»5 THE ACOMA INDIANS [eth. ann. 47 



and the masks are put away by the head men. (They are put in a 

 little side room, the door of which is plastered shut.) The men who 

 have impersonated the k'oBictaiya may not sleep with their wives 

 for 18 days after the ceremony. 



The Fight with the K'a-'ts'ina 



This ceremony has not been held for man}- years. In former times 

 it was held every five or six years, m the spring. It was i-eferred to 

 as K'a"'tsina naii'wa si' i dyn"usa, "K'a^'tsina are going to fight us." 

 It is a dramatization of the myth of the fight at ^'^^ute House (q. v.), 

 except that in the ceremony it is the k'a-'tsina rather than the people 

 who are lulled."* 



When the time came to hold this ceremony the cacique told the 

 war chief to notify the headmen of the five estufas, and to request 

 their presence at Tsitctmc k'a'atc (the head estufa, Mauharots) at a 

 designated time. \Mien they were assembled at Mauharots the 

 cacique told them that it was time to reenact the fight at K'aci- 

 k'atcut^" ("VVliite House) and requested each estufa to get as many 

 yoimg men as possible to serve as k'a^'tsina warriors. 



Then the headman of each estufa gets all of his men together. 

 He tells them that they are going to have the fight and asks each 

 yoimg man if he is willing to be a k'a^'tsina warrior. 



The pueblo is to be defended by the Antelope people (Kuuts' 

 ha'notc) and the 0"pi (the Warrior Society). The Antelope people 

 secure the ser\dces of boys and girls whom they have sponsored at 

 k'a-'tsina initiations; they will help in preparations for the defense 

 of the vUlage. If one of these boys is going to serve as k'a-'tsina 

 warrior, however, the Antelope people may not enlist his support. 



After preliminary coimcils the date for the fight is set. The war 

 chief announces m the pueblo that thei'e will be a k'a''tsina dance 

 in eight days. Of course, the old folks know what is to happen, but 

 aU the children flunk they will receive presents, as at Natyat' (the 

 summer dance). 



The yoimg men who are to be k'a''tsina warriors practice rimning 

 and jumping, early in the morning and late in the evening, in prepa- 

 ration for the fight. They drink herb brew and vomit night and 

 morning. Very early in the morning of the fifth day each one goes 

 out to the moimtains, barefooted, to get wood for prayer sticks. 

 They cut eight sticks and retuni to the village, arriving shortly after 

 simrise. They eat breakfast and return to theii' estufas. That day 

 is spent in making prayer sticks, \^^lile they are doing this one man 

 at a time goes into a side room where the masks are kept. The three 

 headmen are there. A mask is selected for him and placed on the 



T* Compare this with the Zuni; Kyanakwe. This ceremony is not found at any other Keresan itueblo. 



