74 THE ACOMA INDIANS 



[ETH. ANN. 47 



After the sponsor has been whipped he and his ward leave the 

 tsiwaimttymi to return to their places. The sponsor's brother comes 

 lip and fastens a wasa'ni (feather bunch) in the child's hair and gives 

 him a new name.*' Then they go back to their seats. The scouts 

 (the g'o'maiowtc) come up and give the sponsor some herb medicine. 

 He chews it, spits in his hands and rubs it on the child where he has 

 been whipped, then on his own body. 



All of the children are whipped. Tsitsunits goes out, followed by 

 the g'o'maiowtc; they go back to the west (to Wenimats'), unmask, 

 dress and return to their estufa. The cacique rises, gives thanks for 

 the new initiates and wishes them well. Everyone is given permis- 

 sion to leave. The sponsors take their children home. Then they 

 and their brothers go to their respective estufas to join the other 

 men there in singing songs of, and to, the k'atsina. The cacique 

 and the Antelope men (kuuts' hanotc) and the war chiefs remain in 

 Mauharots, singing. All during the night groups of men from the 

 five estufas come to Mauharots (tsttcaitc ka'atc) to dance. 



The whipped children wear the wasa'ni (feather) for four days after 

 the ceremony. On the morning of the fifth day the wife of each 

 sponsor goes to the home of their "child" and brings him to her 

 house. There she removes the feather (wasa'ni) from his hair and 

 washes his head with yucca suds. She bathes him and dresses him 

 in new olo thing that has been made for him. Then she gives her 

 "son" (or "daughter") breakfast. After breakfast she gives him 

 some presents, some corn, fruit, nuts, etc. These gifts have come 

 from the k'atsina. Then she takes the child home. The "mother" 

 carries the basket of fruit and nuts, but the child must carry the corn 

 himself, in a blanket. He must plant this corn. 



The households of the newly initiated children must not eat meat 

 or salt nor have sexual intercourse for four days following the whip- 

 ping. Most of the other households observe these restrictions too. 



Some time after the whippmg a maternal uncle takes the child back 

 of the old Mission chm-ch. There they find the cacique gathered 

 Avith some Antelope men (kuuts' hanotc) and some k'atsina. The 

 k'atsina are sittmg down with then masks on the groimd before 

 them. The secret is out now — the children learn that the masked 

 dancers are really their fathers and imcles. The micle causes the 

 cliild to make a prayer stick, and with it to pray to the k'atsina. 

 Then he takes the child to the cacique and seats him on the groimd 

 facing the cacique. The cacique tells the child that the time has 

 come for him to learn all about the k'atsma and the masked dancers. 

 He tells him the story of the great fight at WTiite House (kacikatcut^") 

 long ago in the north, when almost all of the Indians were killed by 



" In former times the children had their hair clipped close to the head except for the crown; the waBa'ni 

 was attached to this. The man who fastens the feather is called maiyatcotia O'onic. 



