148 THE ACOMA INDIANS 



the basket. Nau'tstti said, "Oh, look; this is oiir present from 

 Utc'tsttt. We will divide all the things." Naii'tsttt told la'tik" to 

 pick out the things she wanted. So la'tik" picked out the wild game 

 and the wild plants, things that grew by themselves. The animals 

 and plants that had to be planted and tended in order to grow she 

 left to Nau'tsttt. Then Nau'tsttt offered the book to la'tik", but 

 la'tik" didn't want the book; she thought it woidd be too much 

 trouble to read it. Then they called all the people together and told 

 them to choose between the two sisters. Most of the people went 

 with la'tik"; only a few went with Nau'tsttt. But Nau'tsitt told 

 la'tik" that she was malcing a mistake. "You don't want to work," 

 she told la'tik", "but some day you may want what I have. I 

 will get the best of you yet," she said. Then Nau'tsttt went to the 

 east. She became the mother of the white people (who later came 

 back to the land of the Indians). la'tik" was the mother of the 

 Indians. ^^ 



GuitiDa'nic (Performing Miracles), a Story of the Fight at 

 Kacikatcutia 



Mic"Hama, there was a dance going on at Kacikatcutia one day. 

 Toward evening the k'a"'tsina that were dancmg went back to 

 Wenimats'. But there was one k'a^'tsina named Mactilvtsatcati who 

 remained in the estufa, sitting in a corner. That night some men 

 gathered in the estufa and feU to discussing the dancers. Some of 

 them began to ridicule the k'a-'tsina and to mimic their ways of 

 dancing. "This one was bow-legged," "This one danced this way," 

 etc. They did not notice the k'a"'tsina sitting quietly in the corner. 

 After Mactilvtsatcati had listened for some time he got up and went 

 out of the estufa. Some men noticed him leave and recognized him 

 to be a k'a-'tsina. Thev rushed after him to endeavor to detain 

 him, but by the time they had reached the exit of the estufa Mac- 

 tiktsatcati had disappeared. 



When Mactiktsatcati arrived at Wenimats' he told the k'a-'tsitia 

 how the people had mocked them. The k'a''tsina dancers became 

 very angry. They determined to revenge themselves. The next 

 morning two g'o'maiowic (scouts) were summoned. They were 

 instructed to go to Kacikatcutia and teU the peoijle that the k'a^'tsina 

 would attack them in four days and pmiish them for their misde- 

 meanor. So the scouts went to KacUvatcutia where they met the 

 tsatyao ho-tcen' (outside, or war chiefs) to whom they delivered their 

 message. The chiefs summoned the people to one of the estufas and 

 told them of the decision of the angry k'a-'tsina. After some dis- 

 cussion the chiefs decided that there was nothing to do but to prepare 



»' Although there is no doubt atout the existence of an Utc'tsiti and a Nau'tsiti in Keresan tradition, 

 I feel that this particular version is largely the product of some individual fancy, perhaps the informant's. 



