STEVENSON] MA^'^KE ^SAN'nAKWE 553 



black for the Shrew of the Xadir. The plume offerings are made to these ani- 

 mals, which use the medicines as their food. The offering of the plumes pro- 

 pitiates the Beast Gods, so that they good-naturedly walk away. After the deposition 

 of the plume wands with prayers and the sprinkling of meal, the medicine is hastily 

 collected. These three medicines are given separately at ceremonials to the mem- 

 bers of the fraternity, and when one is ill a small portion of each of the three is 

 sprinkled in water and drunk. 



The a'kwamosi dips water from the vase six times. Each gourd of 

 water he holds above the medicine bowl while i-epeating a prayer, after 

 which he empties the water into the bowl , He drops six animal fetishes, 

 one for each of the six regions, which have been placed in position, 

 north, south, east, and west of the medicine bowl — those for the 

 Zenith and the Nadir being laid to the east into the bowl separately. 

 He next sprinkles sacred meal into the water six times, for the .six 

 regions, and then dips the quill ends of his eagle plumes into the 

 medicine water, and holding them perpendicularly raises and lowers 

 them six times. At the close of the consecration of the medicine 

 water the flute and rhombus cease. The flute is returned to its place 

 before the altar and the rhoml)us is replaced in the niche in the wall. 

 The a'kwamosi now stands, and dipping the feather end of his eagle- 

 wing plumes into the water sprinkles the altar. The plume in the left 

 hand is held in a horizontal position and struck on the underside at 

 right angles with the plume lield in the right hand. The song, rattle, 

 and drum continue, with an occasional intermission of a few seconds, 

 until midnight, when a corn husk is made funnel-shaped and filled with 

 tobacco. This cigarette is passed to all present, including the women, 

 and each one, holding the small end to the mouth, takes a whift'. All 

 the women (except the novice) now return to their homes, escorted ])y 

 members of the fraternity, who are specially detailed to perform this 

 office, for women must not walk the streets at night alone. When 

 sleeping, the female novice, covered with a blanket, lies upon a single 

 sheepskin on the floor immediately in front of where she sat. The 

 other novices take the same position in relation to their seats, while 

 the remainder of the men, who nmst not sleep out of the fraternity 

 chamber during the ceremonial, scatter around the sides of the room. 

 Food is brought to them by the women of the fraternity and also of 

 their clans. Though the men take no food at their homes, they are 

 free to pass in and out of the ceremonial house as they choose, often 

 going out for a few hours to look after their crops and herds. 



Second ddij. The morning is consumed in pn^paring prayer plunnvs 

 and in chatting and smoking. In the afternoon the grinding of medi- 

 cine is begun, when the large room is filled with the members of the 

 fraternity, many of the women having their infants with them. A 

 girl, attired in ordinar}- dress, sits at the east (mkI of the room behind a 

 stone slab laid upon several sheepskins, the wool side down, pounding 



