280 ISLETA, NEW MEXICO [eth.ann.47 



village.*' Other sacrosanct objects are set out on the altar — the bowl 

 of medicine water, the fetish stones, arrow points, bear paws, prayer 

 feathers, meal basket, and crosses which are called by the same name 

 as the cloud terrace design, he's?. The altars of the moieties and 

 Corn groups are still simpler, as there are no mothers — only the meal 

 design (Idty), bowl, stone fetishes, arrow point, and prayer feathers. 

 (Fig. 10.) 



In certain ritual, instead of a meal design, a buckskin serves on 

 which to set paraphernalia, as when the thief finder goes into trance, 

 or when kumpa brings in the horned serpent (fig. 14), or when the 

 town chief blesses, as we might say, the seed corn with Ms medicine 

 water. 



Medicine Water (Pa'kwimpa)*' and Bowl; Aspersing and 

 Water Pouring 



Medicine water is made by every ceremonial group or chief and the 

 bowl figures on every altar. The fluid is used to pour out in the direc- 

 tions or to sprinkle with in the directions as well as on sacrosanct 

 objects ** and on persons, and it is given to persons to drink or take 

 home. Also the chief may squirt the water on persons from his 

 mouth. The song used in sprinkling is referred to as palore. . . . 

 Members of one moiety may not drink the medicine water of the other 

 moiety. No doubt the composition of the medicine water of any 

 group is peculiarly esoteric. 



In ceremonial the stone fetishes are dropped into the medicine 

 bowl, and the supernaturals that are "called in" during ceremonial — 

 thunder, lightning, rain, as well as the animals — appear to be directed 

 into the medicine bowl. They are whistled or simg for. As the 

 dance chief steps before the altar, the assistants sing, mentioning in 

 the middle of their song what is wanted — "they are caUing it in." 

 At this point the dancing chief makes passes of drawing something in 

 and of throwing it into the bowl — "worldng with his power." 



Duck feathers and the sacrosanct ear of corn are used as aspergills. 



The medicine bowl is also used as a land of clairvoyant mirror, to 

 reflect the outside world,^" also the dead.*' 



Smoking; Cigarette; Tobacco Offering; Pigment Offering 



Ritual smoking is referred to as pald'mu, mist or fog; chichi, give. 

 Native tobacco (lepa'b') is used, and there is the expression lepa'b* 



*^ Or tribe. Kitun t'ainin are the village people, i. e., all the Pueblos. 



*8 Pa, water: kwimpa, whirling, boiling. A spring is also described in English as "boiling." My guess 

 is that bubbling is meant and that, as elsewhere, the medicine bowl and water represent a spring. 



*^ And even on merely ornamental glass beads. 



60 For a charming account by a San Juan townsman of such reflection in witch finding, see Parsons, 

 17: 45-47. 



•1 See p. 316. 



