52 THE ACOMA INDIANS (kth. anx. 47 



baking bread for the war chief. They also distribute com and wheat 

 from the war chief's store to houses about the village to have it ground 

 for some feast. Before ceremonies they are frequently sent around 

 the village by the war chief to collect meat for a feast. They also 

 assist the war chiefs in guarding the entrance of estufas when inipor- 

 tant ceremonies are taking place, especially the curing ceremonies of 

 the medicine societies. 



The Principales 



There are 10 principales, chosen to serve for life by the caci(|iie.'* 

 Although theii- duties are not very explicit, theu' mfluence m pueblo 

 afl'aii-s is very great indeed. In general, theii- duty is to watch over 

 the pueblo and "see that everything goes all right," which means, of 

 course, that the old customs will be observed and innovations and 

 deviations will be discouraged. They meet with the governor and 

 also with the cacique, the war chiefs and the medicine men, and their 

 counsel usually carries considerable weight. It is this wide range of 

 function (i. e., working with the governor and his lieutenants on the 

 one hand and the cacique, war chiefs, and medicme men on the other) 

 that serves to coordinate and unify the administration of the pueblo. 



The Medicine Societies 



These groups are, of course, curing societies; their major fvmction 

 is to cure (and to prevent) sickness. But they also exercise a pro- 

 foimd influence uptm the political life of the pueblo. They are always 

 staunch supporters of the old tradition, and the "moral" or spuitual 

 pressure which they bring to bear upon the folk is very eft'ective in 

 securing faithful adherence. More specific and tangible than this, 

 but no more important, is their veto power over the cacique's choice 

 of appointments at the yearly "elections" (q. v.). This power, 

 though infrequently exercised, makes them virtually supreme in 

 political authority. 



The Governor 



We now come to the second set of oflficers, viz, the governor and 

 his two lieutenants and the three Bickales. 



This group of officers is of post-Spanish origin. They serve a 

 double function now, and I presume that the need for such services 



3^ They are chosen without regard to clan afEliation. This l)Gdy of principales does not include ex-oflficers, 

 as is the case at San Felipe and Santo Domingo. The name would imply that this group is of post-Spanish 

 origin. Uowever, I am inclined to believe that there was a group of coimcilors before the coming of the 

 whites and that the name principales wtis subsequently adopted. The Rio Grande practice of including 

 ex-governors, e\-war chiefs, etc., in this group reinforces this belief. There is one instance of record of the 

 deposition of some principales. When the United States entered the war in 1917 the .\coma people were 

 urged to send men to the army. Some of the principales wished to do this, but most of them opposed 

 helping the United States win the war. So the cacique, influenced by the medicine men and fperhaps) 

 the war chief, deposed those principales who favored armed assistance and chose others to replace them. 

 This is the only instance I have heard of where a principale was ousted from his office. 



