564 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



two repeat the sprinkling of the altar and the four region^;. Return- 

 ing to the altar, they dance before it for a long time, throwing their 

 eagle plumes out and then drawing them in b}^ a movement of the 

 shoulder. At times each runs an arm through the other^s, making 

 the right hand of one appear to be the left hand of the other. This 

 causes great amusement among the people, particularly- when each 

 one, showing evidence of weariness, desires that the other should- act 

 as his support. This is the onh- exhibition of mirth throughout the 

 entire ceremonial. The dance closes at dawn with the two repeating 

 the sprinkling of the four regions with the medicine water, after 

 which the elder brother Bow priest, as protector of the altar, resumes 

 his seat by it and the other returns to the choir. The women go 

 outside the house to sprinkle meal to the rising sun. The candles 

 are now extinguished so that the first light of dav may be seen 

 through the eastern window, and first the men and afterward the 

 women assemble before the altar to offer their prayers to the ap- 

 proaching Sun Father; and as the first light comes into the room the 

 novices step within the circle of the sand painting. Their feet and 

 1iml)s are bathed with the sands, and this most attractive painting is 

 destroyed. A long prater is repeated by all as the novices stand 

 within the circle. They remain standing while medicine water is 

 administered, first to those immediately before the altar and afterward 

 to the invalids scattered throughout the room. The group in front 

 of the altar now disperses, each person taking his mi'li from it. 

 The medicine stones forming the wings and tail of the bird in the dry 

 painting are gathered from the sand by their owners, and the novices 

 are seated and receive their mi'wachi and prayer plumes with the 

 same ceremony as described in Great Fire fraternity. Later in the 

 day the novices, in company with their fraternity fathers, go a dis- 

 tance from the village and plant the praj^er plumes given them by the 

 fraternity. 



SUN DANCE OF THE PE'SHA'SILO'KWE (oIMEX FRATERNITY) 



The Zunis are filled with the wildest superstitions concerning this 

 ceremonial, which is celebrated once in four years by the Little Fire 

 and the Cimex fraternities alternately in the month of March. It is 

 believed that the original fire was the gift of the Sun Father, the 

 wood being stacked high over an excavation by the Hopi Indians, just 

 as is done at the present time, and lighted by the sun's rays. The 

 writer has observed several sun dances of the Little Fire and Cimex 

 fraternities. The one described occurred in March, 1904. 



The fraternity convenes on the 2d of March and holds a four nights' 

 ceremonial similar to the one described in the preceding pages relat- 

 ing to the Little Fire fraternity. On the third day of the meeting 

 ten men bring on their backs from the woods south of Zuni each 



