PARSONS] CALENDAE 315 



CEREMONY OF INITIATION INTO MEDICINE SOCIETY (lAGUNA FATHERS)"' 



Initiations take place in February. Mucli preparation is neces- 

 sary: wood to be hauled, food prepared; beads and feathers to be 

 obtained to embellish the new iema'paru. Beads will be contributed 

 by the man's relations, there may be a hundred dollars' worth of 

 beads for iema'paru, and the man will go to San Domingo to get the 

 needed parrot tail feathers (see p. 277). 



On the part of the society there is a retreat with fast of four daj's, 

 during which time the initiate stays in a room of his own house, un- 

 visited by his family; his ceremonial father, who is any one of the 

 society members he has chosen, has to feed him. Wheat flour is 

 taboo. During this time the aunt (probably father's sister) of the 

 initiate will prepare various tilings: cotton, a big basket of smoking 

 tobacco, a belt, a pair of moccasins, hair belt, hair broom, water bowl. 



On the afternoon of the fourth day the chief comes to fetch the 

 initiate, leading him by the tips of his eagle wing feathers (see p. 283). 

 With her prejiared things, the aunt follows. On reaching the cere- 

 monial room the initiate and his aunt sprinkle meal on the altar. The 

 chief takes the initiate in to the next room where his aunt will take 

 care of him; that evening she may not leave him alone. He must 

 keep his mind on asking iema'paru to help him, that he may not be 

 afraid. He must be strong. A war captain goes to summon rela- 

 tives to the ceremonial room. Other war captains are outside on 

 watch against the witches who are always lurking about on these 

 occasions.*'' The chief cleans all present with his feathers (see p. 445). 

 The chief summons the Corn mothers, ke'chu, thunder and lightning. 



The chief biings in the initiate and his aunt who takes a seat at 

 the fireplace. The initiate has to sit near the stone point on the 

 altar and next to the keide, the senior woman member of the society 

 who is to act as his Mother. She has an eagle feather in her hair; 

 cotton is stuck to her body; she wears a white Hopi blanket. Now 

 around both Mother and initiate as they sit near the altar a white 

 blanket is wrapped, wliich means that the initiate is to be born from 

 the Mother. The initiate has to stand on the head of the snake 

 design on the altar, and step along the outhne of the snake, holding 

 to the chief's eagle wing feathers, the cliief walking alongside, not in 

 front. Then the initiate steps on the yucca made crosses (fig. 17) 

 and spits mto the bowl for the spittle of exorcism. All present follow 

 the same course. The initiate resumes his place next to his Mother. 

 The Fathers stand and surround the initiate, making all kinds of 

 animal sounds and with their feathers cleaning up (exorcising) the 



-- The initiation ceremony of the Town Fathers was the same, opined our informant, but he had seen only 

 that of the Laguiia Fathers. 

 '" See p. 430. 



