medicine cakes (see plate cxxv). A large 

 (juantity of some variety of plant is heaped near the southwest corner 

 of the room, with a quantity of scjuash blossoms scattered over it. 

 Near l>y, and also on the south side; of the room, is another mass of 

 plants which appear to be the same as the former, only younger, the 

 latter having white blossoms, the whole plant measuring less than 12 



tiThe charm-bearer does not appear in the picture, being absent when the photdgraph was taken. 



