46 THE ACOMA INDIANS [eth. ann. 47 



house all day, and at the close of the dance they thank the dancers 

 and pray. (See section on Ceremonies; the Fiesta Dance.) 



Installation oj war chiefs. — After the election, the new war chief 

 chooses a place for his headquarters for the coming year. This is 

 usually, biit not always, located in his own home. The rooms set 

 aside for the war chiefs are cleaned and replastered. When this is 

 finished all of the paraphernalia which belongs to the office of war 

 chief is brought to the new quarters. Data on this paraphernalia is 

 quite meager. There are pots for cooking, some buckskin shirts, 

 quivers made of mountain lion skin (uictiwactan), and perhaps a 

 yaya, or "mother" (my informant said that he thought the war 

 chief had a round stone Avith turquoise eyes and mouth, but he was 

 not certain). The outgoing war chief passes to his successor a 

 hatcamuni kaiok' (prayer stick broken).^- The ex-war chief also 

 orders, just before leaving office, every family in the village to bring 

 a load of wood for the new war chief. This is piled up a short 

 distance north of the seventh dancing station. (See fig. 1.) 



The day after the war chiefs move into their new quarters the two 

 lieutenants set out for K'amack'uk'awaiic (Spider Spring), which is 

 southwest of Cakaiya (a large mesa near Acoma), to get wood for 

 prayer sticks. They wear the official buckskin shirts and carry the 

 quivers made of mountain lion skin (uictiwactan). Each carries two 

 yabi (wooden staff; see section on Paraphernalia). One is a rather 

 large staff which is presented at the time of election ; the smaller one 

 is kept permanently in the lion-skin quiver. They carry a lunch 

 which was prepared for them by the cocineros (cooks), for the trip 

 takes all day. When they get to the spring they cut the sticks (see 

 section on prayer sticks and their manufacture), singing the while. 

 They tie the sticks into bundles ■with buckskin. Then they start 

 for home. When they approach close to the house of the war chief, 

 Cutimiti (the head war chief) comes out to meet them, singing. He 

 makes two lines or "roads" of corn meal on the ground along which 

 they walk when they enter the house. The cocineros (cooks) take 

 the prayer sticks. . 



The next day is spent by the >var chiefs in making prayer sticks. 

 In the evening the three chiefs set out for G'otsicpawatsa (Pretty 

 Spring), which lies to the north of Acoma. Each cliief carries a 

 prayer stick and a small water jar (cpo'na). When they get to the 

 spring a prayer is said and one jar of water is filled. Then they go 

 to G'anipa, which lies to the southeast. Here another prayer is said 

 and another jar of water is secured. Then thej^ go to G'omi, a spring 

 north of Acoma, where they again repeat this ritual. Then they set 

 out for Acoma. 



32 1 was unable to secure any adequate information concerning this broken prayer stick. It certainly 

 must be different from an ordinary prayer stick, for it is never used in praying as ordinary sticks are. It 

 was said to be the "pole upon which the world rests." 



