STEVENSON] shu'maakwe 545 



beads). These two perform the double dutj^ of supplying the mills 

 with the medicine and rearranging the elaborate ornaments of the 

 grinders when necessary, each having three mills and three grinders in 

 care. The song is now begun to the accompaniment of the rattle. 

 One woman remains near the choir but she does not sing. The song is 

 low and in minor ke}'. The aged man and woman who sit by the mills 

 deposit on each mill bits of turquoise and ko'hakwa, which the girls 

 crush to powder; to this several pieces of the root medicine are 

 added. The various plants are lifted from the bowl dripping wet and 

 squeezed before placing on the mills; sometimes a little water is added. 

 Each additional plant is ground as it is placed on the mill. The grind- 

 ing appears to be hard work, and the girls' heads bob up and down as 

 they proceed with the grinding. At times the a'kwamosi wipes the 

 dripping faces of the girls by slipping a cloth under the long bangs 

 without pushing the hair aside. When the medicine is thoroughly 

 crushed, fully an hour being required to reach the desired result, the 

 grinder works it into cakes and hands it to the attendant, who deposits 

 it in one of the large bowls used for this purpose which stands north 

 of the altar. The a'kwamosi assists the grinders from the mills in the 

 same manner as they are led to them. Their dress and adornments are 

 removed and placed on others who are to take their places at the mills. 

 The garters are also removed from the hair. 



As soon as the second party takes its turn at the mills the character 

 of music changes, the drum is used in addition to the rattles and the 

 songs appear to be martial in character, the time being more rapid 

 than before. A youth in the choir is an attentive listener, wishing 

 to learn the songs." 



At this time the a'kwamosi stands before the altar keeping time 

 with his feet and two eagle plumes held in each hand. He dips the tips 

 of his plumes into the medicine water and touches them to the four ser- 

 rated points of the bowl and motions them up and down for the Zenith 

 and Nadir; he afterward sprinkles the altar and fetishes and the cross- 

 bar above the altar with the medicine water and starts the latter whirl- 

 ing. Afterward he dances in the middle of the floor for a time and 

 returns to the altar to repeat the sprinkling and whirling of the cross- 

 bar, which must be kept in motion. Five men and ten women begin 

 the dance in groups of three, a man between two women. The 

 a'kwamosi leads the dancers. He holds a corn husk horizontally, 

 catching it at each end and his two partners hold each an eagle-wing 



(I Durinpr this ceremonial the writer discovered that the Shu'maakwe songs were not in the Zuni 

 tongue, but in Pima. The officers of the fraternity were much annoyed because of lier discovery. 

 There is still much to be learned concerning this fraternity, the most interesting features being its 

 origin and its association with the Pimas. Friar Marcos de Niza mentions in the account of his travels 

 in the present New Mexico that he met an old Cibolan Indian among the I'imas. Ii it be true that 

 Cibola and Zufii land are one and the same, then the old man Niza referred to was a Zunian. 



23 ETH— 04 35 



