102 THE ACOMA INDIANS [eth.anii.47 



the sun. Little was learned concerning their paraphemaha and 

 ritual. There seems to be no doubt, however, that they possessed 

 a stone figure of a mountain lion (as do himters' societies else- 

 where). The Caiyailc, in addition to supplying individual himters 

 with medicines (and fetishes — Uttle mountain lions, perhaps), were 

 in charge of communal hunts, such as rabbit hunts; that is, they were 

 the ones who made the necessary arrangements with the supernatural 

 world, the beasts, etc. The war chief of the pueblo directs the hunt. 



The rabbit hunt. — Nowadays the war chief officiates at the rabbit 

 hunts. He announces the time in the pueblo. All the people go out. 

 They go to some chosen place. The war chief prepares to buUd a fire. 

 Fu'st, he gathers some grass, rabbit manm-e, sticks, etc., which he 

 puts in a Uttle pile. Then he draws a meal line around it and foiir 

 lines across it, intersecting at the center (lines from each of the 

 cardinal points and midway between them). A little com meal is 

 ])ut in the center, too. Then some fresh flowers are gathered and 

 placed on the meal lines and in the center. Then the war chief fights 

 the fire. When the smoke begins to rise the war chief prays: "Sun 

 hunter, I wish you to help me to-day. Cause lots of cottontails and 

 jack rabbits to come together here." The rabbits are supposed to 

 come then. The people go about wdth clubs (wosaits) and slings 

 (yaucBimin) to kill them. It is said that before a person strikes a 

 rabbit the sim will strike it and make it "kind crazy." All the 

 himters thi'ow com meal on the fire before they kill rabbits. 



When the hunt is over and the people have retumed to their homes, 

 the war chief goes around to all the houses and asks for rabbits. If 

 they have killed many, they give him some. When the war chief 

 comes to a house and finds that they have brought home no rabbits, 

 he says to the boys "ba'tco wetstia" ("you must vomit"; i. e., drink 

 herb brew in the morning and vomit). Com meal is put in the rab- 

 bit's mouth after he is brought home, and a pinch of meal is thrown 

 in the fire. 



The Fiesta of San Estevan 



San Estevan, the first martyr, is the patron saint of Acoma; his 

 "day" is September 2. A big fiesta is held at this time in his honor. 

 Almost all of the Acoma people from Acomita and McCartys go up 

 to old Acoma on the 1st of September. Many whites, Mexicans, and 

 other Indians from Isleta, Laguna, Zuiii, Navaho, etc., come to spend 

 the day. 



Early in the morning of the 2d, just at sunrise, the great bells in the 

 old Spanish church are tolled. The village, wliich during the sunmaer 

 months is practically deserted, is swarming with people, bustling 

 about getting ready for the ceremonies. The war chiefs are at work 

 on the Httle house which is to shelter the saint when he is removed 



