84 THE ACOMA INDIANS (eth. ann. 47 



side of the plaza (there is a narrow alley leading from the plaza to the 

 rear of these houses). When the dancers go back for the presents the 

 women are there to tell the dancers whom to give each present to/' 

 The k'atsina dance again, and then proceed to the rest of the dancing 

 stations. More presents are thrown to the people. When they have 

 completed the circuit they have finished their dance. They take off 

 all their costume except their masks and G-strings. The cacique is 

 there, standing on the north side of the eighth dancing station. He 

 is holding a basket of hatcamuni (prayer sticks). He gives them to 

 the head k'atsina. All of the dancers go out onto the south mesa, 

 which is some little distance from the village. There each dancer 

 reclaims the praj^er stick that he has made and prays with it. The 

 masks are removed, the feathers taken off and put in folds of their 

 blankets. They dress (in their everyday clothes) and go back to 

 their estufa. The masks are put away in a little side room, hung in a 

 cloth from the ceiling. They may go hoine now, but they must have 

 no sexual intercourse for eight days after the dance. Nor may they 

 eat salt or meat for four (eight?) days after. 



On the two days following the same program is executed by the 

 second kiva group. 



At the beginning of our catalog list of k'atsina we gave the names of 

 the k'atsina which appears for each kiva in this dance, together with 

 his "side dancer." The dancers dance in a long line, composed of 20 

 or 30 men, all wearing the same kind of mask. The man in the center 

 of this line is called maiyo (vSpanish, mayor, elder); he leads the 

 singing (the dancers supply their own music \\-ith rattle and song). 

 In addition to this Une of dancers similarly masked there are usually 

 one or two side dancers. These are masked personages who do not 

 really dance, but go about freely near the dancers. Often they whip 

 spectators who come too close to the dancers. They are called 

 tsanawan', or "mean" ones. 



Sometimes the kachale come out at the Xatyati, but not alwaj^s. 



The Summer Solstice (DiDYA'MiCOKo) 



About the middle of June the cacique begins to watch the sun rise. 

 He stands at a certain spot in front of the Catholic church and notes 

 the point at which the sun first appears over a great mesa in the east. 

 (The sun moves north toward the summer solstice.) When the sun 

 has almost reached its northernmost point the cacique proclaims that 

 the day of his turning south mil fall on a certain day, specifying a time 

 a few days subsequent to his announcement. 



"I Each household has a place where its members are accustomed to sJT during the dance. 



