546 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



plume in the same manner. The four men who follow catch the ends 

 of the plumes held by their partners. The acting Great Mother fol- 

 lows alone, with her eagle plume. They all pass around the room in 

 an ellipse from west to east, starting from the south side with a for- 

 ward step with the right foot, then the left, each time, especially the 

 men, raising the foot high; the women are not very successful in their 

 efforts to raise their feet high from the floor. The arms are extended 

 outward in unison with the music. The song is spirited and the drum 

 and rattles resound through the room. The dancing, which is most 

 pleasing, continues until sunset, when the a'kwamosi dips ashes from 

 the altar, which he has previously placed there from the fireplace, 

 and sprinkles the dancers. The sprinkling of the dancers is repeated 

 four times and then ashes are lifted and thrown out of the door, 

 when all inhale a sacred breath. The .sprinkling of the ashes is for 

 physical puritication. Each male dancer passes his hands over his 

 face, the entire body dripping with perspiration, and rubs them over 

 the faces of his partners, then passing his hands over his breast and 

 arms rubs their arms, but he does not touch their breasts. After 

 repeating the rubbing over his legs, he rubs his hands over the lower 

 legs of his partners, and the backs are rubbed in the same manner. 



At sunset the two sets of grinders stand in line north and south in 

 tbe east end of the room and face east. Each grinder has a female 

 vis-a-vis who is supplied with a bowl of yucca suds, and each grinder 

 has her forelock and then her hands washed with the suds by the 

 woman immediately before her. They are bathed in turn, the woman 

 at the south end of the line beginning with the grinder before her. 

 The a'kwamosi stands behind each grinder, with a hand on each 

 shoulder. 



The grinding, with the full ceremonies, is repeated on the following 

 day, and the day after the ceremonial chamber is deserted, the male 

 members of the fraternity being at work in the fields of the director 

 of the fraternity. On their return after sunset they are entertained 

 at a sumptuous feast by the wife and family of the director at their 

 house, the female members of the fraternity first assisting in waiting 

 upon the men and afterward enjoying a feast themselves with the women 

 of the household. Grinding, with the ceremonies described, is repeated 

 on the next day, and the following day more plants are gathered, and 

 on the seventh day the grinding and dancing are repeated. The dancing 

 continues until sunset, then, after a rest of a couple of hours, is resumed 

 and continues until midnight. After the dance closes at sunset a corn- 

 husk package about 9 inches in length and several inches across, con 

 taining sun-dried cakes of the freshly prepared medicine, is given 

 to each grinder and dancer who has participated by invitation. The 

 dancing at night is the same as previously described, many taking their 

 turn on the floor. During the intervals between the dances the men rub 



