232 ISLETA, NEW MEXICO |eih. axn. 47 



speaking. In the Taos-Picuris system there is but one term for the 

 junior, whether younger brother or sister. Again Isle tan nomen- 

 clature is richer than the northern system in terms for collateral 

 seniors and juniors, which suggests that there has been some borrowing 

 from the Keres. 



Dress and Headdress 



Men and women dress as in other eastern pueblos, mostly in Amer- 

 ican store-bought clothes, keeping the native woven garments for 

 ceremonial or dance occasion. However, many women wear their 

 manta daily. (PI. 19, a.) 



The black, footless stockings which are commonly worn by women 

 in the west are worn also at Isleta. They are knit by the women. 

 In shoes a bit of cotton is placed to indicate that, although the shoes 

 are American, their wearer is Indian. Once at Taos, when an Islet an 

 -^nsitor was being taunted with being more American than Indian 

 because he did not wear his blanket or his hair in braids, he retorted 

 by asking his hosts if they were wearing cotton in their shoes. They 

 were not wearing it, and they at once admitted that he had scored. 

 As usual elsewhere, shoes or moccasins are removed by those engaged 

 in ceremonial. 



The bandoleer and pouch *" for ritual meal and fetishes is used. 

 The usual pueblo silver and shell ornaments are in use. Among them 

 we may note the gorget of pink shell or abalone *' with a silver button 

 mounted in the center, which is worn by male dancers. 



The women wear their hair unhanged, slicked across the forehead, 

 worn left to right, and tucked behind the right ear, wath the back 

 hair belted in a queue (w'ifi) "like Laguna women." Once a neighbor 

 had cut off Lucinda's hair so she could wear it banged in Santo 

 Domingo style. "That is not our way," protested Lucinda, "that is 

 not right." The men, less conservative, wear their hair short, except 

 the Fathers, of whom the older wear their hair long and in queue, and 

 the younger in a Dutch cut, wluch dates back at least to the end of 

 the last century, when the banda was to be seen worn as a hat band.** 



In the tale of the unfortunate deer hunters the faithless wife cuts 

 awaj^ some hair under her husband's queue. "You took the luck 

 away and gave it to somebody else," he reproaches her. "Now, we 

 shall have nothing until my hair grows in again." Lucinda said 

 there was another hamaha ** of a woman who put her husband's hair 

 cuttings in her belt to keep him home. He would go deer hunting all 

 the time. After she did tliis they got very poor. That long hair is a 



•' Shertai'mu. Sheride, left hand; mu, pouch. 



*' Fierupoloa, earring bright. 



" Census, 112. In 1890, in the puehlos, men still wore leggings tied by garters; to-day only a ceremonial 

 display. In Isleta, if was noticed that the leggmgs were fastened not by garters but by silver buttons, 

 buttons being used lavishly upon the costume. 



" The reference in Laguna terms to folk tale. 



