292 ISLETA, XEW MEXICO 



[ETH. ANN. 4V 



for this grinding, in which the grinder is called koamaku'de. An 

 assistant carries the paint to the others, each putting some of it on 

 his index finger. Then each paints the midrib of his feather, all 

 singing the song of the black paint and the feather. . . . The chief 

 assistant gathers up the feathers, taking first the turkey feather of the 

 chief and placing the feathers one on top of the other. Another song 

 for this. The assistant tells a Mother to take to the chief some 

 cotton string which he will measure ofl' by holding the end between 

 the tips of his middle and fourth fingers and stretching the stiing to 

 his wrist, doubling this measure three times and then cutting the 

 string with his flint knife, leaving 12 ends. The chief assistant brings 

 him the grinding stone of black paint, of which he takes some on his 

 inde.x finger and thumb. Holding one end of the string in his left 

 hand, he rubs the paint from his inde.x finger and thumb on to the 

 other end of the string and on the middle. Turning the string, he 

 then paints the other end, thus in three places he has painted the 

 string. For this painting of the string there has been a special song. 

 And now, again, as he ties the feathers there is a tying (shie') 

 song. . . . 



A Mother takes a basket ^ of meal of the color characterizing the 

 group to the chief. Facing the east, he breathes out on the meal 

 three times and then waves it in the antisimwise circuit. This rite, 

 to which there is a song, is repeated in turn by the chief assistant, the 

 other assistants, and any others present. Then the Mother returns 

 the basket to the chief. On it he lays the prayer feathers, to a song, 

 and sprinkles the feathers with meal. 



FoUows the rite of drawing down the sun (tmide, sun, amchawe', 

 pulling down) by the power the chief has asked from the town chief. 

 In the roof of the ceremonial room there is a hole through which at 

 noon the sun shines on to a spot on the floor near where the chief 

 now stands. In front of the chief stand his assistants, then the row 

 of the other men present, and then the row of women present. All 

 turn to face the east, singing to call the sun. This is repeated in the 

 an tis unwise circuit, before each song each sprinkling meal from the 

 meal basket or poUen received from the chief assistant. All return 

 to their places, except the chief, who makes drawmg-in motions from 

 all the directions from the corn mothers, throws poUen up toward the 

 roof hole, and points upward with his stone knife. All sing the song 

 of "puUing down the sun," while the chief makes the motions of 

 drawing something toward himself. Now the sim drops down on the 

 spot of simhght on the floor. It is a round object, white as cotton, 

 which opens and closes.' To this the chief ties the prayer feathers, 



" Toakoalicha, com meal basket. 



^ Possibly a ray of light has been refracted with a crystal into the chamber, as is done in Hopi altar 

 ritual. On Easter Saturday the sun's rays are retracted by mirror to the altar, in the church of Santa Ana 

 Xamimilulco, Puebla, Mexico. (Parsons 20.) 



