502 INTRODUCTION TO ZUNI CEREMONIALISM [eth. ann.47 



before the coming of the corn maids (see myth, p. 914). The following 

 activities are all "teckwi" in Zuiii terminolog}' : 



Foods. — Members of the ci'wana'kwe society must not eat jack 

 rabbit, nor a common purple-flowered herb. This is felt so strongly 

 that a member of this society will not even touch a jack rabbit nor 

 permit it to be brought into the house in wliich he lives. No Zuiii 

 eats or touches meat or grease during the first foiu- days of the winter 

 solstice; '* priests refrain from eating meat and grease for 10 days, 

 and during the periods of their retreat; pekwin does not eat meat 

 and grease after ofl'ermg prayer sticks to the smi; initiates do not 

 eat meat for fom- days after their initiation; warriors who have taken 

 a scalp do not eat meat, grease, salt, or any hot food for one year; 

 mourners (especially widows and widowers) do not eat meat, salt, 

 or hot foods for four days following a death. 



Objects. — All sacred objects are taboo to all people who do not 

 "belong" to them. The strength of tliis feeling varies according to 

 the power of the fetish. No one would dare to touch one of the 

 priest's fetishes except the cliiof of the priesthood, and no one will 

 enter the room whei-e it is kept except the chief priest and the female 

 head of the house. This is true also of the permanent masks and 

 society altars. When the people who keep one of the Ca'lako masks 

 moved to a new house they called the head of the kiva whose mask 

 they kept to transfer it, "because they were afraid to touch it." 

 Corn fetishes, praj'er sticks, ceremonial garments are all handled with 

 great respect, and no more than necessary.-' 



Places. — The rooms where sacred things are kept are taboo to out- 

 siders. All shrines are taboo except when visited officially. There is 

 one War God shrine (co'luwayiillakwi) which may be visited by those 

 who wish to piay for good luck m war or gambling. Otherwise it is 

 not permitted for individuals to visit shrines even for purposes of 

 prayer.'" Rooms where retreats or ceremonies are being held, unless 

 the ceremony is specifically public, are taboo to those not belonging 

 to the ceremony. If any one crosses the threshold he is "caught," 

 and must be initiated into the group, or where this is mipossible (like 

 meetmgs of the katcina priests), must be ceremonially whipped and 

 make certain payments to Ms "father." Altars are always erected 

 on the side of the room away from the door, "the valuable place." 

 Strangei-s are always seated near the door, by the fireplace and away 

 from the "valuable place." Mouj-nei-s and warriors who have taken 

 scalps sit "away from the fire." 



2^ Certain exceptions to tliis role are discussed on p. 623. 



'" A good friend would not unwr.ip her mi'le tor me to look at, although she permitted me to examine it 

 wiien it had been taken out for a ceremony. 



3» Mrs. Stevenson (Zufii Indians, p. 154) gives a graphic description of the reluctance of her Zuni guides 

 to accompany her to koluwalawa'. The writer has had similar experiences with guides who showed her 

 the location of shrines but themselves refused to approach them. 



