WHITE) LIFE CYCLE OF AN INDIVIDUAL 133 



her thorns (reason not oiven). One should never "talk had" in her 

 presence.'^ 



A midwife assists at childbirth. 



^Vhen the child is born the father makes a waBani, which he takes 

 to a medicine man with a long prayer; he asks him to come to his 

 house to take the baby out to see the sun and to give him a name. 



Early in the morning (about 2 a. m.) of the fourth daj^ after the 

 birth of the child the medicine man soUcited by the father comes 

 with his wafe to the house of the child. ^^ The parents have cleared 

 a space in one of their rooms for him. He begins to make his sand 

 painting and to lay out his paraphernalia. The design of the sand 

 painting is illustrated in Plate 16. A horned toad might be used 

 instead of a turtle. Two or three ho'nan' are placed on the turtle. 

 A medicine bowl is placed on the turtle's head. Some flints, miscella- 

 neous fetishes (depending somewhat upon the medicine man's sup- 

 ply), and perhaps a bear paw are placed on the sand paintmg on 

 either side of the turtle's head. A basket of prayer sticks is placed 

 near the turtle's head. 



While the medicine man is making his sand mosaic and arranging 

 his paraphernalia his wife is bathing the mother and baby. When 

 the medicine man has finished with his altar he sits near the turtle's 

 head and begins to sing, keeping time with a gourd rattle. He sings 

 for some time. When his wife has finished bathing mother and child 

 she sits on the floor near the head of the turtle, with the baby in her 

 lap. The mother sits near by. As the medicine man sings he dips 

 his eagle plumes into the medicine bowl from time to time and 

 sprinkles the baby. 



Shortly before sunrise the medicine man asks the parents if they 

 have prepared waBani for prayers. The mother and father fetch 

 the waBani. They bring them back and, standing on either side of 

 the turtle's head, they pray. ^Tien they have finished they lay their 

 waBani in the basket of prayer sticks. Then the medicine man asks 

 the parents if they have selected a name for their child. If they 

 have not done so, the medicine man selects one himself. 



Just before sunrise they all rise and go outdoors. The wife of the 

 medicine man carries the baby, following her husband to the east 

 edge of the mesa. The parents stop a few paces outside their door. 

 The medicine man carries with him the basket of prayer sticks, a 

 ho'nan', a flint, his eagle feathers, and a bear's paw (if he has one). 

 The medicine man sits on the edge of the chff, prajdng to the sim. 

 When the sun appears over the great mesa in the east the wife of the 



3* For further notions regarding pregnancy se« Parsons's Notes on Acoma and Laguna, .\merican 

 .Anthropologist, vol. 20, pp. lfi2-IKli. 

 *s This ceremony seems to be lacking among the eastern Keres. 



