126 THE ACOMA INDIANS [eth. ann. 47 



Prayer sticks are of varying; sizes and are carv^ed in a great number 

 of ways. They are usually made of willow, although spruce (or 

 cedar), and possibly oak, is sometimes used. (1 fomid one stick tliat 

 was made of what seemed to be the stalk of the soap weed plant.) 

 The accompanying diagrams illustrate the size, shape, and design of 

 some of the prayer sticks.'" 



Prayer sticks are always cut from living trees or bushes ; dead wood 

 woidd be useless. The prayer sticks are felt to be animate; some 

 of them have eyes and mouth pamted on one end, usually upon a 

 facet which has been cut to represent a face. They also have sex, 

 the males having green faces and the females faces of yellow. They 

 are deposited by twos or by fom-s. Sticks for Masewi and Oyoyewi 

 (the twin war gods) are painted red, "because blood is red"; some 

 arc carved to represent an arrow or club. Prayer sticks in the shape 

 of a shepherd's crook or cane (g'onac) are oil'ered to the k'atsina, who 

 use them to walk with, it is said. 



DESCRIPTIONS OF PKAYER STICKS 



A. (Collection No. B17.) Willow. Blue paint on peeled end, with possibly 

 some yellow on the very tip. Undoubtedly had feathers tied to butt end. 

 Length, 14 cm. 



B. (Collection No. A7.) Willow. No paint visible. Note that on this stick 

 the feathers are tied in the groove farthest from the peeled end; on stick A they 

 .ire tied in the groove nearest tlie peeled end. Length, 18 cm. 



C. (Collection No. AS.) WiUow. There seems to have been yellow paint 

 between the grooves, and a paint midway between them and the beveled tip, 

 but this is doubtful. Definite traces of blue paint are found on the beveled 

 surface. Note plant fil)cr tied around butt end. Length, 15 cm. 



D. E, F, and G were found in a small niche on the face of a high mesa about 

 4 miles south of Acoma, about 200 feet from the bottom and 150 feet from the 

 top of the mesa. There were no other sticks in the vicinity. Informant said 

 that they were probably deposited there by a war chief, one stick l^eing deposited 

 at the time of installation each year. When four sticks had been deposited in 

 one place, anotlver site was chosen. The sticks were made, he thought, by the 

 war chief, with instructions from the cacique. This is largely conjecture on the 

 informant's part, for one not a war cloief would not know much about such mat- 

 ters. But it is quite certain, I lielieve, that these sticks were made and deposited 

 by some officer. Moreover, they show different degrees of weathering, which 

 indicates that they were deposited at different times. D, E, and G are of 

 spruce (ha'k'ak') ; F is also, I believe, but I am not sure. Note that they all have 

 faces (the beveled facets). Note, also, that each bears a lightning symbol, 

 running down from the grooves, point downward. D has two lightning marks. 

 E and G were said to represent spruce trees. When the clouds come down from 

 the mountains the tips of these tree sticks catch them and hold them, causing 

 rain. D was said to represent a woman (k'otcininak'o) bearing a jar of water 

 on her head. No interpretation was given for F. These sticks are markedly 

 different from auj' others I have seen at Acoma (some 200), and noticeably 



^ I collected about 40 prayer sticks at old .\coma and at some canyons southeast of the pueblo. I also 

 saw several hundred sticks on a ledge at old Acoma. They had been thrown over the cliff and were plainly 

 visible but out ot reach. I also secured drawings of sticks from an informant. 



