ST E V ENSON ] '"KO 'SH I ' K W K 573 



rises and takes a bunch of willows (the willows are lU or 12 feet long) 

 in his left hand and a piece of the cactus which was placed beside 

 ti)em in his right. The director also takes a bunch of the willows in his 

 left hand and the other piece of cactus in his right. The elder brother 

 Bow priest and another warrior take willows in both hands and the 

 four then dance. The novice now removes his clothes, puts on a black 

 woven breechcloth, and stands before his fraternity father, who with 

 a hand on each shoulder moves first one and then the other slightly 

 forward, while the novice is continually moving his prayer plume up 

 and down. After dancing a while the four officers stand before the 

 boy and pra}'^ for rain, for a good heart, and for the health of the 

 novice. The director then places the switches and cactus ])efore the 

 novice's mouth", shoulders, .head, and heart, with a prayer that his 

 heart may be pure. The praN'er and placing of the willows are 

 repeated by the other officers; then all the members take either cactus 

 or switches, or both, and repeat this ceremon}"^ with the novice. Some 

 one then takes the place of the f raternit}' father in holding the novice's 

 shoulders while the former repeats the ceremony with the cactus and 

 willows. The director now takes the two pieces of cactus^' in each 

 hand and gives them to the novice, who dances around with the cactus, 

 running it under his arms and about his body. There is no need for 

 medicine on the l)ody now, as the medicine was put on his cactus at the 

 time it Avas collected. The novice dances all alone for al>out half an 

 hour and then resumes his seat on the left of the fraternit}^ father. 

 The fraternit}' now enjoys a repast and a smoke, and the ceremonies 

 are thus ended for the day. 



At early dawn all but the leader of the song and his alternate and 

 the fraternit}' father and the novice go to the well, where they make 

 a small fire and heat water, and after washing their heads in yucca 

 suds bathe their entire bodies. The novice accompanies his fraternity 

 father to his house, where water is heated and the fraternity father 

 washes his own and the novice's head in yucca suds and bathes his 

 own and the novice's body. The wife may heat the water, but the 

 man and wife do not speak to each othei*, and the man does not look 

 at his wife. The leader of the song and his alternate remain in the 

 ceremonial chamber to prepare medicine. They afterward heat water 

 in the fireplace and bathe without leavingthe chamber. On tlu> i-eturn 

 of the fraternity to the ceremonial chamber they chew native squash 

 seeds, the blossoms of which have been dried in dark rooms, and seeds 

 of a burr (not yet classified), and eject the mixture into the palms of 

 the hands and rub their bodies to prevent iujuiy from the cactus. All, 

 including the fraternity father and novice, now prepare for the dance. 

 They wear the native black woven breechcloth, a yucca wreath 

 arranged around the head, and a fluffy eagle plume tied to the forelock; 



a The cactus is. always soaked in water lor a short time before using. 



