wBiTEl CEREMONIES AND CEREMONIALISM 101 



of k'acale has eight women in its estiifa, practicing; one song is sung 

 for each dance. 



The next morning, before daylight, the k'acale come out from 

 their estufas and sing on a housetop. They are not painted yet. 

 Then they go back into the estufas. When they come out again, 

 just before sunrise, they are painted white with horizontal blaclc 

 stripes; the ocatc pai'yatyamo wear old clothes in some grotesque 

 fashion. They call all the men and o'pi to the estufas and the two 

 groups of eight women that are to dance. On this morning they tie 

 two turkey feathers on the left side of the head of all the participants. 

 These are worn the two days of the dance. On the evening of the 

 second day the k'acale remove them and take them out at night, 

 with com meal, and pray. 



At sunrise the first K'acale group comes out from Mauharots. The 

 men of the accompanying estufas comprise the singers; one woman 

 and one o'pi dance. The woman goes ahead, dancing in and out 

 among the singers, the o"pi following behind, dancing. As they arrive 

 at the plaza the k'o'tcininak'o goes out into the middle and dances 

 alone. This dance is also called by its Mexican name, "Monteztmra 

 dance." The relatives of the o'pi throw presents to the dancers. 

 Allien k'o'tcininak'o has finished dancmg they aU return to Mauharots, 

 and the other group comes out and repeats the same dance. Each 

 estufa group dances eight times, once for each of its k'o'tcininak'o on 

 each of the two days of the dance. When the women have finished 

 on the second day, the father's sister of each one takes her to her 

 (father's sister's) house and bathes her and washes her head. On the 

 eleventh day, the day after the dance, the K'acale go to their estufas, 

 where they await women from their fathers' clans, who take them to 

 then- houses and bathe them and wash their heads." 



At the close of the dance the K'acale dismantle their altar and sweep 

 up and throw away their sand painting. 



The Caiyaik, or Hunters' Society 



There used to be a society at Acoma called Caiyaik. It was a 

 secret society; the members were called tcaian' (which is the term 

 used for the members of the curmg societies). Their biismess was to 

 supply- medicines to himters to insure their success. They drew upon 

 supernatural power, of course. The mountain hon was their patron 

 beast god, but it is thought (by informants now living) that they 

 prayed to other spirits as well. Just what spirits were offered prayer 

 is not known, although it seems quite certain that they prayed to 



'' See Dr. Elsie Clews Piirsons'.s article in .\incric8n .^nthrcipologist, vol. 20, pp. 162-186. The dance 

 she saw at .\coma when new officers were installed was undoubtedly the "Montetuma," or scplp danoe. 

 bee, also, her The Scalj) Ceremonial of Zufii. 



