256 ISLETA, NEW MEXICO [eth. ann.47 



13. Chief of one of the two Black Corn divisions, Magpie (k'para) , with assist- 

 ant, and one other member. Chief of the other Black Corn division. Poplar 

 (naride), with assistant, and one other member. 



14. Chief of Yellow Corn people, with assistant, and one other member. 



15. Chief of one of the two Blue Corn divisions, jjachiri, with assistant, and 

 one other member. Chief of the other Blue Corn division, tutenehu', with 

 assistant. 



16. Chief of All Colors Corn people, who are referred to as ietainin (Corn 

 people), with assistant. 



17. Chief of Eagle (shyu kabede). All Colors Corn people, with one member. 

 Chief of Goose (koi kabede konide), All Colors Corn people. 



18. shichu kabede, chief of shichu, All Colors Corn people, with assistant. 



1. TOWN CHIEF (t'aIKABEDE) 



The office is not hereditary nor is it associated with or filled from any 

 ceremonial group, although, as already stated, there is a theory that it 

 is filled in turn in the usual circuit from the Corn groups. The present 

 town cliief belongs to the White Corn group and so does liis assistant 

 and prospective successor, referred to as kumpa. When I pointed out 

 the failure of the theory of succession, I was told that should kumpa 

 not wish to take the office, then the chief of the White Corn group 

 would seek for a successor in the Black Corn group, the group next 

 to the White Corn in the color circuit. 



The present town chief is Dolores Hohola or paptoa (Bapthur) or 

 Pollen. He is between 65 and 75 years old and has been in office from 

 13 to 14 years.^* He had been kumpa to his predecessor, Luo, Arrow, 

 who belonged to All Colors Corn group .^^ paptoa belongs to the 

 Black Eyes moiety. 



The town cliicf is constantly referred to as the source of all the 

 ceremonial life, in the sense that permission to hold ceremonies or 

 dances must be sought from him, and reports of ceremonies are made 

 to him. On his own initiative he may ask for ceremonies, as when 

 he asks the medicine societies for their spring ceremony to qiuet old 

 man Wind, or their summer ceremony to enliven hmi against exces.sive 

 heat; or to perform ritual against grasshoppers. The summer rain 

 ceremony the town chief appears to conduct himself. 



" That the office of cacicjue (town chief) is now filled is generally denied by Isletans. I presume this is 

 camouflage, just as when I referred to the t'aikabede to Lucinda she murmured, "T'aikabede. t'aikabede, 

 what is that word?" However, Felipe of Laguna, who had no reason (or concealment, also stated that the 

 office was vacant (Parsons, »: 158, n. 3). . . . According to one account, the last town chief was .-intonio 

 Montoya or Turluo (Sun Arrow), probably identical with Luo above named, of the Blue Corn people 

 (pachurnin). He died about 1896, so old he could not walk. His successor died before he was installed. 

 (See, too, Parsons, 9: 158, n. 3) . . . According to this same account, a considerable period. 10 years or so, 

 is allowed to elapse before installing the town chief, during which the candidate is in training and the widow 

 of the deceased town chief is looked after and worked for by the peoiiie as if she were town chief . . . The 

 predecessor of Turluo was his father, Turshan, Sunrise, of the Blue Corn people. Turshan was town chief 

 "before the railway came through," i. e., 1880. A. descendant relates that once Turshan broke the 

 "t'aikabede rules" and was whipped. (See p. 365.) 



" The houses of paptoa and Luo were adjacent. 



