330 ISLETA, NEW MEXICO 



the Black Eyes runner always stands on the rigjht hand, at either end 

 of the race track. Also races may be run between the married (hiK, 

 old men) and the unmarried (tarape'u, asking, i. e., suitors*^), the 

 mari'ied painting themselves one way, the unmarried another. Per- 

 haps the married will paint the right side of the face yellow, the left 

 side, white, with a frog or turtle painted on the back; and the immar- 

 ried will paint a rabbit or deer on the back, with a zigzag on the legs 

 or a cross on the chest. At all these races there is much merriment. 

 The girls will tease the married men; one side will say, "We rim like 

 deer or a bird, you rim like donkeys or dogs." 



MOIETY TRANSFER CEREMONIES 



On November 2 the Black Eyes chief holds his ceremony ; on April 

 8 the shure' chief holds his. In both cases there is a retreat of four 

 days, the people going on the fourth night for their medicine water, 

 and the women contributing baskets of food. There is a meal altar 

 (kity), but of course no Mothers of which the moiety chiefs are not 

 possessed. 



CEREMONY OF BRINGING DOWN THE MOON ^^ AND STARS 



The ceremony lasts for two days, with four preliminary days, of 

 which two are spent in fasting outside and two in retreat. . . . The 

 town chief sends the shichu chief to ask the Fathers, Town and Laguna, 

 for the ceremony. The performers will be the societies' two chiefs 

 and their two chief assistants, the town chief, kumpa, the war chief, 

 and the chiefs of the Com groups, with the chiefs of the medicine 

 societies in charge. The men at large may attend the ceremony; but 

 women and children would not attend it, because, they say, "the stars 

 are mean." . . .^' The ritual of bringing down the moon seems to be 

 much the same as that of bringing down the sun. A "window" is 

 open for her in the roof. Her prayer feathers, five feathers tied with 

 cotton, are as "wings for her to fly." Attached to the feathers are 

 the red beads such as women wear. On the sixth day before simrise 

 she comes down for her feathers, and stays until noon. 



RAIN CEREMONY (LECHIDE ^- OR tECHINUMAI, RAIN CALL) 



This "rain fast" or ceremony is held in July, sometimes twice if 

 there is a drought. The retreat is conducted for 12 days in the house 

 of the town chief who has %vith him kumpa, the war chief, and the 

 chiefs of both medicine societies. Set out on the altar are but three 

 iema'paru, that of the town chief, and those of the two medicine 



>" According to Lummis 1 : 118, the two parties meet at night at the ash piles to sing 

 »" The reference is p'aide imato amhina, " At oon relation, we are going to do it." 

 *i A reference, I take it, to their warlike character. 

 ^^ Leachi is the ceremonial term for rain, lurtd, the vernacular. 



