112 THE ACOMA INDIANS |eth. ann. 47 



There are several ways in which a person may be trapped by a 

 medicine man. If a medicine man asks a youth (or man) for a ciga- 

 rette (usualh' when with a group of men) and the youth gives him 

 one after havmg lighted it, the medicine man will take a puff, touch 

 the youth, and say, "You are my son." Then the youth may be 

 compelled to join the society of the man who trapped liim. Youths 

 are, therefore, careful not to hand a medicine man a cigarette that 

 they have been smoking; if a doctor asks for a smoke they give him 

 a cigarette inilighted. 



During the mitiation ceremonies of the Fire Society lines of ashes 

 are drawn in the sti'eet near their house. If anyone should step over 

 one of these lines a medicine man (who will be on the roof watching) 

 will chase him. The person who has stepped across the ashes will 

 rim to his house as fast as he can. If the doctor catches him before 

 he reaches the ladder which leans against his house, the victim must 

 join the society. If, however, the person who has violated this pre- 

 scription of the medicine society' succeeds in catclung hold of the 

 rungs of his house ladder, he is safe. 



Also, during the initiation ceremonies of the Fire Society, for a 

 specified period of time, no one may build a fu'e out of doors, or carry 

 live coals outside. If anyone breaks this rule he will be compelled 

 to join the society." 



Trapping persons and forcmg them to join a society is far less 

 desirable than securing new members of theu" own free will. But of 

 late years it has become increasingly necessary for the medicine 

 societies to recruit theu' ranks in this way; fewer people are joining 

 vohmtarily. One might think that a person who had been forced to 

 become a medicine man would rebel and fail to give them spiritual 

 allegiance after his initiation. This may be true in some cases. I 

 knew of a yoimg man who had spent some years at Haskell Institute, 

 \\ho was cjuite intelligent and spoke English very well, who was 

 trapped by a medicine society. He had been a lukewarm liberal 

 before his initiation. After he became a full-fledged medicine man, 

 however, he became just like his colleagues; he was just as conscien- 

 tious in the performance of his work as anyone else. And, it was 

 said, he became possessed of considerable "power." 



Initiation of nevj members. — A society usually does not have an 

 initiation ceremony until it has at least two persons to join. (This 

 means that a person might wait two or tliree years for an initiation.) 

 AVhen a society decides to initiate the headman tells the war chief, 

 and he informs the cacique. A date is set (by the medicine society, 

 with the advice and consent of the cacique and war chief), usually 

 two weeks in advance. This gives everyone time to prepare for the 



" It was said that this rule -was employed by the Flint Society as well, but I am not sure that it is true. 



