354 ISLETA, NEW MEXICO 



The kachina chief, "their father," is the town chief. Francisco 

 Correo or Kaituri (Lists I, 3; II, 1), the immigrant, held the 

 office until he died in 1918. Then his son, Jose Nacio'" Correo or 

 Shiebat5 (in Isletan, white prayer feather) or Shaatse (Keresan) 

 succeeded him. Shiebato was only 16 and unmarried. He did not 

 marry until six years later. According to Juan Abeita, Sluebato has 

 represented the colony in all its dealings with Isleta, a rather improb- 

 able statement considering the youth of Shiebato. In connection 

 with their kachina dances he no doubt does represent them. Per- 

 mission to hold a mask dance he must obtain from the town cliief of 

 Isleta. The seasons for the mask dances are after the February field 

 cleaning or exorcising ceremony by the Fathers, and the June solstice 

 ceremonies of the Corn groups. 



Although the ritual accompanying the three Hwa dances in the 

 Isletan calendar unmistakably connects the dances with the wide- 

 spread kachina cult, it is doubtful if the Isletans themselves relate 

 their fiwa dances to the masked dances of their Laguna neighbors 

 which my Isletan informant had seen, but of which he had very vague 

 ideas, not knowing even the names of them all. However, from rough 

 sketches the masks appear to be the same as those of old Laguna. 

 There are: 1. Chakwena; 2. In Isletan Hwa funide or dark kachina, 

 whose mask, however, is yellow on one side and blue on the other (pi. 

 20, a) and whose call is o'ho ! o'ho ! "He is mean"; 3. Papire (Isletan, 

 duck) katsina. These three masks come out each as a set or group. 

 With the chakwena comes also a single mask who, except for mask, is 

 like the aiyayaho in the Isletan fiwa por. Then there is a mask I 

 venture to identify from the sketch (pi. 20, b) as hea (hehea). With 

 the parti-colored masks come out to play three gumeoishi. Unlike 

 the old Laguna gumeoishi^' they wear no mask, but a black cloth is 

 around the face, which is painted "green." They wear black blan- 

 kets. One carries a crook cane with feathers attached to it. One 

 has a small drum. They dance around. The maximimi number of 

 kacliina dancers is 18, which corresponds to the number of Laguna 

 males of dancing age. The dancers are led in by their town chief, 

 without a mask. 



Not only do Isletans look on at these dances, but they are also the 

 recipients of the kachina dolls made and distributed in connection with 

 the cult.^^ The house of the Laguna Fathers is used for night dance 

 practice and by day the street south of the town chief's house, which 

 is closed to Mexicans and whites by the war captains, is the dance 



2" In 1920 I was told at old LagUEa that Nashu (Nacio) of the Sun dan was the Father of the kachina at 

 Isleta, having succeeded his own father in office. But now for contradictions. Nashu's father was said 

 to be G'eonai, a Lizard clansman. (Parsons 12: 208.) 



" Compare Parsons 8: Fig. 15. According to one informant, there used to be, 30 years or so ago, two or 

 three mask-wearing gumeoishi at Orai'bi. They were called pibula, mud-heads. 



J' Isleta townsmen are not allowed to make kachina dolls which they are told are made of lapako (stick, 

 water, carry), light porous sticks carried down by the river. 



