130 



THE ACOMA INDIANS 



mesa some distance south of Acoma, wlieie, it is said, an old altar 

 is hidden. 



Figure 6. — Altar of a curing society. The figure on the right (Ma) is Masewi; his face is red. Figure on 

 left (Oy) is Oyoyewi; his face is canary yellow. The two round faced figures (Kj are K'o tcininako; 

 their bodies are mahogany in color, their faces whitish. The two notched uprights (Pj are prayersticks; 

 above the diagonal line near the top. the sticks are painted yellow. The large terraced upright in the 

 center is called "Prayerstick Chief." In the foreground are two medicine bowls (MB). The parallel 

 lines on either side of the terraced bowls are lines of meal 



Masks 



All masks were made of buffalo hide, except those of the gomaiowic, 

 which were made of deerskin.'^ Cowhide now replaces buffalo hide 

 in the making of new masks. Feathers, and sometimes flowers, are 

 worn on the tops of the masks. The collar is usually of spruce twigs, 

 although a fox skin is freely employed, and feathers rather rarely. 

 In some cases designs or symbols on masks are explained, such as, 

 for example, the face markings of Paiyatyamo; the diagonal path 

 across the face of the k'osictaiya is said to be the road that they took 



33 "Are masks ever made of cloth? 

 tuous reply. 



I asked. "No; they used to do that at Laguna," was the contemp- 



