white] 



PARAPHERNALIA AND RITUAL 127 



different from those in the American Museum of Natural History. Lengths: 

 D, 19 cm.; E, 36 cm.; F, 26 cm.; G, 22 cm. (PI. 13.) 



H, I, J, and K (collection Nos. B3, B7, Bl, and B9) were .said to have been 

 offered to Masewi. They are painted red "because blood is red." H and J are 

 double arrows; they may strike both ways. I is a club (drai'its). K is a 

 weapon, a sort of arrow and club combined. Sticks such as these are offered to 

 Masewi to secure strength to fight, to vanquish a foe, or to protect himself. 

 I do not know whether feathers were attached or not. Lengths: H, 8 cm.; 

 I, 9 cm.; J, 11 cm.; K, 8 cm. (PI. 14.) 



L. (Collection No. A6.) Willow. Blue paint from the grooves to about the 

 mid-point between them and the end; the upper half is yeOowish in color, but 

 I can not determine whether it is the natural color of the wood or paint (stain). 

 Length, 20 cm. 



M. (Collection No. AlO.) Kind of wood undetermined. Blue paint over 

 entire peeled surface. This stick is shown because of the short point on the 

 peeled (head) end; it contrasts with A, which is pointed from the grooves to the 

 end. Both L and M had feathers tied to the butt. Length, 18.5 cm. 



N and O. Crook only; peeled. No paint visible. Height, 16 cm. Both O 

 and P, according to informant, are called g'o'nac (cane). In the dances some 

 k'a-'tsina carry canes. It was said that these sticks were offered when one was 

 going to take a long trip and needed strength. Doctor Parsons was told at 

 Jemez that this crook was "to pull down the rain." (See The Pueblo of Jemez, 

 p. 102.) (PI. 14.) 



P. Bark entirely removed. Painted reddish-brown (ya'k'atca). Height, 

 15 cm. 



Q, R, and S. Q is a stick split in half. The black line down the middle is a 

 "road." R is a kick stick. S, a loop of cat-tail stems. They are placed in the 

 order shown, in an arroyo in the early spring, by the war chief. The water runs 

 down the road, washes the kick stick into the mack'utc (loop), which carries the 

 kick stick down into the fields. This keeps the fields moist all summer. Q and 

 R have ej-es and mouth. (I found Q. R and S were painted by an informant.) 



T. Bow and arrow and shield. Painted red. Offered to Masewi. From 

 drawing; none were found. (PI. 15.) 



The prayer sticks are made by the persons who deposit them. 

 One person does not see another make his stick (although sometimes 

 a whole group of sticks is placed in one or two baskets and later 

 distributed to dancers, as in the natyati). One is alone, also, when 

 he deposits the stick, with a prayer. At old Acoma most of the 

 prayer sticks are thrown over the cliff at various points, although 

 some are buried at the foot of the mesa by some great rocks (at the 

 foot of the sand trail). Sticks are also deposited in canyons or 

 clefts in mesas at some distance from Acoma. No one touches a 

 stick after it has been used. 



When I asked an informant why his people prayed with prayer 

 sticks he replied " 'Cause that's the way they do," which is, without 

 doubt, the reason. It seems, however, that the prayer sticks are 

 felt to serve as vehicles of prayer. The feathers which are tied to 

 them are light, and they "float like clouds" to Wenimats'. They 

 also seem to be regarded as gifts to the k'atsina. "They like to get 

 these hatcamuni from us." 



