STEVENSON] "^koshi'kwk 571 



a small cactus, t)riMos it home in his left hand, and oives it to the 

 director, who places it at the hatchway on the roof of the ceremo- 

 nial chamber. The tablet altar is erected in the afternoon. The fra- 

 ternity tell stories, chat, and smoke (they do not sing or dance) until 

 midnight, when they retire. No woman must be touched, spoken to. 

 or even looked upon duiing the ceremonial. When a woman carries 

 food to the chamber she stamps upon the roof and disappears before 

 anyone ascends to receive the food. There is a little singing and 

 dancing on the second day, both in the morning and the afternoon, 

 and the story-telling and smoking is repeated until midnight, when all 

 retire. They are all up at sunrise, and one of the members is at once 

 dispatched on horseback to a small canyon northeast of Zuni to collect 

 long willow switches for the ceremonial. Before the willows are cut 

 prayers are offered and meal sprinkled over them. The director pre- 

 pares a la'showanne and then cuts yucca glauca leaves into bits about 

 the size of a match and divides all of the pieces except two between 

 live men. A sixth man, who is designated as the director of the other 

 live, receives the la'showanne and the two extra pieces of 3'ucca, 

 which indicates that he is to collect a cactus plant to be used by the 

 officers of the fraternity and a piece of cactus for the novice. They 

 start at once for Corn mountain, where the director of the party 

 attaches the la'showanne to the large cactus plant and all sprinkle the 

 plant with meal and pray for rain. The cactus to be used in the cere- 

 monial is now collected. The director cuts but two pieces — the plant 

 which is to be used b}- the officers and a small piece for the novice. 

 The others count their bits of 3^ucca, each one cutting as many pieces 

 of cactus as the yucca indicates. Each man covers his pile of cactus 

 with cedar branches, wraps it with rope, and carries it home on his 

 back. At a point east of Zuni, where the Shumai'koli gods and their 

 warriors are supposed to have rested on their return from their visit 

 to Zuni (see p. -ili). the willow and cactus-bearers are met b}' the 

 director, his deputy, warrior, the novice, and his fraternity father, 

 who stop within 50 yards of the willow and cactus-bearers, who 

 stand abreast and begin their song as soon as the others are near; the 

 others are also in line, and all but the novice sing. The two parties 

 sing different songs. Both sides advance very slowly, and when 

 they meet in a small "wash" all sit down and the director of the 

 cactus party pulls out the piece of cactus for the novice and ejects 

 medicine from his mouth over it: all then rise and come out of the 

 "wash." The novice places his left foot on a deserted atithili and his 

 right foot before him on the ground, while the warrior stands in 

 front of him and the others group a little distance Ix^hind. His head 

 is turned to the south and his left shoulder, which has been l>ared 

 of the shirt sleeve, is raised as high as possil)le: the arms hang. 



