94 THE ACOMA INDIANS [eth. ann. 47 



The whole village is sad for several days after the fight. The blood 

 of the k'atsina lies drying in the plaza. There are no games. The 

 men may return to work in their fields.'' 



Cura'tca Lights the Fires 



This is the ceremony of the Corn clan. It is held every five years, 

 about the last of July.'* 



When the time approaches the head man of the Corn clan (the 

 nawai) summons all Corn people (ya'k'a hanotc) to theii- house, which 

 is situated just east of k'ock'asits k'aatc (kiva). They set the date 

 eight days in advance. They inform the war chief and he notifies 

 the pueblo that Cura'tca will visit the pueblo in eight days. 



During the fii-st four days there are the usual preparations for a 

 ceremony — making herb brew and vomiting night and morning, get- 

 ting wood for prayer sticks, grinding meal, etc. The Corn men and 

 Com women get the boys and girls, respectively, that they have 

 sponsored at initiations into the k'atsina organization to help them. 

 Thej' convene nightly in theii- house to practice songs and dancing. 

 After foiu' days they begin to make prayer sticks and wasa'n'. 

 None of the Corn people may eat meat or salt from that time until 

 the day of the ceremony, and all must abstain from sexual intercourse. 

 On the seventh day they paint theLr masks and prepare their costumes. 

 On this day some of the Corn men go rabbit hunting. 



At midnight of the seventh day some of the boys that have been 

 sponsored by Com clan peojile at k'atsina whipping set out from the 

 pueblo to go to neighboring mountains and mesas, where they build 

 fires early on the following morning. Each couple is equipped with 

 a fire drill (a"'tiutco"m'). Two boys go to each of the following moun- 

 tains: K'awecoima (about 12 miles north of Acoma), Cak'aij'a 

 (about 12 miles west), Dyai'mk'ot (about 8 miles southwest), and 

 Stcamuna ko't (about 10 miles southeast). They have had a good 

 dinner. They may not drink water until they have finished building 

 the fires and have returned to the camp of the personators of the 

 k'a''tsina. 



There are seven k'a''tsina impersonated: One Cura'tca, who is 

 represented by a boy about 10 years old. He is entirely naked, 

 except for his mask; he does not even wear the customary breech- 

 cloth. Two Cuma'acka, who wear skirts and carry bows and arrows 

 in a Hon skin quiver (o'ictiwacoan). Two K'omuoina, and K'auBat'" 



■^ This ceremony is rather puzzling. It is said to be a dramatization of the fight at the mythical White 

 House, but in that fight the people were killed. In this ceremony only k'atsina are killed; and whj is it 

 that the k'atsina warriors strike the barricade and not the people? Doctor Parsons has suggested that 

 I his ceremony, the Zuiii kyanakwe ceremony, and the Hopi version (described in a manuscript by Stephen), 

 might be a pueblo rendering of a Spanish dance, Los Moros, which is a dramatization of the expulsion 

 of the Moors from Spain. 



" Compare this ceremony with the Zuni shulawitsi; Stevenson, The Zuni Indians. I understand that 

 several years have passed since the last ceremony. 



