WHITE] GOVERNMENT 47 



It is about 3 o'clock in the morning when they get back to the 

 village. They ascend the west trail. When they reach the top the 

 two lieutenants go direct to the house of the war chief, taking the jars 

 of water with them. Cutimiti goes to Mauharots, the head estufa. 

 Perhaps there are some medicine men (tcaiani) or Antelope people 

 (Ivuuts' hanotc) sleeping there. Cutimiti goes to the top of the estufa 

 and pauses at the entrance. He removes the cover and calls below: 

 " Guatzi, ckanaicoia, ckanaiya, ckotceni dyaimi tutietco ! " (Guatzi, 

 hello! The next three words refer, respectively, to fathers, mothers, 

 and chiefs; the last two are interpreted as asking permission to enter.) 

 The people respond, "Ha ai! No icomekuta," which was translated 

 "Yes, it is you yourself. Come in." If there happen to be any 

 medicine women present, they say, "Ha o" instead of "Ha ai." 

 (Ordinarily ha means yes.) In talldng with the informant about this 

 exchange of salutations I got the notion that the war chief saluted the 

 occupants of the estufa as hotcenis or chiefs, and they, in their reply, 

 politely implied that he was their superior. 



The war chief descends the ladder into the estufa. He goes to the 

 northeast corner near the altar. There is a hole in the floor at this 

 place called G'auwatseicoma (which is the gateway to Shipap, the 

 place of emergence. It is said that souls or spirits pass down through 

 this hole after death on their journey back to Shipap). Cutimiti 

 carries four wasani (wasani, a long eagle feather with foiu- small 

 feathers attached to it; see section on paraphernalia) with him. He 

 prays to the four directions, to the heavenly bodies, to the rivers and 

 lakes, to the plants and animals, to the k'atsina, k'osictaiya, etc. 

 He deposits the wasani in the hole in the floor, turns to the left, 

 passes to the west of the fii'eplace, and leaves the estufa. As he goes 

 out the people who are passing the night there advise him and en- 

 courage him in the performance of his duties. 



After leaving Mauharots the head war chief (Cutimiti) goes to the 

 east edge of the mesa to Masewi k'am (Masewi, his home; a rock 

 under which the spirit of the elder war twin Uves), where he prays. 

 Then he goes to the very edge of the mesa, where he prays to the sun 

 which is about to rise. When he has finished he walks up and down 

 the village streets callmg to the people. He tells them that Ocatc 

 (the sun), the father, is coming and that they should get up and pray 

 to him. Everyone comes outdoors and prays to the sun, sprinlding 

 corn meal toward him.^^ The head war chief (Cutimiti) goes now 

 to his house. The two lieutenant war chiefs have taken the jars of 

 water out at sunrise and have emptied them into the pools. That 

 day is spent in rest. 



" I was told that nearly everyone dm-s eonic out for thi.s prayer: even eliiUlren are brought out uj bed 

 by their parents for this purpose. 



