STEVENSON] shu'maakwe 547 



their partners" arms and also their legs as far as the knees with medi- 

 cine, carefully manipulating the limbs to relieve them of fatigue and 

 give them strength to continue in the dance. At the close of the dan- 

 cing at midnight medicine water is administered to all. The following 

 morning a tree is planted in the center of Si'aa' te'wita and the dancing 

 and appearance of the gods in the plaza occur as previously described, 

 ^luch persuasion is often required to induce the women to take part, 

 though they are evidenth' expecting, from their appearance, to partici- 

 pate. Sometimes the men force them into the dance. Both men and 

 women are attired in their best clothing. As the afternoon advances 

 the number of dancers grows larger until three concentric circles are 

 formed, embracing in all 150 dancers. The dancers go round from 

 right to left, holding one another's hands, the men singing to the accom- 

 paniment of the drum. The two Sai'apa are bus}' throughout the day 

 ascending ladders to compel the spectators on the house tops to come 

 down and take part in the dance, and collecting loaves of bread, which 

 they place in the tree around which the men and women dance. Sev- 

 eral times a Sai'apa climbs the tree to place the bread in the uppermost 

 forks. As dancers become fatigued they drop out of the circle and 

 others take their places. At sunset the circles remain stationary while 

 all inhale the sacred breath of A'wonawil'ona," and then all the dancers 

 leave the plaza; but another circle is at once formed by others, and 

 the dance continues until dusk, when the ceremonial is concluded. 



The Shumai'koli precede the Sai'apa over the eastern road and are 

 supposed to lie down and sleep at Shu'minkia, on the road to Chi'pia, 

 and when the Sai'ai)a follow, each brandishing a flaming cedar brand, 

 and find the Shumaikoli sleeping they waken them, and catching them 

 by the waist carry them off to Chi'pia, whence they came. 



Certain features appear in some of the ceremonies of the Shu'maakwe 

 that the writer has not observed, as the}'^ never happened to be brought 

 out when she was in Zufii, though she has seen them in the Shumai'koli 

 performances among the Hopi Indians, these Indians and the Zufiis 

 having the same name, Ya'ya, for the male characters introduced. 

 The minute description given bv the pe'kwin and other Zufiis accords 

 perfectl}^ with the scenes observed in the Hopi villages. The Ya'ya 

 create general amusement among the spectators when at sunset the 

 Shumai'koli of the West appears in the plaza and separates the circle 

 of dancers by grabl)uig the men's wrists. The women at once go to 

 their homes, and do not see the Ya'ya put in blankets and dropped 

 through the hatchway into the ceremonial chaml)er. 



In 1JHJ2 the director of the Shu'maakwe fraternity with an associate 

 visited Laguna for the purpose of receiving the six Shumai'Uoli masks 

 of the pueblo, since all those privileged to use these masks had died. 

 They were consigned to the keeping of the director of the Zuni fra- 



« See p. 22. 



